It’s fun for me to remember the days in Japan, and for anyone who is interested I’m happy to share our experiences. Armchair travelling is a thing, and I gladly read reports from other travelers.
We arrived in Kyoto in heavy rain on a Thursday evening. It was dark. We were tired from our journey: Minnapolis to Toronto, Toronto to Narita, Narita to Osaka Itami, and the airport bus to Kyoto. We taxied to our hotel, the Hauza.
Next morning we had planned nothing, as we were tired, but there is a temple very close to the hotel that we decided to visit, Goeidomon. It is a Buddhist temple with five temples within the complex, plus a garden approximately a block away. This is a huge structure, wooden, very impressive and prominently situated.
On our last trip to Kyoto in 2023 we noticed this and wondered about it, but did not have the time to visit it.
The corresponding garden is very beautiful and attracted many water birds.
After we walked all around the garden we visited a ramen shop very close to our hotel. Delicious.
Later we took the subway to the Inari Shrine. This is quite famous, as it has over 10,000 orange torii gates making a path up a mountain. Full of tourists, this is one of the most popular sights in Kyoto.
We walked back from the shrine, about 2 miles, to our hotel. My hip was beginning to show signs of pain.
That was Friday. On Saturday we had planned to take the Shinkansen to Tokyo. I had wanted to meet up with an acquaintance, Rocky, at an art school where he was teaching a class. My hip was hurting enough to quash the plans for the trip. This was my biggest regret from our trip.
Instead, Saturday, we took the subway to the bamboo forest in northwestern Kyoto, visited a temple and garden near there, Tenriu-ji. This temple had been featured in a movie and it was SO busy. The garden here was also stunning. Many blooming bushes and trees.
Sunday: Wedding Festivies Commence! Before brunch we visited Nijo Castle, the home of a shogun. Amazing architecture, walls, moats, and gardens! We fed the fish in the moat.
We walked to the hotel where the restaurant was where we had reservations for brunch with the bride and groom. It was just the five of us, and we had such a lovely reunion!
From there we walked to a theater, and watched a non-verbal performance called GEAR. I can’t quickly summarize this, but I highly recommend attending a show if you are in Kyoto! Well done and actually exhilarating! The wedding guests were treated to this event by the wedding family.
After a light reception at the theater, Ed, Cheri and I made our way back to our hotel. We needed to prepare for the wedding on Monday morning! Clothes needed checking and rest was important!
Monday dawned bright and cheery, we dressed and took the subway to the Osaka City Museum where the wedding was to be held.
Much joy, happy tears, and fun, as we all gathered, literally guests from all over the world! The bride and groom are an international Chinese couple! The wedding was conducted in English 🙂
A buffet reception followed the ceremony at a restaurant across from the museum. Again, delicious! We enjoyed lounging on the deck which overlooked another garden.
Home to our hotel to change for the evening dinner party!
Our bride is in the entertainment industry in Hong Kong, and we were treated to several amazing performances during the multi-course meal! Much laughter and applause, amazing foods, some I tried for the first time ever.
We were exhausted when we left the party, but it was simply amazing, and we loved every minute! What a joy and a privilege to have been able to attend and witness this special ceremony! I loved meeting the bride and her family. I loved seeing our “son” and his mom from China!
Really, we will never forget this. The memories are vivid in our minds.
That was the first part of our trip…