Kyoto and Shabu Shabu - Japan, Day 7

Pictures from Japan, Kyoto Day 7

Today we traveled to Kyoto via Shinkansen (literally, new trunk line), also known as the bullet train. Though nice and new, zooming along at 300km, the A/C was not that good and it was very warm inside, and HOTTER outside. I am talking about the type of heat that you sweat even in the shade until you are swimming in perspiration. When we arrived in Kyoto, we ate in the train station (which was very much air conditioned). There were 10 pretty nice restaurants to choose from. You quickly realize how useful the plastic food is, esp. when there are no English menus. Every where you go, you see vending machines, usually at least one per block, sometimes much more. The stat on that is 1 vending machine for 22 Japanese people. We visited a Zen temple, the name of which escapes me, surrounded by a beautiful wooded garden and inside, a famous rock garden. It was here that I started spending the money I brought for souvenirs, buying a picture book and a mouse watercolor. Another thing you begin to notice, is that the Japanese make interesting signs and other advertising manikins. I've some examples, below. They are often very cute. We then visited the 10th Street Shrine (transliteration) with lots of stairs going up. (FAQ: There are Shinto Shrines and Buddist Temples.) I've also included a few pictures from the Righa Royal Hotel and then from later when we went out for Shabu Shabu.