Wandering around the Mediterranean area of the Disney Sea park in Tokyo, we found ourselves transported to the quiet streets of an ancient Italian town. The theming and attention to detail at Disney is truly impressive. You can even take a gondola ride and we had a deliciously authentic pizza overlooking the canals.
On our last night in Kyoto we remembered we’d seen some interesting looking construction going on at our local shrine Kamigamo Jinja, and decided to see if it was finished. We discovered an incredible display of what I describe as paper lantern sculptures, but actually I have no idea what they were or why they had been constructed in the temple grounds. Our limited Japanese often meant we didn’t understand what was going on, but in this case it didn’t matter. We joined the families and groups of friends who wandered and sat amongst the beautiful creations, amazed at what had been made from just paper and wire.
With 2000 temples and shrines in Japan’s ancient capital Kyoto it’s quite possible that you’ll get templed out at some point in your stay. Luckily there are plenty of other interesting attractions in and around the city. These are our picks.
Kyoto train station is one of the most impressive we’ve ever seen with a bold, modern design of steel, glass and huge open spaces. I loved the patterns, reflections and the escalators that just go up and up. Don’t miss out on the skywalk – a glass corridor with views of the city and hills beyond. On the top floor you even find a peaceful garden to relax in before your train.
We didn’t make it to all 2000 but we gave it a good shot.
Kyoto was Japan’s capital for over 1000 years and is the heart of traditional Japan. When you arrive in downtown Kyoto it doesn’t look promising with its concrete high rises and busy highways, but to discover traditional Kyoto you need to look further afield and walk amongst the neighbourhoods towards the mountains that surround the city. Here you’ll find the Kyoto you imagined: narrow stone streets of old wooden houses; monks in flowing robes in one of the many temples and shrines; the sounds of chanting and gongs; all against a backdrop of lush green hills.