Japan, day 6: Kyoto

On Tuesday, we returned our rental car and boarded a Shinkansen train to Kyoto (with a bento box). By the time we arrived and checked into our luxury hotel, it was getting late... we took a bus to the beginning of the Philosoper's Path, but managed to see only Ginkaku-ji Temple before it closed (all the temples and shrines in this area close at 5). We walked along the Philosopher's Path anyway, but then it got dark, there was nothing alive anywhere around, and we took the taxi back to our hotel, had dinner there and called it a day.

Shinkansen (bullet train) - it looks somewhat like a bullet and travels almost as fast.

On the train, with my bento box and tablet.

A glimpse of the Imperial Garden on the way to the hotel. Our hotel was just a couple of blocks from the Imperial Garden, but because we mismanaged our time, we never went there.

Our luxury hotel, Kyoto Brighton Hotel, deserves to be portrayed in detail. This is the hotel lobby, view from the elevator.

This is our corner suite, on a high floor with a balcony/terrace - there were only four suites like that in the whole hotel.

Of course I had coffee on my balcony...

Ginkaku-ji Temple.

Philosopher's Path... 

... (complete with a philosopher)...

Kyoto is very different from Tokyo. Where Tokyo is all tall glass buildings, in Kyoto there are lots of little houses like this.

View of sunset from Philosopher's Path.

Dinner at Kyoto Brighton Hotel.

> Day 7