April 7 - Asahiyama (嵐山) and Kinkaku-ji (金閣寺) in Kyoto (京都)

The first attraction was riding the Sagano Romantic Train (嵯峨野浪漫小火車) at Kameoka (龜崗). It is a sightseeing train line that runs along the Hozu Gawa River (保津川) between Kameoka (龜崗) and Arashiyama (嵐山). It is a charming old fashioned trains winding their way through the mountains at a relatively slow pace (25 minutes for 7 km) and it gives passengers a pleasant view of the scenery of river, mountain, forest and cherry blossom.  Everyone on the train were click their cameras away and it did not felt romantic at all.  However, the scenery was beautiful.

Arashiyama (嵐山) is a pleasant tourist district in the western outskirts of Kyoto.  It is particularly popular during the cheery blossom and fall color seasons.  The first attraction in Arashiyama we visited was the Bamboo Walking Path (竹林步道) which is cutting through the bamboo groves for a nice walk or bicycling.  It was the backdrop of the famous Chinese movie “Geisha”.  While we clicked our camera away, we noticed that a lot of young and just married couples were taking their wedding pictures there.  It formed an interesting scene.  

Then we came to Nonomiya (嵯峨野宮神社). The reason this shrine is important is because the high priestess of Ise (who was usually an unmarried daughter of the emperor) would be ritually purified here before starting her service at Ise. Hence, most worshippers come here to pray for love, pregnancy, healthy delivery and healthy babies.

Later, we walked to Togetsukyo Bridge (渡月橋) and immediately we noticed the beautiful cherry trees on both sides of the the Hozu Gawa River (保津川) and also at spots just adjacent to the bridge. Therefore we walked over and spent almost a whole hour of enjoying Sakura and taking photos.  

We had grilled beef for lunch (Wagyu - 和牛) at Nanzan (南山) restaurant. They are famous with their Wagyu, however, we still like our US beef better.

Afternoon, we visited the Kinkaku-ji (Golden Pavilion 金閣寺 - with official name Rokuon-ji 鹿苑寺) which is a Zen Buddhist temple.  It is a three-story building, the top two stories of the pavilion are covered with pure gold leaf. The pavilion extends over a pond, called Kyoto-Chi (鏡湖池 Mirror Pond), that reflects the building. The garden complex is an excellent example of Muromachi period garden design which is considered to be classical age of Japanese garden design. It was a way to integrate the structure within the landscape in an artistic way. 

Tonight, we were supposed to have a self arranged dinner.  Tricia took us to Dotonbori (道頓堀) which is a shopping area in Osaka.  She pointed to us on how to get around in Dotonbori and also provided recommendations for dinner, then she set us free.  We went to check out Canon lens. We found the store and the Canon lens I was looking for has a very good price ($200+ cheaper than B&H's pricing, plus "no taxes"), but the warranty is only valid in Japan, therefore, I was reluctant to buy it over there.  

Then we went to Golden Dragon Ramen Restaurant to have ramen.  While we were in Golden Dragon Ramen we heard someone mentioned about the crowd in the Ichiran Ramen (一蘭拉麵), we immediately made a contact and asked about the location of the Ichiran Ramen.  Turned out it is nearby, so we rushed out and finally got some Ichirn Ramen for Talia.  Afterward, we checked into the ANA Crown Plaza Osaka hotel.