Hotel Ark Kyoto

So after a pretty fun night walking around Kawaranomachi, where our hotel for the night was, checking out some cool stores (particularly a sweet shoe store called Dragon Beard), we woke up the next morning for our final day.<br><br>Jack had some school stuff to do, so for most of the day we did our own thing. In the morning we got some amazing cheesecake and coffee from a place called "Papa Johns" (no relation) nearby ...

... hour in Mechanicsburg... Mrs, Krantz is away for a few days, but whenshe gets back we will figure out a way to get to the YYork students....meanwhile, my delegation can call me or email me at rising sun to pick up.....the leaders would like to thanks all parents for sharing their children with us and helping their share their travel dreams in Japan....what an adventure we all had!

... hebben net een ander hotel geboekt. In de kamer bevinden zich 2 eenpersoonsbedden. Punt. De muren zijn keurig afgewerkt met steenstrips (ik bedoel: behang met steenstrip motief haha). De toiletten bevinden zich op de eerste en derde verdieping. (Wij hebben verdieping 4, of althans, een gedeelte daarvan). De toitetten worden geacht "zo achtergelaten te worden als men ze aantreft" met andere woorden: eerst schoonmaken met verfrissingsdoekjes, dan toilet ...

... beet-like vegetables with their heads covered. reminded me of Turkish villagers. the only difference was their slanted eyes and the traditional Japanese looks of their 2-storied houses. hiked up the hill to get to sanzen-in and raigo-in. although these temples were surrounded by dense forests of green, red and yellow trees, i didn`t enjoy them. there were way too many Japanese tourists. also, i think i`m about to overdose on temples. i preferred getting lost ...

When I first arrived in Japan, I didn't realize just how big it is. Sure, it looks sort of big on a map, but its still dwarfed by its over sized neighbors, China and Russia. Japan may be smaller than those guys, but really, its a TARDIS. There are so many cities here that go unnoticed by travelers, because they are seen as boring small-towns. Boring? Small? Half of these places are bustling, buzzing and each have a unique atmosphere of their own and I am amazed and glad that we ...

... ye*rs old, their roots twisting *nd engulfing every w*lkw*y, the shrines, temples *nd stone structures seem *lmost consumed by * thick moss, giving the *ppe*r*nce of something someone might see from * f*nt*sy flick * l* Lord of the Rings.<br><br>Residing in this little town, however, is *lso one of the most *m*zing sites one could ever set their eyes upon. Not only the worlds l*rgest *nd most extr*v*g*nt gi*nt Buddh* st*tue, but the st*tue itself is situ*ted within the worlds single l ...

... Shogun*te. Its dec*dently l*id out with gold-le*fed p*intings *nd wood c*rvings, *nd h*s wh*t *re c*lled 'Nighting*le Floors' which *re like *n *ncient house *l*rm system. The floorbo*rds *re so tightly bound together th*t they m*ke high pitched 'singing' sounds when stepped on, me*nt to w*rn the residents of *n intruder. Prob*bly m*de the trip for * secret midnight ice cre*m binge kind of tricky.<br><br>AND th*t is th*t, for now. Until l*ter,<br><br>R*ch*el Out.<br>

... country wide for its volcanic hot springs - some of which for bathing, whilst others still, though too hot for human flesh, are beautiful spectacles. Sulfuric steam seems to spout from every which drain, gutter and pipe available to it, rising above the houses built upon houses, adding a fantastic atmosphere about the quaint, crowded little town. Our first stop was the affectionately named 'Monkey Mountain Park', home to some 1,200 wild snow monkeys which roam about ...

... who seemed like a cartoon. We introduced ourselves and he very nicely responded each time with "Woww." It turned out to be a feast. Aside from my entree of fried pork and fried rice which there was a generous portion of, there were dumplings, sesame balls with red bean paste, and a strange fruit called lyche. By the time we had consumed our food or atleast attempted to, everyone was obviously exhausted. With the coming of a big shower, Ei-Chan's husband shuttled ...

... Well after the silent fight and misunderstanding, we got on a bus and went to the next visit point - the Seimei-jinjya Shrine. We got off the bus around 4:30 pm and we walked to the Kyoto Castle side then moved on to find the way to the Seimei-jinjya Shrine. It was lucky that we had a GPS device, so it was really easy to find a way to get there without going on a wrong track. The way to the Seimei-jinjya ...