Kyoto, Japan

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A local shrine I hope all of these signs on the restroom in Japanese aren't important The walkway towards a large Shinto shrine Snacks for sale Shrine souvenirs A concrete torii gate Fish shaped cookies that hold fillings We approach the shrine The main gate to the Fushimi Inari Taisha Shrine dating from 860 A traditional Shinto station to drink water and wash hands A fox with a key in it's mouth The gehaiden (outer shrine hall) Capped ends Torii to Kagura Hall The entrance to the main shrine A fox with rice in it's mouth (Inari is the god of rice) Another view of the gehaiden The gonden (small hall) has bells that can be rung We start to see many red torii Hundreds of torii Then thousands of torii Prayers tied to lines Wishing faces A view of the outside of the thousands of torii These torii have writing on them Small shrines Shinto priest Miniature torii for sale Souvenirs that only the Japanese would understand School field trip Bamboo spring Roof detail Prayer wall Girls wearing kimonos Good luck cats Souvenirs Some sort of snacks on a stick A cat cafe iwhere you pay for the time you play with cats We drive past another large shrine And another shrine And yet another shrine We enter the grounds of the Ryoanji Temple dating from 1450 Duck pond with Japanese sign Bamboo walls along the path This way Bamboo spring spout Statue of Buddha Stairway to Daikakuji Temple The Ryoan-ji Zen Garden Caligraphy on screens Another view of the Ryoan-ji Zen Garden Old design plans Tatami rooms Very old roof beams Make your own zen garden No smoking A shrine amongst the mossy grounds A tiny blossoming tree Stone bridge Osawanoike Lake More lucky cat figurines Boo boo park Houses along the river We stop for a Japanese lunch The garden next to the restaurant A man walks with his daughter next to the stream The restaurant Slippers to wear after we take our shoes off Lunch prices We make our way to the Kiyomizu Temple Crowds at the Deva and West gates to the temple dating from 778 The Deva gate A group in traditional kimonos The West gate Three-storied pagoda Another pagoda on a nearby hillside Entrance to a Shinto shrine that's on the grounds of this Buddhist temple Sheaves of rice on the torii gate Fertility prayers There is a stone here to tell your fortune of love This is the love stone Talismans Special trees grow nearby A view of the temple with its wood beam foundation Jizu stones with bibs to protect against evil spirits Traditional Japanese teahouse Ladles to catch water from the Otawa waterfall More Jizu. One has a red hat for protection from evil Inside a Japanese cafe The temple has its own firetruck A mossy garden Another view of the three-storied pagoda Another view of the West gate Selfies at the Deva gate Entrance to the Zenkoji-do hall A woman in black robes and rice paddy hat Traditional tea sets for sale Lots of colorful fans Rickshaw Geisha