Well, I hate to admit it, but since we left Tokyo I have not really been able to work on my blog. Finally (all the way in Darwin Australia) I find the time. After 5 days in Tokyo we took the Shinkansen high speed train to Kyoto (京都市). We took the subway to the train station and once we had finished the ordeal to exchange our vouchers for the Japan Railpass we hopped on the next train. It took us over an hour, schlepping our backpacks from ticket counter to ticket counter around the huge Tokyo rail station until we finally found the right place. The ride was smooth and extremely fast. The Shinkansen is a network of high-speed railway lines in Japan operated by Japan Railways. Since the initial Tōkaidō Shinkansen opened in 1964 running at 210 km/h (130 mph), the network (2,459 km or 1528 miles) has expanded to link most major cities on the islands of Honshū and Kyūshū with running speeds of up to 300 km/h (186 mph), in an earthquake and typhoon prone environment. Test run speeds have been 443 km/h (275 mph) for conventional rail, in 1996 and up to a world record of 581 km/h (361 mph) for trains, in 2003. However the French just recently broke this world record having reached 574.8 km/h (357 mph) on 3 April 2007. During the 8th century, when the powerful Buddhist clergy became involved in the affairs of the Imperial government, the Japanese Emperor chose to relocate the capital to a region far from the Buddhist influence. The new city, Heiankyō (平安京 "Heian capital"), became the seat of Japan's imperial court in 794. Later, the city was renamed Kyoto ("capital city"). Kyoto remained Japan's capital until the transfer of the government to Edo in 1868 at the time of the Imperial Restoration. (Some believe that it is still a legal capital: see Capital of Japan.) After Edo was renamed Tokyo (meaning "Eastern Capital"), Kyoto was known for a short time as Saikyo (西京 Saikyō, meaning "Western Capital"). An interesting historical footnote is that there was some consideration by the United States of targeting Kyoto with an atomic bomb at the end of World War II. However, in the end it was decided to remove the city from the list of targets due to the "beauty of the city". Kyoto is the only large Japanese city that still has an abundance of prewar buildings, such as the traditional townhouses known as machiya. However, modernization is continually breaking down the traditional Kyoto in favor of newer architecture, such as the Kyoto Station complex. having reached 574.8 km/h (357 mph) on 3 April 2007.
Picnic under the Cherry trees .....
More Cherry Trees ...... the colours were absolutely fantastic.
One of the many temples in Kyoto. I do not have my notes with me so I will have to provide more details later.
The Kiyomizu-de temple .... the veranda is supported by hundreds of wooden pillars.
Japan is the land of vending machines. You can buy many different things from these machines .... I found this vending machine alley in downtown Kyoto and could not resist.
Well, probably just a tourist attraction, but these guy were beating the heck out of a greenish mass that was later sold as a dessert. Of course I can not remember what it is called, but I am sure my friend Alex who was with me in Japan will pitch in with all the details.
In Nara (see http://wikitravel.org/en/Nara for more details) we visited at first a temple park. According to legend, the god of the Kasuga Taisha came riding on a white deer in the old days, so the deer enjoy protected status as envoys of the god. For this reason they have not ever been hunted and are extremely tame, so of them are actually rather aggressive in their pursuit of biscuits from tourists. Here you can see a little boy almost being attacked by deers ....
Tōdai-ji (東大寺) is home to the Daibutsu (大仏), the largest Buddha statue in Japan and one of the largest in the world, appropriately, the Daibutsu-den, which houses it, is said to be the largest wooden building in the world. It's listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site. The giant front gate, Nandai-mon, is guarded by two fierce, awe-inspiring protectors. (It's also swarmed by deer, who know this is the best place to come looking for a hand-out.) Through the gate is a stone path leading to the outer walls surrounding the Daibutsu-den. Follow the signs to the left to enter the inner courtyard; if you happen to have a stick of incense with you, join the crowd around the incense offerings before you head onward.
The giant Buddha ......
Did I say there were many temples ....
A very interestingly shaped house in Kyoto .... reminded me of some of the "triangular" shaped buildings in San Francisco. How narrow the rooms must be?
One of the gates to the Imperial Palace in Kyoto.
Our next destination was Osaka. We barely made it on the train and did basically not have enough time to make it from our entry point in car 9 to our assigned seats in car 2. The trip from Kyoto is only about 15 to 20 minutes. On our first exploration I took this photo. Due to limited space the highway has been built above the river.
My friend Alex in action. We were rushing from one architecturally interesting site or building to the next. It was very educational for me to see it from an architects perspective.
A shopping mall with a ferry wheel built on top of it. You would expect this in the US, but finding it in Osaka kind of surprised me.
The Imperial Palace in Osaka from afar.
And the Palace a little closer. The elevator has been strategically placed on the one and only side where you could get a clear shot at the building. Hmmm .....
Osaka by night .... it was just one big flashing ad campaign.
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