Osaka

We take the local train to Osaka. It's quite an easy ride in the comfortable train (metro style).

Osaka is Japan's second biggest city and we can tell - it's very busy and crowded!

Sushi time - one says that the Suhsi train got invented in Osaka :-)

  

Osaka is great - a lot to discover. Striking is that there are so many Chinese tourists for tax free shopping...

We would call that food porn! Almost all restaurants present their food in artificial models... funny ;)

Well, Japan: Sushi, Kobe beef and a lot more...

Fascinating Osaka nightlife!

Nara

Nara is just amazing! It's small, lovely and beautiful. And everywhere around the green areas deers are chilling around. Here our first impression:

In the Todai-ji Temple - Nara's star attraction - stands the great Daibutsu-den Hall. This hall is the largest wooden building in the world...

In the hall the famous Daibutsu - Great Buddha - sits, originally cast in 746. It's an abronze figure and one of the largest in the world. Yes, it's superlative time ;-)

As it is in a buddhist temple, there are many figures to be encountered.

Still, our personal highlights are the deers ;)

 

In the Nara Park, almost as big as the city itself, many amazing temples and gardens can be spotted.

Here the Yoshiki-en Garden - imagine: it's free for tourists and Japanese need to pay!.. Wrong world somehow... ;)

It's so beautiful!



Good bye Nara - you are amazing!!!

 

Kyoto

After two destinations on the countryside, it's time for a big city with lots of culure: Kyoto, a former capital of Japan!

And already arriving at Kyoto Station is a treat, as the architecture of the building is very special.

By coincidence Kyoto's most important and biggest festival - the Gion Matsuri - is taking place just during our stay - wow! The streets are packed!!

Many locals wear their traditional kimonos and it's lovely to watch them...

The main attraction are the traditional floats - big wooden kind of wagons - and there are around 30 of them (in all sizes) placed throughout downtown.

They also have traditional music - but let's be honest: doesn't it sound a bit disharmonious? ;-)

And here we are at the main event of the festival. The floats are beeing pulled through the city. Very impressive, as the floats are huge and certainly very heavy.

Kyoto is full of surprises and we run into another ceremony in the neighbourhood of Gion. We get to see it all: from half-naked Japanese men to Samurai on horses :-)

 Did you also think that Japanese people are reserved and very quiet? Well, it seems that's the moment where they let loose :-)

After so many ceremonies and crowds it's time to relax in the many beautiful gardens and temples of Kyoto. Sadly, in many of them no pictures are allowed - so here's just a small sample of what we've seen.

On a sidenote: Kyoto has some main spots which are very crowded and touristy...  But it's still very nice!

Next stop is the Bamboo Grove. Doesn't it look peaceful?

And here is the reality when you adjust the camera angle - it's full of tourists, lol. Nevertheless, a nice spot.

Nishiki Market

To be able to do all this sightseeing and temple hopping, you need power. Luckely, we find some great food in Kyoto :-)

And here one of the most important temples in all of Japan, Fushimi Inari-Taisha. It's full of red arcades and there's a lovely path up to the top of the nearby hill.

Some great city views on the way up!

Nearly crushed this little fellow, but we still saw him just in time...

The day of our departure to Nara we visit some more temples near Kyoto Station...

... and get lucky to witness some chanting in the main hall :-)