Ek comes to town

During the last 3 weeks or so of my winter holiday Ek came from Sweden to visit. I'm glad that he came to visit and it was much more fun sightseeing some more unusual places, other than just temples in Kyoto. His visit included Kyoto, Osaka, Kobe, Tokyo and Hakone (a place close to Mt. Fuji and that has volcanic activity below the surface).

At the top of Arashiyama overlooking Kyoto, the monkeys liked us until I accidentally kicked one =(

Ueno Park, Tokyo
Street Performers

Hakone (about 2 hours away from Tokyo)
Mt. Fuji seen from the Gondola
It smelt like Rotorua, but it was prettier
By eating this egg boiled in the water coming from underground I apparently increased my lifespan by 7 years, got good fortune and luck with romance.
We were high up, but Fuji was at least twice as high. It looks cold but it was in fact about 10+C,
Mount Fuji again. Epic view
Swiss style Gondola and Hakone Lake

Arashiyama

After deciding to do some sightseeing things again I hopped on my bike and sped off towards Arashiyama. Being the end of the Autumn Leaves Season, I wasn't expecting much colour to remain on the trees but I still wanted to go. Once I got there, I took the 20 min walk to the top of the mountain to enjoy the view of Kyoto and to captures some playful monkeys on film (well, Digital SD card but whatever). After spotting the first cheeky one in the tree above me, I found myself at the summit only to be surrounded by 50 or so monkeys. It was a bit like being back in Yellowstone National Park and seeing the first bison crossing the road. Everyone stops to take pictures until you get bored, carry on driving over the next hill only to find yourself surrounded by several 100 of them. Having read the signs of "don't stare" etc I was cautious as I approached them and even though they seemed tame, their screeches and fighting amongst each other did make a lot of children cry. After feeding some monkeys with apples I carried on my sightseeing-way down the mountain to 天龍寺 Tenryuutera and the World Heritage sight that is the Zen garden.

Cute Warning Sign at the entrance

Monkey in the tree

After feeding the monkeys calmed down

Mmmm, apples are tasty

These 2 were fighting each other over scraps

They were so cuteAnd very hungry. Monkeys have sharp fingernails if you didn't know...The view from the monkey park overlooking KyotoMonkey and fish sharing the pondI got my Zen on while visiting the garden - at peace with the world now

京都！！！ Kyoto!!!

A couple of days after arriving at my dormitory, International House II here in Kyoto I finally managed to wake up early enough to do some exploring of the area near by. My dormitry is a 45 minute from the main shopping district of Kyoto by bike. It is not centrally located but it is not too bad.

I'm loving Kyoto. It is so easy to get around. The city is very flat, and the roads are so smooth. What a difference to the potholed footpaths of the UK and hilly Borås. After going down the (only) hill from my dormitory to the shopping street I rode absentmindedly. All of a sudden I was right next to a small area of Kyoto that is full of old wooden buildings that have the feel as if they were built 50 years ago, but with the modern look of today's architecture. Only later did I find out it was called 嵐山,　Arashiyama. Apparently they have a monkey park(!) and the best time to go sightseeing there is fall when the leaves change colour and spring, for sakura season. There is also lots of small local restaurants, temples and gift shops here. Unfortunately I haven't had time to explore of all of Arashiyama yet, but I'm sure there will be plenty of opportunities.

I want to go to the monkey park!!!

On the way to Arashiyama I saw a Panda =P













Might go and eat here and post a review later.

Arashiyama























































This is my bike parked on the corner ^_^ . It even has a basket and everything. Perfect for my shopping. Haha. But there are no gears and sometimes the breaks don't work. Oops









Small narrow streets, with lots of people and cars and BIKES of course







A statue of a Tanuki
A creature from Japanese folklore - Translated it means Raccoon Dog. Usually they are seen as mischievous and playful creatures.

This tanuki is drinking alcohol and smoking.





















Temple