For Japan, I had to break the photo diary into two posts because I took a ton of pictures. It’s hard not to when the scenery is as beautiful in Kyoto. This was our first stop in Japan and I highly recommend spending at least a few days here. The entire city is peppered with gorgeous and serene temples and shrines — the toughest part about it was deciding which ones to visit.
My favorite of the shrines we saw was the Fushimi Inari Shrine. That’s the one with all the orange gates you see above. The path goes on for several miles and is absolutely breath-taking. There are also foxes guarding the entrance to many of the gates, which naturally, we loved! We also visited the impressive Kiyomizudera Temple that was built without nails. When you see how big it is, you realize just how cool that fact is. Kiyomizudera Temple is also known for its beautiful cherry blossoms when they are in season. Unfortunately they weren’t blooming during our visit, but I can only imagine how much more beautiful they would make the temple look!
I really enjoyed spending time at all the temples and shrines and watching people praying and giving offerings. It really made me feel spiritual, inspired and at peace — not a bad feeling, right?! The only real downside to Kyoto was that we didn’t find much nightlife, so our nights were pretty calm and quiet, the theme of this stop on our trip! After two amazing days exploring this beautiful place, we hopped on the Shinkansen (bullet train) to Tokyo for the very last stop of our incredible adventure.
If you missed the photo diaries from earlier stops on our trip, check them out here: Thailand, Vietnam, Hong Kong.
