Kyoto

Day 1 - I started early, to beat the rush, but couldn't find the Tourist Information Centre when I reached Kyoto, the only one I could find opened at 10.00, so I decided to visit a shrine near the station. I saw a wall-map, found where I was going and wandered off. I must have walked at least 2 kms without finding anything, then I looked at the sun! My instructions said walk north but I realised I was walking south, I don't know what the wall-map had been about. When I got back to the station I found the Tourist Information Centre, which had been open at 08.30, unfortunately half the population of Japan had found it too.

I got a map, a bus guide and asked them to arrange a ticket for me for the Geisha Theatre. I got a ticket for 14.00 with a Tea Ceremony beforehand, so I had to be at the theatre by 13.20. All the tourists in Kyoto seemed to be waiting for the same bus, we were packed like sardines. In Kyoto you get on the bus in the middle and buy your ticket as you get off at the front. I resigned myself to the fact that I would have to get off with the masses, fortunately most people were heading to the same tourist sites so I managed to get off where I wanted and started the Higashiyama walk. It was well worth suffering the packed bus, the shrines are stunning and the cherry blossom is an added bonus.

Eventually I found I had lost the walk I was doing and I was back on the main road, but this was just as well as it helped me to find the theatre. It's funny how routes look so much simpler on the map than they are in reality.

My getting lost also helped me to see another massive temple, then on to the theatre. I was there early and had time to visit the gardens.

The Tea Ceremony was a bit contrived, but they were serving hundreds. I expected to be kneeling on the floor but it was stools, we had a cup of green tea and a little cake and got to keep the plate as a souvenir. My seat for the show was on the front row, not sure if the front row was entirely good, especially as some of the action was around the sides but the show was colourful and the screen changes were very pretty and clever. I expect I would have got more out of it if I had understood but now I've seen Geishas.
I tried to do the rest of the Higashiyama walk afterwards, I did most, it was through really lovely parkland, then headed for home. The buses were absolutely packed but finally I got in one and got a seat. I've forgotten to eat again, so to-night I'm going to an Indian Restaurant next to the hotel. Tomorrow Kyoto again.
Day 2: today I managed to get to Higashi Homganji, the temple I was trying to get to yesterday, but it seems to have been turned into a Conference Centre. There were a lot of security people as well so maybe someone important was arriving. On to the Imperial Park, with so many beautiful outdoor spaces in Kyoto this one was big but not impressive. On to the Temple trail. Kyoto has some beautiful buildings, beautiful outdoor places and beautiful gardens, the weather has been super too. It is getting hot now, I would love to be able to wear a T-shirt but my left arm is still a mess.
Me in the garden at Kinkuki-ji, I was not overly impressed with the temple but the gardens were superb.
The famous stone, Zen garden at Ryoan-ji. I was short on imagination but could have seen myself sitting here to meditate if it hadn't been surrounded by Japanese school childrenThe Bamboo grove, generally I found this too crowded to be impressive, though the photo does not give that impression.I got lost going to the station from here, I saw the sign but thought it applied to a private railway so I carried on walking, I walked for miles, then had to walk back :(