Sunday, April 19, 2015

Japan Without Sushi - Part 6

On Places - Osaka & Kyoto


Arashiyama Bamboo Grove, Kyoto

This place was either too much hyped up, or we came at the wrong time. We took the train all the way from Osaka to Arashiyama station to see this bamboo grove. And realized the famous grove did not look like the one I saw in many pictures earlier. Most likely it's because I was imagining it to be a serene spot with tranquil surroundings. What I saw was tourists milling about, trains passing by every few minutes and the traditional rickshaws ferrying tourists, asking for people to make way for them.







Train Diorama, Saga Torokko Station, Kyoto

We passed by the place on our way back to the station and decided to have a look. It's a diorama of Kyoto city, complete with running trains and night view simulation.




Fushimi Inari Taisha, Kyoto

Left with less than half a day in Kyoto after our late lunch, we were discussing what to do, and I was glad the decision was to go to Fushimi Inari Shrine, another iconic place in Kyoto.

Note: Inari = the Shinto god of rice

We walked through its famous thousands torii gates, every now and then pausing for a pose. The gates were donated by individual and companies, and the names and dates are inscribed at the back of each gate. The gated trail leads to a forest of the sacred Mt Inari. But of course, we returned before we reached the end, as the 2 children could not wait to go back to the hotel.









Osaka Castle, Osaka

It was a cold, cold day when we visited Osaka Castle. Yet there were still plenty of people doing hanami, a picnic under sakura trees. Some even brought a BBQ pit with them.. the heat was inviting :)







Dotonburi

Spent an afternoon in Dotonburi and Shinsaibashi, curious to see how the place looked like.



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