Tourist Time!

Kyoto has a reputation for being one the most beautiful cities in Japan and after today's visit I would have to agree. Kyoto is deceptively large and the sites are spread out across the city. I hired a bicycle at the station and explored the shrines and temples to the East - saving the parks for my next visit. The scenery is breathtaking and well worth the effort, although there is a less labour intensive bus tour that does the same route! Kyoto in Winter is not for the faint hearted however, I swear it was a good 10 degrees colder than in Kobe so I shall be saving my return visit for a warmer time of year.

Cycling was a great way to get around the city and kept me warmer than walking would have done. A one day parking permit allowed me to leave the bike in a number of different car parks around the city and avoided the steep fine for parking it anywhere else. Noodles and warm saki for lunch was just what I needed to keep me going and coincided with a huge hailstorm that descended whilst I was snug in the restaurant. All in all a pretty good day! :)

The bicycle is just as good company as most husbands and, when it gets old and shabby, a woman can dispose of it and get a new one without shocking the entire community.
Ann Strong