We spent four nights at an adorable townhome outside of Kyoto earlier this week. We really enjoyed our stay there and exploring Kyoto a bit. The first afternoon we took the train into Kyoto and walked over to Shōrenin Temple. Right away we noticed how quiet, calm and clean the city is! When we arrived at the temple, the beauty and relaxing atmosphere were palatable right away. We wandered through the corridors, took a moment to sit and enjoy the peace and walked through the gardens. It really is a special place, right in the middle of a big city!

At the temple:

From there we walked to the Gion District, Kyoto’s geisha district, where we enjoyed the unique architecture and did some people watching, a favorite pastime. We stopped for some dinner at a hole-in-the-wall place where the chef so kindly made plain pasta for the girls. At the end we asked if she had ever made pasta without sauce and she said, “No, and I don’t understand why.” LOL We were very grateful for her willingness to do something so crazy for the foreigners. Afterwards we walked to the cutest Starbucks we’ve ever seen and enjoyed a warm drink, a sweet treat and a photo with a geisha. Then, on our train ride home, we experienced something that we believe is uniquely Japanese–a completely packed train (think, every seat occupied, every standing spot filled, no empty space) that was completely silent. Not a word said, not a sneeze or cough or sniffle heard. It was crazy!

The next day we headed to the outskirts of Kyoto to the Arashiyama bamboo forest, another amazingly beautiful and peaceful place. It seems as though Japan specialises in serene locations. There were some crowds, especially at the main photo spots, but they usually thinned out. Here we had a lovely walk through the forest and then spent some time in Okachi Sanso Garden which was really special. And then at the end, a man was able to get a wonderful family photo for us without all the crowds! No idea how he managed that, but we are grateful!

The next day we headed back into Kyoto, this time to see the Kiyomizu-dera Temple which turned out to be very, very crowded! A completely different experience to the temple we visited on Monday afternoon. But still really beautiful. And there were some amazing views of the city! It is a big complex so once we walked a little ways away from the main entrance, the crowds did thin out. And the natural light was gorgeous as it was late afternoon. The sun sets here around 5:00pm…

From there we drove over to the Nidec Kyoto Tower to view the city from above. By then it was quite dark, but the city lights are also pretty. The girls enjoyed the telescopes where you could see the city in better detail. Then we enjoyed dinner downstairs in the food court where everyone could get what they wanted. Always popular with our family!

And here are a few fun things we have experienced in Japan that we haven’t seen in other places….

At the grocery store, they have you put a basket in your cart as you shop. At the check-out counter, you give them the basket and they move the food from one basket to another as they scan the items, then hand you the basket. You pay and take the basket to a separate area where you bag your groceries. Very efficient!

We have also enjoyed a few meals at a sushi train (something we also have seen before). But everything is automated and there is a clear process to keep things moving efficiently.

At restaurants we have noticed little bins near the table to put your purse, scarves, coat, etc which is so convenient!

One of the benefits of going on a road trip here is you get a more local look at some things. We stopped at this road stop a couple of days ago and were impressed with the fresh, healthy food options they had (plus some delicious soft serve they have everywhere) and how everything was automated and efficient (per usual here). We are still really enjoying our time here and very glad we have two more weeks to explore, experience and learn!