This one is called Ginkaku-ji (confusingly similar to yesterday’s one) and is known as the Silver Pavilion, despite never having been adorned with silver. Like yesterday’s, it was a warlord’s retirement villa and converted to a shrine on his death.

Although the building itself isn’t as striking as the Golden one, we thought the setting was far more beautiful: the gardens are more extensive, set into the hill with great views at every turn and it exuded a zen-like peace and tranquillity. Even better far fewer people had taken the bus journey up here and it didn’t seem to be on the coach party tourist trail so there were very few people about.

From here we walked along The Philosopher’s Path which runs alongside a small stream with a few temples set off on the hillside, down to the Nenzenji temple. As the extra shows, the blossom was beginning to show. The busker was lost in making very relaxing music with this percussion instrument.

We stopped for a lunch of stir fried rice in what was a Community Centre, where they were holding Japanese lessons for resident westerners..

Afterwards we walked along the edge of the Marayuma Park to the Yasaka shrine, also in extras and then into Hagashiyama district through streets of traditional wooden houses to the wooden Yasaka Pagoda before catching the bus back to the hotel. Lots of Japanese tourists hire kimonos for the day when visiting. The girl on the left in the extra didn’t look too pleased when she realised she was in my photo!

Dinner tonight was Yaki soba, one with seafood and kimchi and one with curry sauce topped with fried egg, which we shared, followed by peach sorbet.