Kristina’s mom Patty and stepdad Bill met us in Kyoto. We were so happy to see them! Here they are at the Fushimi Inari shrine.
Inari is the Japanese god of rice. Traditionally, successful businesses will erect a torii gate out of gratitude to the god Inari. Fushimi Inari includes thousands of torii gates, all painted in cinnabar red and inscribed with the donor’s name.
We hiked up Mt Inari, enjoying the small shrines along the way. Foxes are thought to be Inari's messengers, so there are hundreds of fox statues along the path.
Most of the buildings at Fushimi Inari are also painted this orangey-red.
Our first dinner together was at a delightful Omen restaurant. Pictured here is saba sushi, which is vinegared mackerel with a side dish of greens and mushrooms. It tasted especially delicious with cold draft beer.
We visited a sake museum and learned how rice is fermented to make sake.
Having clear water is a key ingredient in good sake.
This is a cedar barrel used for making sake. It takes about 25 days to ferment.
We especially liked this sake label for Four-Eyed Sake.
We enjoyed hanging out in the courtyard at the museum. It has been about 9 months since the four of us were together, so we had lots of catching up to do.
The gardens in Kyoto are incredible. We were starting to see the maple leaves change color as autumn approaches.
If you make a donation to a temple, you can ring the bell. Patty really put some muscle into her ring of this large bell!
Here she shows her strength by lifting these heavy iron weights. She is at Kiyomizudera temple.
The main temple was built without any metal nails in 1633 – an engineering feat.
The temple is popular with lovers because there’s a Jishu Shrine dedicated to Ōkuninushi, a god of love. This Japanese “cupid” carries a club like Pete is holding. Okuninushi was so kind hearted that he healed this rabbit who had been skinned alive, turning the rabbit into his helper.
From the main temple we hiked to this lovely pagoda.
The four of us quickly settled into a comfortable daily routine, which included having ice cream cones mid-morning. Kristina is enjoying green tea ice cream called matcha and Patty has vanilla and strawberry.
This is one of our favorite gardens. The temple complex is named Nannen-ji.
The gardens are incredibly manicured. We enjoyed watching the gardeners as they worked. Here we are climbing the stone steps up to the view spot at Tofuku-ji.
Another beautiful strolling garden was at Kinkaku-ji. You can see the golden pavilion behind Patty and Kristina.
All the temples have beautiful stone lanterns and stupas like these.
Wood is the primary building material, and this covered walkway overlooks a pond.
The line between inside and outside is blurred at these temples, where walkways and porches merge into gardens or buildings.
We love the temple architecture, especially the impressive roofs with upturned eaves and roof top ornaments!
Another daily ritual was happy hour on Patty and Bill’s balcony.
We occasionally had to wait for seats together at a restaurant, so we amused ourselves by taking "selfies". (Thanks to Sean for informing us that the term selfie made its debut in Oxford Dictionary's Online's quarterly update, where it is defined as "a photograph that one has taken of oneself, typically one taken with a smartphone or webcam and uploaded to a social media website.")
This is okonomyaki, which translates to “as you like it.” Okonomiyaki are savory pancakes with different fillings such as shrimp, scallops, or pork. Cooked on a large griddle and topped with green onions and savory sauces, they are very tasty.
Here we are at Ginkaku-ji.
They use sand, rocks and gravel so artfully.
The sand sculpture represents Mt Fuji.
We are having a wonderful time exploring Kyoto!
Inari is the Japanese god of rice. Traditionally, successful businesses will erect a torii gate out of gratitude to the god Inari. Fushimi Inari includes thousands of torii gates, all painted in cinnabar red and inscribed with the donor’s name.
We hiked up Mt Inari, enjoying the small shrines along the way. Foxes are thought to be Inari's messengers, so there are hundreds of fox statues along the path.
Most of the buildings at Fushimi Inari are also painted this orangey-red.
Our first dinner together was at a delightful Omen restaurant. Pictured here is saba sushi, which is vinegared mackerel with a side dish of greens and mushrooms. It tasted especially delicious with cold draft beer.
We visited a sake museum and learned how rice is fermented to make sake.
Having clear water is a key ingredient in good sake.
This is a cedar barrel used for making sake. It takes about 25 days to ferment.
We especially liked this sake label for Four-Eyed Sake.
We enjoyed hanging out in the courtyard at the museum. It has been about 9 months since the four of us were together, so we had lots of catching up to do.
The gardens in Kyoto are incredible. We were starting to see the maple leaves change color as autumn approaches.
If you make a donation to a temple, you can ring the bell. Patty really put some muscle into her ring of this large bell!
Here she shows her strength by lifting these heavy iron weights. She is at Kiyomizudera temple.
The main temple was built without any metal nails in 1633 – an engineering feat.
The temple is popular with lovers because there’s a Jishu Shrine dedicated to Ōkuninushi, a god of love. This Japanese “cupid” carries a club like Pete is holding. Okuninushi was so kind hearted that he healed this rabbit who had been skinned alive, turning the rabbit into his helper.
From the main temple we hiked to this lovely pagoda.
The four of us quickly settled into a comfortable daily routine, which included having ice cream cones mid-morning. Kristina is enjoying green tea ice cream called matcha and Patty has vanilla and strawberry.
This is one of our favorite gardens. The temple complex is named Nannen-ji.
The gardens are incredibly manicured. We enjoyed watching the gardeners as they worked. Here we are climbing the stone steps up to the view spot at Tofuku-ji.
Another beautiful strolling garden was at Kinkaku-ji. You can see the golden pavilion behind Patty and Kristina.
All the temples have beautiful stone lanterns and stupas like these.
Wood is the primary building material, and this covered walkway overlooks a pond.
The line between inside and outside is blurred at these temples, where walkways and porches merge into gardens or buildings.
We love the temple architecture, especially the impressive roofs with upturned eaves and roof top ornaments!
Another daily ritual was happy hour on Patty and Bill’s balcony.
We occasionally had to wait for seats together at a restaurant, so we amused ourselves by taking "selfies". (Thanks to Sean for informing us that the term selfie made its debut in Oxford Dictionary's Online's quarterly update, where it is defined as "a photograph that one has taken of oneself, typically one taken with a smartphone or webcam and uploaded to a social media website.")
This is okonomyaki, which translates to “as you like it.” Okonomiyaki are savory pancakes with different fillings such as shrimp, scallops, or pork. Cooked on a large griddle and topped with green onions and savory sauces, they are very tasty.
Here we are at Ginkaku-ji.
They use sand, rocks and gravel so artfully.
The sand sculpture represents Mt Fuji.
We are having a wonderful time exploring Kyoto!
