August 2019

Wednesday 28 August

This morning we caught the No 11 local bus from just around the corner on Shijo-Dori out to Arashiyama. This is the location of another fine temple with gardens and the famous bamboo grove. The bus took about 40 minutes through the suburbs and along the river. The best way to the bamboo grove is to enter via the Tenryuji Temple. Costs 500 yen to get in but you avoid a lot of the tourists who enter from the main road.

The temple is very attractive, especially the lake behind it.

Part of Tenryuji Temple.

The lake at Tenryuji Temple.

The lake at Tenryuji Temple.

The lake in Tenryuji Temple.

A shrine in Tenryuji Park.

Part of Tenryuji Temple.

The park at Tenryuji Temple.

Walking through the park leads to a gate that is part way along the bamboo grove.

The bamboo grove.

The bamboo grove.

The bamboo grove.

The bamboo grove.

The bamboo grove is only about 300 metres long and once you get to the top, you arrive in Kameyama Park, a sizeable area above the river.

A memorial in Kameyama Park.

The river at Kameyama Park.

The weir across the river by Kameyama Park.

There is an old bridge over the river, the Togetsu-kyo Bridge. The leads to a number of cafes and restaurants where we sheltered from the rain and had a deserved coffee.

Train back to the city, an afternoon shopping and a simple dinner.

Thursday 29 August

A day trip to Nara. For once it was not raining, but still hot and sweaty. The train took about 45 minutes or so. From the station it is gentle uphill walk along the main road through the main shopping centre towards the park.

Along the way is the Kohfukuji Temple complex and has deer wandering around it.

The Kohfukuji Temple.

Part of Kohfukuji Temple.

Carrying on up the road led us to Nara Park. This is a large park with countless shrines, deer, gardens and temples.

One of the entrance ways to Nara Park.

An elegant stream in Nara Park.

Nara Park is known for its deer. They are wild but very docile until you want to feed them.

One of the many deer in Nara Park.

One of the many deer in Nara Park.

The wildlife in Nara Park.

Wildlife in Nara Park.

Feeding the deer in Nara Park.

Don't feed the deer.

I smell food.

Nara Park.

One of the many temples in Nara Park.

More temple and shrines in Nara Park.

A gate in Nara Park.

Shrines in Nara Park.

More of the many shrines in Nara Park.

It was too hot to continue much further, so we retraced our steps, fed more deer, and had a nice lunch in one of the small side streets off the main road heading back to station.

More afternoon shopping (reading glasses being a bargain at 108 yen per pair) and a very nice dinner back under the mall.

Friday 30 August

A wet day. A very wet day, especially when we went the few minutes to Inari. This has a temple, foxes guarding the temple and hundreds of gates or torii, all painted bright orange (but not the foxes, they were black).

The pavilion at Inari.

A damp day at Inari.

More wet tourists at Inari.

The foxes guarding the temple at Inari.

The walk up towards the torii at Inari.

The Senbon Torii at Inari.

The Senbon Torii at Inari.

The Senbon Torii at Inari.

Due to the horrible weather, we did not stay long.

Guess what, shopping in the afternoon.

We had arranged to meet Hung's daughter and son in law in Osaka so we caught an afternoon train and a subway to Namba, the main eating and entertainment area of the city. We wandered around for a while and then found somewhere for dinner.

The canal and lights in Osaka.

The bright lights of Osaka.

The canal in Osaka.

Osaka at night (and in the rain).

A very odd building in Namba.

The Namba district of Osaka. I wonder what their speciality is?

Saturday 31 August
A lunch time train to Kansai airport and then a short hop back to Shanghai.
I managed to get a 24 hr transit visa so was able to leave the airport and meet the family for dinner.
To Auckland on very new Shanghai Airlines 787 (with a comfortable bulkhead seat).

In all, I like Japan. The weather was hot and sweaty (the Japanese staff at work warned me about that), it was easy to get around (enormously large railway stations notwithstanding), the food was excellent, and the people friendly. I would like to go back.