Kyoto

Here are a few pics from Kyoto. The trip went really well. I took a highway bus there and got for Nagoya to Kyoto is 2.5 hours. Upon arrival I walked through Kyoto station and came across an event that involved people dressed in all sorts of costumes running up many stairs. It was hilarious because it was so random. After that I took the subway to Nijojo Castle and walked around the grounds. The picture of the rainy pond is at the castle. It was sooooo rainy that day and kinda cold, but what can you do? I'm from the west coast so i could handle it. After that I found my hostel, which was a bit of a struggle in itself. I didn't really have directions, just a vague idea. Well after being frustrated because i couldn't reach them on the phone I asked the man working at Family Mart for directions and he pulled out a map and helped me out. Once I arrived I saw the lap of luxury that I was staying in for the night. It was basically bunk beds with curtains. It wasn't much, but it was all I needed. I happend to meet some other Canadians there, one was actually from Surrey. A few of them were teaching in Korea and on a break with family. That night I went through downtown Kyoto, which was very cool. Lots of hip shops and happenin night life. The next day I went to some temples and I was able to spot the first sign of springtime. After the temples I went to the Kyoto Museum of Modern Art. There were some really beautiful pieces on display. The feature was Japanese art that had western infuences. On the 4th floor was the modern art from artists of varying cultural backgrounds. After that I wandered around the grounds and visited another temple. I caught my bus back to Nagoya around 6pm and made it back to my apartment by 930pm. I will definitely go back to Kyoto because I have to see it in it's peak season which is either spring or fall. Mostly I only saw browns and greens, so it will be nice to see the gardens with all sorts of colours.