Kyoto

 We decided to venture out for spring break, and we wanted to visit somewhere that is usually super busy with tourists so we could go when it is quiet and there are no foreign tourists.  So we headed out to a dream location...Kyoto.  A lovely city with lot's of traditional Japanese charm.  It was a 6 hour drive from our house, but our kids were generally good.  And when we made it to our air bnb they LOVED it.  It was a great place.  It had a traditional Japanese room and a great shower/tub room.  The bedrooms were also beautiful.  So it was a hit.  Also, because we got in so late we were glad there was a yummy Ramen place nearby that we could walk to for dinner.

Our first day we went to Fushimi Inari Shrine which is known for it's MANY tori gates.  It is also guarded by foxes.  So we took a hike through all the tori gates.

That afternoon we headed over to the Gion District.  It is a really fun, traditional area with cobblestone roads and fun shops lining both sides.  Also we had a chance to see and visit a couple temples and shrines while we were there.

Ryozen Kannon

Bhudda's large footprints

In front of Hokan-Ji Temple (Grant is hiding behind me)

Part of Kyomizu-dera

I love this picture, Kai looks like a cute little old man

We stopped at a shop and found treats that looked almost too cute to eat.

For dinner we went really untraditional and found a raclette hot dog/french toast place.  Yum.  It was the first time I had raclette served with something sweet.  The boys got apple cinnamon french toast with raclette

Our next day we took a ride on the scenic Sagano Scenic Railroad.  It was beautiful to see all the scenery with the cherry blossoms in full bloom.

A family of tanukis on one of the platforms

At the station there were some old trains to explore

After the train ride we grabbed some very big burgers for lunch and then checked out Tenryu-Ji.  It had an impressive garden.  Then we headed over to the bamboo forest in the park nearby.

Our last sightseeing stop for the day was Otagi Nenbutsu-Ji.  This was a fun stop for all of us to see the 1200 Rakan statues(representing Buddha's disciples).  There was a priest who would teach disciples to sculpt and then they would be able to create their own Rakan statue.  The grounds were covered with these joyful statues.

Of course I love this parent one.  Such love.

Our last day we checked out the Golden Pavilion (Kinkaju-Ji).  It was beautiful and peaceful.  It was the perfect way to spend a morning.

That afternoon we ate lunch on the grounds of Nijo Castle.

Our last stop was a walk around the Imperial Palace.  There was a massive park around the palace.  Then the grounds themselves were vast.  We were all a bit tired after all the walking we had to do, but it was definitely a unique experience.

For dinner that night we ate at a delicious yakitori bar.  They had a huge selection of veggies and meats served yakitori style (served on a stick).  Our favorites were probably bacon wrapped asparagus, chicken, and I loved the sweet potato.  After that we said goodbye to Kyoto, and yes our kids loved it so much there were tears.  We had such a great visit.