The third and should be last stack of assorted pictures, unless I uncover more. All but the last two were taken in Kyoto (the last two are in Osaka).
Mitsui Garden Hotel in Kyoto. There was a nicely done small garden in the hotel that we could view from the concierge, but we didn't actually got the opportunity to walk outside (not sure if it was possible at all to begin with). The entrance to the hotel's communal bath house is just to the right of this picture.Bus-stop just outside Karasuma Station along Shijo-Dori in Kyoto. We found the bus arrival timing displays at every bus stop tremendously useful, and coupled with the Japanese exacting standards of punctuality, made it possible for us to come up with realistic timings for our daily itinerary. Train stop just outside Fushimi Inari in Kyoto. The train stop is painted in the same distinctive red color as is the temple and the famous 10,000 torri gates. The track has the usual pedestrian and vehicle passes, so I took the opportunity for a quick shot as we walked across the track.Opposite Karasuma Station along Shijo-Dori in Kyoto. The vendor machine culture is really quite distinctive, and they sell everything (this one here is selling cigarettes). Ling mused out aloud though that the electricity usage to keep those canned drinks warm in winter would easily surpass whatever profit the business operator would get selling the drinks. And here's the funniest thing; we didn't see a lot of locals actually using these machines to begin with. Weird. Between Kinkakuji Temple (visited) and the Rock Garden (we got there, saw the admission prices, didn't visit) in Kyoto. That Ling has her hoodie on again only hints at how cold the weather was. That's her trying to figure out whether we were walking the right direction. It was only after we got to the Rock Garden after a 30 minute walk when she realized that we could have just taken a bus.:)Part of the train network map in Osaka. One unsual thing we saw here and not in Kyoto was the almost 4X4 criss-crossing grid of different train lines in the central part of Osaka. Station change entrances and exits weren't always near each other though, and just to get from one line to another might mean walking for a good several minutes.At the Namba Shopping District in Osaka. There was a queue to buy these custard buns, and the distinctively sweet aroma interested Ling enough to give it a shot. She purchased a cream custard bun with chocolate chips for 220円 that was pretty tasty, the more so that the bun was hot and it was winter.:)
2 thoughts on “Japan, Dec 2010 – Assorted Pictures – Part 3”
Mmm, hot custard buns . . . that sounds delicious. Just remember, you guys have escaped the winter, yet I still have 3+ months of it to look forward to!
ya haha u can take a bus from ryoanji (rock garden) to kinkakuji which we did haha
Mmm, hot custard buns . . . that sounds delicious. Just remember, you guys have escaped the winter, yet I still have 3+ months of it to look forward to!
ya haha u can take a bus from ryoanji (rock garden) to kinkakuji which we did haha