On second day in Kyoto we headed to the Arashiyama district. Our first stop was the Ryoan-ji temple and its famous rock garden. We arrived early and enjoyed a quiet visit. But, we made a decision to stay until 9 am when the temple stamp shop opened.
Our second stop was the beautiful Kinka-kuji temple. I think we took a bus between the temples. By the time we arrived, we were with the crowds.
You can't go inside the temple, but the grounds are pretty.
At this point, we took a taxi to Arashiyama. It was more expensive, but much faster than transferring through public transportation.
We headed straight to the Iwayayama Monkey Park. It was quite a hike to the top.
But, it was worth it!
You get up close & personal with the monkeys. If you want to feed them, you go inside & offer the food through a screen.
We knew these pictures would be a hit with the kids.
It was a little hazy, but we had a neat view of the city.
After our visit, we enjoyed a nice lunch on the water. We contemplated renting bikes, but it was just so crowded that we decided just to walk.
Next up, Tenryuji temple.
I loved the gardens here.
After walking the temple grounds, we enjoyed the Bamboo Forest (pictures to follow). It was starting to rain, so we caught a bus to see one last temple.
This was off the beaten path and we had the place to ourselves. We loved the peace & quiet!
The statutes at Otagi Nenbutsuji were added in the 1980s, but we still enjoyed the grounds. After this visit, we took a bus back to town and then took the train back to our hotel for a rest before dinner.
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