Kyoto Takaragaike Prince Hotel

... of textured concrete with bits of bamboo on the surface to give it more texture and a link with nature. Many houses had little rock gardens or reflecting pools as standard features. Kitchens were big, but the dishwashers were small. Every house had a Japanese Room with tamtami mats, shoji screens, and a shrine area. In some of the houses, the stairs were steep and the steps were narrow; but one house had signs pointing out that they had ...

... not get to see any. (see photos) The following day we got a bus pass ;-) Quite interesting finding bus stops and getting on and off local buses to the shrines and temples. Kyoto has over 2000 temples, thank goodness Paul agreed that we could visit 3 but the 3 he wanted to visit were in different parts of the city... lots of buses and lots of walking! Well worth it though the temples were amazing and all surrounded by fantastic zen gardens perfectly ...

... meet some people from the states in a foreign. Normally people who would never associate with each other if they met on the strees in the States, could become friends for a night when traveling abroad. We had nothing more in common but a country and a language. They were business and marketing students. I felt old while I asked them all what they were going to do with their degree when they were done. I HATED when people asked me that! And here I am doing it. I guess when I was in ...

... the previous night so, with a total of one hour sleep and not quite smoke free hair, we rushed to the bus which would depart at 7.30. As we slept through most of the bustrip we were stunned by the scenery when we arrived at our destination. The other items on the agenda were equally pleasing. The washi was interesting the 'hikes' lasted about 5 min each and the shrines were of course beautiful. We ...

... stepped on the stepping stones SHE stepped on. Total geek out.<br><br>Whats the ONLY bad thing about Japan?<br>The fact that everyone you meet is Australian. You see, there are backpackers and there are backpackers. I hate Australian backpackers. They all seem to assume you want to party, get drunk and ignore the fact that you are in a place rich with culture and personality. But you know what? I like not being hungover and spending my day in the hostel.<br><br>Rachael Out.

... lly but th*nkfully timed our visit to N*r* with. If the very ide* of drums pounding *nd Shintoist's ch*nting in the dist*nce *s you work your w*y up * n*rrow, wooded tr*il - deers frolicking by your side - illumin*ted only by th*t of three thous*nd gi*nt, moss encrusted, stone l*nterns doesn't conjure up * most mystic*l im*ge in your mind, then I don't know wh*t does.<br><br>As for the l*st few d*ys, we spent them in the surrounding *re*s of Kyoto, which is * truly be*utiful city *nd ...

... from the Mount*in to get fed. You know, monkeys do NOTHING, but fight, e*t *nd poo. But for some re*son, you c*n spend hours just w*tching how they inter*ct *nd be endlessly entert*ined by their cr*zy shen*****ns.<br><br>Next up were the 'Nine Hells', * series of n*tur*l hot springs which h*ve (unfortun*tely) been turned into somewh*t of * themed *musement p*rk. There's * 'Demon Hell', *n 'Anim*l Hell' with * Hippo *nd * re*lly s*d looking Eleph*nt *nd even ...

... A few monkeys even brushed right by my leg. We were that close to all the action. After some great side-stall food, we went to discover the eight 'hells' or jigoku of Beppu; naturally occuring, boiling hot volcanic springs which have a certain aesthetic appeal to them. Besides the great amount of steam produced, among the eight hells were giant mud springs, which bubbled as sulfuric air attempted to escape them, waters of brilliant cobalt blue and blood red and even one ...

... learnt French at school :-) Short of ideas, we gave her a DVD of Amelie ("Le fabuleux destin d'Amélie Poulain") for her birthday. We thought that it would ring the bell to them but not at all, they had never heard of it, Amelie has yet to reach Kyoto! Papa and Mama are in charge After 4 lovely days experiencing all the assets of the flat, we had to leave as Golden Week (almost a full week of bank holidays) was starting and somebody ...

... les difficultés du monde à retrouver si on repassait dans le secteur. Ici, l'autel Awashima, dans une cour absolument banale a première vue, mais qui contient pluieurs vitrines renfermant des poupées de tailles vêtues de kimonos miniatures et coiffées traditionellement. Ce sont des ex votos laissés à la divinité protectrice des femmes en remerciement d'une guerison ou de la naissance d'un enfant en bonne santé, ainsi qu'indiqué par un panneau en anglais ...