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Caption: PART 3 KYOTO
Caption: Following the shenanigans the night before, Rose and I grabbed a greasy burger for breakfast at "First Kitchen". We were both a bit foggy as we tried to plan the day. We ended up heading towards Kinkakuji (the golden pagoda), which was beautiful in the morning light. Everyone seemed to be in a good mood, laughing and joking. It definitely helped ease the hangover.
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Caption: Making more friends.
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Caption: Rose then led the way to Arashiyama, as she had been before. After a chatty bus and train ride, we then arrived at Arashiyama, aka the Bamboo Forest. Despite talking the whole way, I only realised it was the bamboo forest when we stepped off the train and saw the signs... *sigh*...
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Caption: Mirror selfies are definitely the theme of this trip.
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Caption: Arashiyama has been a popular place to visit since the 9th century, when nobles would marvel at its natural beauty.
1200 years later, I was doing the same thing.
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Caption: After making our way through the zen garden and the forest, we then entered what was once the private estate of Japanese actor Okochi Denjiro. The garden there was magnificent and very peaceful. It seemed as though we were the only two people there as we immersed ourselves in flora.
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Caption: We left the garden and wandered back through the forest and over the river, back towards the train station. The light was spectacular as the sun set in the hills.
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Caption: Once back in Kyoto, I took the opportunity to wander the street before heading out to dinner. I walked through the Gion district, hoping to catch a glimpse of a geisha. I ended up seeing about 7 that night!
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Caption: That night, I met Rose again for dinner. We went to this strange safari themed restaurant wishing only served hamburger steaks. The food was actually delicious. We grabbed some road beers and continued our conversation, as we wandered the streets even further, walking through the Yasaka shrine and surrounding area. It was completely deserted and full of cleanly designed buildings.
Caption: We then spent the rest of the night at a pub, solving the problems of the world until heading home around 2am. We said goodbye as Rose was heading to Miyajima in the morning, but we promised to meet up again in Tokyo. Only after beginning the walk to my hostel did I realise just how exhausted I was from all the sight seeing and non-stop conversation! Slept like a log. A drunk, exhausted log.