Oh, the things you can find if you don't stay behind!

The golden pavilion of Kinkakuji in Kyoto.

The gardens at Heian jingo shrine in Kyoto.

 Of all the field trips I've ever been on for school this one takes the cake. Saturday a bus load of JCMU students went to Kyoto for the day. The first stop of the day was Kinkakuji. We only had about half an hour there but that was enough to be impressed. The golden pavilion sits out on a pond surrounded by walkways.

The second stop was my favorite of the day. The gardens at Heian jingo is one of the most beautiful places I've ever visited. Walking weave through the garden and over ponds. We fed fish and turtles. We even saw a bride and groom getting their picture taken. I found out the women was wearing a head covering to hide her "horns of jealousy". The shrine here was impressively large and beautiful.

Carp expecting to be fed.

The last stop of the day was Kiyomizu-dera. A temple located in the side of a mountain. It had an amazing view of Kyoto from the top. While all these places that I visited were amazing the thing that got me the most was how many foreigners I saw. Where I currently reside I don't see any other "gaijin" than those of us in the program. In fact, we are usually so surprised when we see non-Japanese people we can't help but point it out.

Heian Jingo

Kiyomizu-dera