At 10:30 am today, we left the hotel in Tokyo, and hopped on a bus to the train station. At Tokyo station, we boarded a bulllet train for a 2 hour and 45 minute ride to Kyoto. If this trip was taken on the the regular rail system, it would take 9 hours.
We arrived in Kyoto at 3:00pm, and took a taxi to our hotel, at the base of a small mountain. Along the way, we finally saw some cherry blossoms, which was part of the reason for the trip to Japan in springtime, and I am hoping we will see many more in the next few days. Cherry blossoms are well loved here, and are considered the "unofficial" flower. They have a festival every spring to celebrate the arrival, and they are the subject of many photos and Japanese paintings.
After checking in, and dropping our bags in our room, we went to a cafe in the hotel and had an early dinner. Bill and I had Japanese food, while the kids chose to eat western. We are now relaxing in our room, ready to call it a night, and getting ready for our next big day.
Tomorrow, we will be visiting Kiyomizudera Temple, which was founded in 870, and is still associated with one of the oldest sects of Japanese Buddhism. The name of the temple means "pure water," and while there, visitors can taste the spring water, which is said to have healing powers. We will also be going to a local shopping district.
Luckily, our second round of travel went much better than the first. Two more days of fun, and we will begin our journey home on Saturday morning.
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