Go Native 70 Posted April 20, 2011 Share Posted April 20, 2011 Spent the last week down south doing a bit of a tour of the castles, temples and shrines in Himeji, Kyoto and Nara. Not an extensive and exhaustive tour by any means but that is pretty hard to do with a 2 yo who needs her afternoon nap each day! We arrived late in the evening in Kobe and stayed in a nearby hotel. Next morning we had intended to just go strainght to Kyoto but decided to make the short trip down to the Himeji Castle. Unfortunately the main keep of the castle is currently being restored and was completely covered in scaffolding and nettting but the gardens and surrounds were still very beautiful and it was nice and warm (well at least for us northerners. The locals still seemed to think it was pretty cool). We also got to see some sakura almost at their peak. We hopped back on the train and then headed into Kyoto. I must admit to personally having done very little research for this trip (my wife organised it all) and Kyoto wasn't really what I had envisaged. I was expecting something like what I now know Nara to be, a reasonably small town with lots of temples and shrines set amidst forests. Kyoto is actually a rather large and bustling city and the temples and shrines are fairly spaced apart around the city. It would be good on a bike but with a 2 year old this wasn't really an option for us. As I don't really like big cities I was a little dissappointed even though the temples were quite spectacular. After a couple of days in Kyoto we then jumped back on the train to Nara. Now this was exactly the sort of place I was hoping to see. Spectacular temples and shrines set in a beautiful forest and parklands with a very nice little town/city which although quite touristy was at least a lot quieter than Kyoto. We had a day and a half in Nara but I could have spent much longer. Overall it was a great trip. After nearly 8 years in Japan I had seen very little of the country beyond Hokkaido. Here's a few pics from the trip. Himeji Castle area Our little girl love the ramen! Kyoto area Nara Area Link to post Share on other sites
muikabochi 208 Posted April 20, 2011 Share Posted April 20, 2011 Lovely. I officially want to go! Link to post Share on other sites
mitchpee 10 Posted April 20, 2011 Share Posted April 20, 2011 Beautiful GN, puts my pics of Kyoto to shame! Link to post Share on other sites
NoFakie 45 Posted April 20, 2011 Share Posted April 20, 2011 Nice photos. I lived in Kansai for ten years, but it was pre-digital cameras so I don't know where exactly my photos are and they won't be anything like as good anyway. In the trip report on the other side, I was more surprised by the "Kyoto is by far the most beautiful city I've been to" comment than the "everything's back to normal" one. Kyoto has lovely sites around the edges, but the center is pretty much the same as other Japanese cities. The only biggish city center that struck me as different in Japan is Mito in Ibaraki. Its got massive parks right in the middle. Link to post Share on other sites
Go Native 70 Posted April 20, 2011 Author Share Posted April 20, 2011 Yeah I wasn't overly impressed by the city of Kyoto. Just another big, ugly Japanese city (like the vast bulk of them). Not as ugly as some I've been to but hardly what I would even remotely consider beautiful!! Link to post Share on other sites
Wizz 11 Posted April 20, 2011 Share Posted April 20, 2011 Yeah that other report made me laugh. I love Kyoto but to call it the most beautiful city in the world is just beyond ridiculous. Great photos. Link to post Share on other sites
foreversnow 5 Posted April 21, 2011 Share Posted April 21, 2011 AWESOME PHOTO'S GN thanks I am putting Nara and Himeji on my list of must visits next year. Link to post Share on other sites
big-will 7 Posted April 21, 2011 Share Posted April 21, 2011 Beautiful. Link to post Share on other sites
Slippery Jim 65 Posted April 22, 2011 Share Posted April 22, 2011 Nice stuff, GN. We went to Himeji last year but just missed the cherry blossoms. Those ``stairs'' inside are quite a trip! Link to post Share on other sites
IIIII 2 Posted May 1, 2011 Share Posted May 1, 2011 Great pics. Makes me want to go back there. Cheers for sharing. Link to post Share on other sites
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