Mad Tight because Today was not that Fancy and it's Brick Outside my Room at Night

We were able to sleep in until around 8 where we met at the hostel lobby for the

usual breakfast before leaving for the day. We then met again at the bus stop near

the hostel at 9 and took the bus to our first stop of the day, Ryoanji temple.

Upon entering the temple we were confronted with a moderately long route

that first led us to a brightly ornamented shrine before taking us to a massive rock

garden. After gazing at said garden for some time, we finished the normal route

through the temple by walking alongside the complex’s large pond. From there, we

traveled to our next destination, Kinkaku-ji temple. This temple was very different

from any of the historical monuments we had previously visited, mainly because it

was a large tourist attraction. The temple grounds were swarming with natives and

foreigners alike and moving about the premises was a tedious process.

The temple itself was quite a magnificent sight to see. The top two floors

were completely covered in gold leaf and when sunlight bounced off its roof,

the water surrounding it seemed to glisten. Weaving our way in-between the

many visitors, our group finally made it to the end of route and were pleasantly

confronted with many free food and drink samples from the local shops.

From there, we rode the bus once more to our final destination, Nijo castle.

Before entering the castle’s palace within, we quickly wolfed down a bento and

heard a small lecture from Macrae. After removing our footwear and donning the

mandatory rubber slippers, we proceeded to make our way through the enormous

compound. To ward off assassins, the floor was specifically constructed to squeak

under every step, which proved to be a highly amusing experience. We were not

allowed to take pictures in this palace nor were we allowed to, according the signs,

make any sort of sketches either.

We then left the palace, but remained in the castle grounds for quite some

time. We passed over a bridge with tons of coy fish surrounding it which somewhat

reminded me of the pond we have at Ross. Then, spontaneously, we decided to

attend an ancient tea ceremony, which consisted of eating delicious Mochi and

drinking overpowering green tea. Feeling refreshed, we took the bus once more

to Kyoto station to finished up the day with some shopping. One group went with

Earle to a Japanese shrine while another went to a large electronics building, which

housed a large selection of comfy massage chairs.

To finish up the day, the group ventured below ground to shop at a large

delicatessen for dinner. Each individual could choose what he wanted to buy,

and there certainly was a wide variety to choose from. We brought back our food

selections back to hostel and proceeded to have a fairly early dinner before being

given the rest of the night to relax in the lounge.

-Spencer Kuzon