JAPAN 2012 / 2013
yeah, I’m missing the Japan snow too! Should be able to sneak a couple of runs in on sat and maybe sun if I’m lucky, and the hole in my leg cooperates. Want to try my new board!
Last weekend I took my daughter to Hakuba for the Happo ski school. Epic day but I didn’t/couldn’t ride. Just ran errands.
anyhoo, my ultimate favourite place in Kyoto is the garden of the poet Sessho. It has a sculpture in the garden of a crane and a turtle. Legend has it that the turtle looked so real that at night it would walk around. So he had to stick a big stone in its back to keep it still.
the crane looks nothing like a crane, but depending on the season the turtle looks awesome. First time I went was amazing, but the second time it looked more like the picture and was meh. It’s also expensive : 500yen for a tiny little place but not many people know about it.
I think it’s by Toufukuji, southeast of the station.
Kiyomizudera is prob the best temple. Many people miss the love shrine (jishu) just up the stairs from it. There, there are 2 rocks where if you can walk in a straight line between the 2, with your eyes closed, while thinking of the one you love, you will marry them. (it didn’t work for me)
I highly recommend getting a good guide book with the folklore behind the temples. It makes them way more interesting.
I spent a day at Inari-mon (I think that’s the name. nope, it’s not. anyways, it’s the place with loads of Torii). we went there looking for ghosts. seems funny in retrospect.
What else? there’s the temple with a well that is the gateway to hell. but in the priest’s private garden is another well, that if you look into it and think of someone that just died, they will come visit you in a dream the next O-bon festival (in sept).
Finding the 4 shrines that protect Kyoto from evil spirits from the north, south, east and west is fun. You find little run down shrines with lots of historical significance.
My favourite trip was to Hieizan. Had a weird day up there. While waiting for the bus an old lady started talking to me and showed a pic of her dead daughter’s grave with a weird light over top of it. She told me it was her ghost cue the twilight zone music. I wasn’t into photography so I didn’t know what it was. She gave me a soda (which I couldn’t drink because I’m allergic to it) so I went up to the temple and going up the cable car it was all misty and then I heard the bell ringing ominously. meh, I’m tired of typing so I’ll end it there
some pics here:
http://teacherexploringjapan.blogspot.jp/2010/09/kyoto-temples-and-shrines.html
Mrs Mizu says no, but it’s early days yet!!!!!
Keep on chippin away mate 
Mrs Mizu says no, but it’s early days yet!!!!!
Keep on chippin away mate
Yeah, I just bought myself a new ice pick!!!!!
yeah, I’m missing the Japan snow too! Should be able to sneak a couple of runs in on sat and maybe sun if I’m lucky, and the hole in my leg cooperates. Want to try my new board!
Last weekend I took my daughter to Hakuba for the Happo ski school. Epic day but I didn’t/couldn’t ride. Just ran errands.
anyhoo, my ultimate favourite place in Kyoto is the garden of the poet Sessho. It has a sculpture in the garden of a crane and a turtle. Legend has it that the turtle looked so real that at night it would walk around. So he had to stick a big stone in its back to keep it still.
the crane looks nothing like a crane, but depending on the season the turtle looks awesome. First time I went was amazing, but the second time it looked more like the picture and was meh. It’s also expensive : 500yen for a tiny little place but not many people know about it.
I think it’s by Toufukuji, southeast of the station.
Kiyomizudera is prob the best temple. Many people miss the love shrine (jishu) just up the stairs from it. There, there are 2 rocks where if you can walk in a straight line between the 2, with your eyes closed, while thinking of the one you love, you will marry them. (it didn’t work for me)
I highly recommend getting a good guide book with the folklore behind the temples. It makes them way more interesting.
I spent a day at Inari-mon (I think that’s the name. nope, it’s not. anyways, it’s the place with loads of Torii). we went there looking for ghosts. seems funny in retrospect.
What else? there’s the temple with a well that is the gateway to hell. but in the priest’s private garden is another well, that if you look into it and think of someone that just died, they will come visit you in a dream the next O-bon festival (in sept).
Finding the 4 shrines that protect Kyoto from evil spirits from the north, south, east and west is fun. You find little run down shrines with lots of historical significance.
My favourite trip was to Hieizan. Had a weird day up there. While waiting for the bus an old lady started talking to me and showed a pic of her dead daughter’s grave with a weird light over top of it. She told me it was her ghost cue the twilight zone music. I wasn’t into photography so I didn’t know what it was. She gave me a soda (which I couldn’t drink because I’m allergic to it) so I went up to the temple and going up the cable car it was all misty and then I heard the bell ringing ominously. meh, I’m tired of typing so I’ll end it theresome pics here:
http://teacherexploringjapan.blogspot.jp/2010/09/kyoto-temples-and-shrines.html
Yeah, can vouch for Kyomizu-dera Temple too!!!!! Great location, and close to the Ninen-zaka & Sanen-zaka street shops!!!!! There’s a heap of temples and shrines all in close proximity of each other there!!!!!
Arashiyama has the Bamboo Forests, LOADS of Temples, the river/bridge (can’t remember the name at the mo) that would look absolutely spectacular in Autumn or Spring, plus a heap of cool little shops dotted around the whols place!!!!!! But, as we found out by pure luck, do it on a hire pushy!!!!! There’s a place only 50m away from the train station where you can hire one for 1000Y for the day!!!!!!
Didn’t get to see any Geisha’s in Gion, but I wasn’t too worried as the architecture and Izakayas more than make up for that!!!!! Go there at night, cause I reckon it just has a bit more ambience than day time!!!!!
I wanted to see that shrine that has the thousands of tori, but so little time in our schedule!!!!!
A coupe of pics - I have soooooooooooo many!!!!! Too many!!!!! 
Zakaland!!!!! ~Higashiyama~
TAXI!!!!! ~Higashiyama~
Random shops throughout the streets!!!!! ~Arashiyama~
The river that I can’t remember the name of!!!!! ~Arashiyama~
The high streets of Arashiyama!!!!! You guessed it!!!!! ~Arashiyama~
That’ll do for now!!!!!
Ohhh, and here’s a Insta Pic of mine!!!!! Kyomizu-dera!!!!!
A few of us havin a fun shred in Japow February 2013, Niseko!!!!!
nice one mate 
nice one mate
Cheers mate!!!!! 
Test