Kyoto

Kyoto

Kyoto Station, Kyoto.

Kiyomizu-dera Temple. Great Place for a school photo, would almost look  like one of those fake green-screen shots.

View of Kyoto Skyline surrounded by many, many temples. Too many. 

Kiyomizu-dera Temple

Wellness for life. 

Can walk around Kyoto for ages finding hidden temples/towers/shrines. Quite tiring, so tiring we accidental had Italian for lunch.

You can only park bikes where there's a designated no bikes allowed sign.  Apparently. 

Shrine of Mr Yasata?

Pondering something

Crying Baby, also part of Japanese Bingo see here 

This one reminds me of those fishing ducks at carnivals. If you fish a duck with a certain japanese symbol you gte to take the corresponding symbol attached to the roof. 

Nishikori food market. Lots of wierd and wonderful foods including fourteen strawberries for 10,000 YEN (equiv to: 1 Super GrassHoper - AUD$100 + holiday tax) 

Felt bad that a Japanese lady tried to hard to ask me in English if I wanted a photo that I thought I ought to get one even through I didn't want one. 

Just a subway train, nothing interesting. 

Kyoto Tower reflection Kyoto Station

Hijiki. I think they would do better putting the Wikipedia translations: 

Hijiki or hiziki (ヒジキ, 鹿尾菜 or 羊栖菜 hijiki^?) (Sargassum fusiforme, syn. Hizikia fusiformis) is a brown sea vegetable growing wild on rocky coastlines around Japan, Korea, and China. The written kanji forms of its two names, which are examples of ateji, literally mean deer-tail grass and sheep-nest grass, respectively.

Hijiki is a traditional food and has been a part of a balanced diet in Japan for centuries. Hijiki is known to be rich in dietary fibre and essential mineralssuch as calcium, iron and magnesium. According to Japanese folklore, hijiki aids health and beauty, and thick, black, lustrous hair is connected to regular consumption of small amounts of hijiki^{[citation needed]}. Hijiki has been sold in United Kingdom natural products stores for 30 years and hijiki's culinary uses have been adopted in North America. Recent studies have shown that hijiki contains potentially toxic quantities of inorganic arsenic, and food safety agencies of several countries (excluding Japan) have advised against its consumption.

Had Donut. Everything eaten with a chopstick is healthy. 

Kyoto to Hakuba

Shinkansen!

Unfortunately it's wasn't a Shinkansen all the way to Hakuba, 3 school girls made it half way through their homework. We were chaperoned  for this section of the journey. Had to run to get a connecting train, the super express was 3 minutes late!

Made it to Hakuba. Time to find Wadano. Unsure how far away our, 'quick lets book accomodation so Paulette can get a visa' is. . 

View from outside the place in Wadano, Nicely walking distance from the lift. 

Snow. Will come back to Northern Hemisphere snow next season.