Kyoto Sights

 Today was probably the only one on the culinary trip where the sights were the main attraction.  Our first stop was the Golden Temple which was burned sometime in the 50’s by a crazy monk who was trying to commit suicide.  It was rebuilt from the ground up and remains a shiny gold temple visited by most visitors to Kyoto.





Next we stopped at a rock garden.  This has to do with Zen ideals with the rocks strategically placed in groomed gravel.  People sit and contemplate life in these very meditatively gardens.



Finally we went to the bamboo forest where these tall, then trees line a wide walkway filled with tourists.  They are very beautiful when you are among a forest of them not be overshadowed by other trees.  The nearby shrine offers a vegetarian restaurant that’s meant to give a view into how monks eat.  However we were eating a much bigger variety of foods than the typical monks’ meal and we found it to be delicious.  






We had a break for a couple of hours before our farewell dinner.  The restaurant is quite famous and offered a multi course gourmet meal.  Some of the courses bordered on challenging but we found a way to enjoy most of it maybe because it was accompanied by some very nice sake.


















Tomorrow: Farewell Japan

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