Today's itinerary will be to travel further off the city centre to the western part of Kyoto, first stop will be at Kinkakuji (also known as The Golden Pavilion 金閣寺). I boarded a direct bus near my ryokan direct to Kinkakuji. In Kyoto, there is a Golden Pavilion and a Silver Pavilion & I picked this as I thought that it looks more majestic.
The weather today is cloudy and hence it's a pity there's no nice blue skies to contrast with the otherwise shiny roof of the pavilion, which casts a nice reflection in the pond. This is a Zen Buddhist temple and store relics of the Buddha. Previously, was also owned by Yoshimitsu, the 3rd shogun of the Muromachi period & later converted into a temple after his death.
After touring Kinkakuji and keeping its 'talisman' like admission ticket as souvenir, I went across the road to board Bus No. 59 to Arashiyama. There is a need to switch to another bus service 11 (at Yamagoe Nakacho stop) in order to get to Arashiyama. Note: Need to prepare exact fares as bus passes can't be used for this zone. The journey was not that long vs the waiting time as there is a bus schedule in Kyoto for all the bus services, visitors can tally it at each bus-stop.
Arashiyama is a Must Visit place if you have limited time in Kyoto as it offers visitors a different insight of Kyoto's lush landscape. It was really convenient for me as once I alighted from the bus, Tenryuji Temple (a UNESCO site) is right across the bus-stop. I enjoyed strolling in the nicely landscape garden, which you hardly feel that you are in a temple's grounds. There were quite a variety of flora to photograph depending on the season you visit. Here's some of the pics that I like:
Exit from the north gate of Tenryuji and I walked thru' the famous Bamboo Grove. This is a place I dream of visiting! There is a kind of serenity feel here & I am amaze at how tall the bamboo shoots grow that it is almost impossible to see their top! I bet pandas will love this place, haha!
Walking thru' the Bamboo Grove, which is just a short pathway, there are two directions you can take. I randomly chose to turn right & was surprised that it led me to the Sagano Romantic Train station! Well, since I'm already here I decided to just pay the 600 yen (1-way) for a 20 mins ride. It's pretty exciting as the train is open on both sides with no windows & you can feel the cold gushing air kissing you as the train speed up. The train allows you a bird-eye's view of the Hozu River Rapids as well, as the tourists on their boat ride wave at us! At the end of the ride, I found that I had to take a 10 min walk to the nearest Umahori JR Station to return to Saga-Arashiyama. I'm glad that I've the JR Rail Pass! 
By the time I got back to Saga-Arashiyama, it's about lunch time & I settled for a Inari & California Maki sushi set from Lawson. I found it really worth for abt Sg 5 to have a satisfying lunch sitting at a bench. After my rest, I proceeded down the street to locate Togetsukyo Bridge. Alas, just as I reach the skies broke into a drizzle & it's quite a spoiler... Cos the sight of the low gushing water is really beautiful & I could imagine some blue & white clouds will make a nice painting. Finished touring the area & I remembered I gotta find the Yuba (soya milk skin) soft ice cream & I was glad to savour it! Omg! It's really one of the best & silkiest ice cream I ever have!
It's late afternoon by now & I figured that I still have sufficient time to head back to town & make a trip to Nishiki Market. I boarded the train to Shijo and had some trouble locating Nishiki Market. I met an Ang Mo guy who was distributing English lang centre's flyers & asked him in English for directions. Ahha, so the market was tucked away into one of the lanes near Daimaru. The Market was an eye-opener and I like how neat Japanese markets are & usually is just one long street with food & vegetables stalls on both sides. There are lots of snacks and fresh seafood for sale too!
By the end of my exploration, I was dead-beat! I felt that my legs couldn't get me anywhere anymore! As I couldn't decide on what to eat for dinner, I packed a pork katsu bento from the supermarket back to my lodging. Decided shall rest early & to treat my feet full of wounds!
By the end of my exploration, I was dead-beat! I felt that my legs couldn't get me anywhere anymore! As I couldn't decide on what to eat for dinner, I packed a pork katsu bento from the supermarket back to my lodging. Decided shall rest early & to treat my feet full of wounds!
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