Kinkakuji Temple

"The Golden Pavilion"
One of Kyoto's most famous and beautiful Temples.
All of these Temples that we are visiting have fantastic Zen gardens and are a great place to come and relax for the afternoon.

Osaka by Night

We wandered round the main nightlife district, although it was relatively quiet, as we went on a Tuesday night.

Osaka Aquarium

After the castle we visited the aquarium, where they had Emporer Penguins, Whale Sharks, Dolphins and all kinds of Jelly Fish.
Andrew was in his element, but not too keen on the escalator that went up 8 floors in one go.

Osaka

Shivani getting hot under the collar and the skyline of Osaka

Osaka-Jo

We decided not to stay in Osaka, as we loved Kyoto so much, so we extended our hotel for another 2 nights and did a day trip to Osaka. 1st up we went to Osaka-Jo or Osaka Castle, where you can find the most spectacular "cow art". There are dozens of cow statues, all painted in elaborate designs, as you do.
The last photo is of a zen rock garden in the castle grounds.

The Food!

Japan and Kyoto is not just about cool buildings and kimonos, but amazing food.
We've been eating Yakitori, Teppanyaki, Tempura, Kushiage, Kushikatsu, Okonomiyake, Sushi and Sashimi.
The photos are from our hotel Teppanyaki restaurant, where the head chef is the head of the Japanese Teppanyaki Association, so the food was guaranteed good and so it was.
The chef cooked all our food in front of us on a hot plate, the 2nd photo is sashimi, which included Congee. We believe "congee" is Conger Eel, but are not sure?! Either way, it tasted delicious.
The food was good and the staff in the restaurant very friendly; when they brought out our dessert they had written a special message to celebrate our anniversary. Can you spot the deliberate mistake?!

And then came Thunder & Lightning

Check out the last photo and see if you can spot the Lightning bolt down the centre.

Temples and Beer

More Temple pics, but we've also thown in a picture of one of the many vending machines you find on the streets of Kyoto and presumeably the rest of Japan.
This particular one vends beer, just incase you get caught short and need a beer fix!
We reckon we need beer vendors on the streets of the UK, so lobby your MP now!!
Those who really enjoy a tipple should lobby for Johnnie Walker vending machines - you know who you are!

Temples

Here are a few more temple pics.....
There are over 2000 Temples or Shrines in Kyoto, hence why you're getting alot of them on this blog, with more to come we're afraid.

Kyoto - Gion Kimonos

Kimono spotting in Gion