TaLK: Teach and Learn in Korea: A Weekend in Japan: Day 1

The awesome thing about this job is that you get a ton of time to travel. Towards the end of June I was upset with myself that I hadn't taken the opportunity to explore more of Asia. So, thanks to Peach Airlines, on July 5th I flew to Japan.

The only downside to this entire trip was that I only had about 2 days. Land on Friday. Fly back on Sunday.

I landed at Kansai International Airport in Osaka and immediately bought a 3 day rail pass and headed for Kyoto. By the time I was on the train it was already 12:15pm and all of the temples close in Arashiyama (my destination) at 5pm, so I was rushing.

Once I got to Kyoto, I transfered trains and headed to the old town of Arashiyama (in the far west corner of Kyoto). I don't know why I chose to go here, but I'm really glad I did. Arrived around 1:15.

Arashiyama:

Famous bridge.

This bamboo forest was so awesome.

This is the first temple that I visited. Really beautiful. Famous for it's beauty and moss covered ground.

The next temple I visited was sooooo far away considering the size of the town. And it was up the mountain. I was definitely dehydrated and sweating by the time I arrived, but I got there at 4:45! :D 15 minutes before closing. Clutch. My journey there was through this awesome part of town.

And the final stretch!

You'll notice it's completely empty. I felt so lost, but it was really peaceful. I don't think the tourists wanted to walk this much to see an old temple, but I think they're cool.

Here's the temple. Contains over 1,200 stone statues. Each one was hand made and they are all different.