Setting the stage in Kyoto

Tuesday I went up to Kyoto so that I could make reservations to visit Shugaukin and Katsura Imperial Villas on Thursday. Since my very first trip to Japan in 1999 I'd wanted to visit the the Imperial Villas but since you need to make reservations at the Imperial Agency at least 1 full day ahead of time, I'd never actually made it. But before I went to the Imperial Agency I was determined to get in some temple stamps. lol I walked from the station to Sanjusangen-do Temple, famous for its many Buddha statues and being one of the longest wooden halls in Japan. It has this complicated system involving sand to make it so the building will jiggle with earthquakes and not break. I then walked to Yasaka Jinja, the shrine made even more famous in Memoirs of a Geisha as the shrine little Sayuri goes to and prays to become a geisha lol I'd been there before of course, but had never gotten a temple stamp. I then decided to take the train so I could try Cafe Peace, the restaurant I had just missed eating in last trip and which is supposedly the best veggie place in Kyoto. Sadly, I did not check the website first and it was.. gone, like gone gone. Of course this left me feeling pretty damn hungry, particularly so after going to the household agency and then needing to walk and find someplace! Luckily, there was the Berry Market Cafe again! Post eating I was feeling a tad exhausted so I headed back to the station to get back to where I was staying.

Wednesday was my lazy day, where I took a late train up to Osaka to scout out some of my favorite stores. I also went to my favorite veggie place in Osaka for lunch which was even better than I remembered it! I didn't actually buy that much since I was planning to go back to Osaka on Sunday for I Doll and to buy gifts for people. My one big find was surprisingly the cute Yo SD bird costume at the Osaka Volks. I'd thought it had sold out long long before.

( Spring starts earlier in Japan )