Day 17 - Kyoto Ward and Nijo Castle (April 30th)

 This Sunday morning we caught bus 205 north to attend Church at Kyoto Ward, where we (once again) sang with Primary and handed out koala toys.

Then a train ride to the incredible Nijo Castle.  Nijo Castle was  constructed in 1603 by Tokugawa Ieyasu, the first Shogun of the Edo Shogunate . . . refer the below photo for more detail:

Day 16 - Exploring Kyoto (April 29th)

 Today we didn't do too much exciting stuff, just explored some local parts of Kyoto.  This morning I caught a train and bus to southern Kyoto to check out a car place called Rocket Bunny.

We explored east of our hotel to see the canal and river area of Kyoto, now soaked by the afternoon rain.  Tasty lunch and dinner from local establishments.

Mid-afternoon snack at Koe donuts with dry ginger ale:

Mini pancake making with an automated machine:

There are several covered arcades like this just one street from our hotel, some stretch for 1km and they often lead into each other.

Small Police stations like this are all over Japan, I have photographed all the ones I have seen for a future series:

Dinner was delicious and less than $10

Day 15 - Kinosaki Onsen & Kyoto (April 28th)

 This morning I went up nearby Mt Daishi on the ropeway, from which the view was spectacular.

We then caught the train from Kinosaki Onsen to Kyoto, which took two and a half hours.

We checked into our Kyoto accommodation and then grabbed some food nearby.  Some of the local shop names are interesting!  Looking forward to exploring Kyoto over the next six days!

This is where we stayed this time in Kyoto, Prince Smart Inn.  A relatively new hotel, only a year or two old, an exceptional location, reasonable price and clean, comfortable room.  High tech shower as well, highly recommended.

Day 14 - Kinosaki Onsen (April 27th)

 With only eight days left in Japan, today we enjoyed exploring Kinosaki Onsen, which recently celebrated its 1300th anniversary.  Yes, you read that right.

Walking through the streets and looking up the alleys, many historical sites surround this special village.

Below is one of two public foot onsens in the village.  The other one is right next to the railway station.  Just take off your shoes, sit on the seats and put your feet in the hot spring water which you can see flowing out of the rock in front of you.  They both have pebbles protruding from the concrete on the bottom so you can massage your feet as they are soothed.  But warning: the spring water is very hot!

The below photo shows a shrine on a hill in the middle of the village.

After a lunch of crab sandwiches, we got changed into our yukatas and visited some more onsens.

Our dinner tonight at Tsubakina Ryokan was another traditional eleven course Japanese meal which was very delicious.  Here are some photos:

Appetiser (Zensai)

Sashimi

Cherry blossom kudzu manju.  Bean-jam balls covered with cherry blossom petals and kudzu starch named "kuzi-manju"

Pork hot pot

Beef grilled on porcelain plate (Wagyutoubanyaki)

Dessert

If you ever plan on visiting Kinosaki Onsen, we would highly recommend staying at Tsubakino Ryokan.  The service is exceptional, the rooms clean and comfortable, the meals are unbelievable.  There are also two private onsen baths you can book:  after dinner tonight I had booked the second one (I booked the first one yesterday) and to spend half an hour in a private cedar onsen bath is a very special experience.  This ryokan is better than expected and we'd come back here in a heartbeat.