kyoto.

Once in Kyoto, our first order of business was to find our way to lunch at the very traditional Shoraian, a place on the edge of the famed Arashiyama bamboo forest, where their specialty is tofu (all manner of formats), and where you can't actually take a car. I determined this latter fact in something of a panic as we were trying to check into our hotel at lightning-speed, then uber to lunch. Turns out we could only uber partway there.

The food at Shoraian absolutely beautiful, and quite ample--I think we officially had 8 separate courses, although a couple of those involved several dishes!--and somehow we survived sitting on the floor at one of those lovely traditional tables that is waaaaaaay too low for people of our dimensions. A memorable meal, to be sure, and well worth the slight hassle of getting there. (And sitting there.)

Plus, immediately after lunch, we got to see the bamboo forest.

Just outside the forest is the Tenryu-ji Temple with its lovely garden.

I got really into the ogre-shaped onigawara tiles on the ends of the gables. Those things are massive and just amazing.

As are the roof lines themselves.

And there's all sorts of other interesting creatures up there as well.

After a quick stroll along the main thoroughfare outside the forest, we ended up at the Arashiyama train station, where they have this wacky (but magical) installation called the "Kimono Forest." It's a path lined with these illuminated tubes of (apparent) kimono fabric, and it's weirdly magical.

There's a reflecting pond with a dragon in it at the end.

We certainly didn't need the massive bowls of ramen that we found back in the city center, but they were pretty darn tasty. (Obviously mine was healthy 'cause I ordered extra veggies in it.)

The next morning, we headed out to a marathon Kyoto-viewing, since we only had one full day there. The first stop was the famed Golden Pavilion (Rokuon-ji Temple), because ya gotta.

Lily pond on the walk in!

The grounds of the Golden Pavilion were positively swarming with tourists, but I can say that it's utterly worth the visit. The place is justifiably famous.

Even the entrance buildings are gorgeous. These disc-shaped tiles along the eaves are called gatou, and it seemed that each temple or shrine had a distinct pattern emblazoned on them. 

Yeah, yeah, I knew the reputation of Japanese gardens going in, but in person they are incredible. So intricate, so highly and detailedly designed, and so intriguing. (They make me want to explore endlessly, and I feel like they probably all house fairies, too. It's inevitable, those places are so magical.)

Next stop: Ryoan-ji temple, famed for this rock garden...

...but no one tells you about the amazing painted screens in their tea room...

or the other compact, moss-covered gardens scattered around the temple. So pretty.

Then, we took a quick spin through Nishiki Market to find lunch...

...passing, on the way, no shortage of these tiny skewered red octopi...

...a bounty of beautiful pickles...

..."no! egg of Godzilla!"...

...and some more of that fake display food, but this time cleverly made with yarn. (So neat.)

Entrance to the shrine at the end of Nishiki. (It's just past the Wendy's, FYI.)

We most assuredly did not plan to have donuts for lunch--I generally find them terribly disappointing, outside of the US--but the fanciness of this donut shop's interior lured us in...

...and we ended up with this awesomeness. (Not pictured: the shrimp tempura and edamame skewers, batter-fried chicken and squid, absolutely massive Fuji apple [seemed only appropriate!], Waygu beef, and sparkling homemade lemonade we'd eaten in the market before we found our way here.) One sesame, one green tea, and one mitarashi (sweetened soy sauce-glazed). Yummo.

Next stop, and the most magical-fairytale place I've ever seen in my life: the gardens around the Silver Pavilion (Ginkaku-ji Temple). 

Completely different from the other, smaller rock-gardens we'd seen, this one is deep. (That edge there is probably 18 inches/46cm tall.) I have absolutely no idea how they keep it from collapsing!

The landscaping here was unbelievably beautiful.

Everything was just so green, thanks mostly to the moss everywhere.

View from the top of the complex back over part of Kyoto.

The Silver Pavilion itself is nothing to sneeze at, but really, the gardens here are the draw. Freaking magic.

Had we had half a brain, we would have caught a cab to Fushimi Inari at this point in time--it's open 24 hours--but I'd been convinced by someone (ahem) that we'd have plenty of time to get there, and so we stopped at this little shrine whose emblem is a bunny...

...hee!...

...that is one voluptuous bunny...

...then walked back towards town, passing the huge Heian shrine...

...with its sake barrels aging out front (ugh, the labels are soooo pretty!!)...

...and this, the creepiest storefront ever.

We strolled down the river,

walked through Pontocho Alley, Kyoto's crazily-narrow-alley-ed restaurant district,

strolled through Gion (with all of the people who'd been at the Golden Pavilion earlier, I'm sure),

then found our way to Fushimi Inari, home of the vermilion gates. Which are probably about a thousandth as impressive at night as they are during the daytime, but at least we got to see them, I guess. (Along with the guardian fox statues that are all over that shrine.)

Although I'm guessing this looks pretty cool when it's light outside. And you can actually see it all.

Dinner was ramen again, but this time at a hole-in-the-wall place that Mike had visited his first time in Kyoto.

We had to queue for a bit to get inside; apparently, the place has a good reputation.

It's also tiny; the entire place consists of this kitchen and the bar around it. (Mike had the traditional miso ramen, I went for the chicken ramen, and we shared a bowl of rice topped with pickled mustard greens on top. All fabulous.)

The next morning, we packed up, found some delicious onigiri snacks at the train station...

Ok, so, the "bullet trains" aren't any faster than the TGV that we take when we go to France, but they are most assuredly very cool-looking.

...and got back back aboard the Shinkansen. Onward to Osaka!