Japan day 7 - Kyoto

Checking out the board at the Tokyo train station while waiting for our shinkansen (bullet train) to Kyoto.  traveling with kiwakosan and satorusan today, so much faster navigating through the stations.  the trains are amazing - never wait more than a few minutes and they are well used - usually packed!  our bullet train was scheduled to leave at 10:03am - it arrived at 9:45 and left at 10:03! that was the start of the journey, at other stations, it stopped for about 2 minutes to pick up and drop off. 

Kaitlyn wanted starbucks at the station.  she was worried though since it was just the two of us going that I wouldn't be able to order - but I showed her that they have picture menus out, so I could just point - of course though - they spoke English and left the kids nice notes on their cups!

I think kiwako was most looking forward to getting bento on the train.  Kaitlyn and tony were excited too.  kiwako told me that when she was in high school in Hokkaido, she had to take the train an hour to school and an hour back, so she would study on the train and eat taiyako (pastry fish with red bean paste). 

I tried a few pictures on the train - but they are a bit blurry - lots of rice paddies and agriculture mixed in with cities and residential - no large agriculture alone. frequent glimpses of the ocean and it was much hillier (with some tunnels).  above is Kyoto station. 

I tried to get a picture of matt on the escalator - but he dodged.  in japan you drive and walk on the left.  on the escalator you  stand to the left and walk on the right.  no matter how tired he is, matt always walks and meets us at the top/bottom. 

Kyoto national museum.  below is Kaitlyn and matt with kiwakosan and saturosan.  saturosan lets us pay for very little on this trip and bout the kids what we call grumpy tigers - the adorable mascot of the Kyoto museum. 

 

Sanjusangen-do temple.  you couldn't take pictures inside, but the structure below was built in 900's and houses 1001 carved figures surrounding a large Buddha. all the figures look different - slightly different faces, clothing and hands (lots of hands - they are called thousand armed figured - though they don't have a thousand, they have many)

Our ryokan (traditional Japanese hotel).  they gave us cold green tea and candy when we arrived.  matt was just super excited free wifi and a free ipad for us to use!

higashi-honganji temple. 

had to snap a quick picture of the mcdonald's delivery scooter - you can get anything delivered here!

 

we had to check out what flavors baskin robbins had - they have many of the usual - also love potion #31, matcha (green tea) earl grey and cream scone, gummi bear swirl, candy cup and a few others. 

back at the ryokan we indulged in the soaking tubs and dressed for our eight course dinner. 

the kids did amazingly well.  Kaitlyn ate lots of things and tried everything.  matt tried a bite of sweet potato, but wasn't able to swallow it - still for him progress.  I couldn't eat most things either.  even the vegetables were in this fishy brine that I couldn't get through without risk of losing everything i'd managed to get down. I felt very bad, I tried to eat as much as possible to be polite, but many people don't understand that for matt and I, it isn't that we are just being picky, we have a marked physical reaction to smells and textures that makes it very difficult to eat many foods. 

desert was easy for me (unfortunately not for matt) ice cream with raspberries and mochi.