Kyoto Birthday Trip

I went to Kyoto for the weekend to celebrate my birthday. This was my first trip since Japan has opened up to foreign tourists again. Usually I travel by slower, cheaper, local trains. With covid cases on the rise in Japan (again), I don't feel comfortable taking the slow/crowded/local trains, so I opted for the shinkansen, which was very fast.  

I'll give you all the details in the days ahead, but here is a brief bit on my trip.

I arrived in Kyoto at 8:00 am and went first to Fushimi Inari Shrine because I thought it would get more crowded as the day went on. It did, so I was happy I got there early.

Next, I visited Fushimi Momoyama Castle. 

Then I went to Ryukoku Museum. 

I wanted to visit the Costume Museum, but found out it is closed December 1 to February 3.  Too bad!

After that, I went to Honganwaji Temple. 

On Day Two, I left my hotel and started walking.  I happened upon the Fushimi Inari Taisha Otabisho and stopped to look.

I passed by the Witch's House, but didn't stop.

Next, I went to Toji Temple with the five story pagoda.

Near Toji, I visited some other temples and places.

As I was getting ready to leave this area, I was looking at google maps on my gadget and a Japanese woman on a bicycle stopped and was happy to give me directions in English.  She also gave me a bookmark she made from kimono fabric.

Santa and his helpers were giving the reindeer a rest.

My next stop was Higashi Honganji.  I didn't recognize the name, but when I got there I realized I visited a few years ago!

After that, I went to Shosei-en Garden, another place I had been to before. It was very pretty the first time, but the autumn colors this time were striking.

This was in front of a hotel near the Kyoto Tower.

Many students visit Kyoto for school trips.

Finally, it was time to go home. Here is Kyoto Tower, taken from Kyoto Station.

It was a nice weekend trip, but felt much different than previous trips.  I chose not to take the crowded city buses or subways, as I had previous trips, so I did a lot of walking.  There were too many tourists in crowded places not wearing masks. 

I'll have more photos and details in the days ahead.