Had breakfast on the 15th floor of the hotel (combination buffet and wait service) before leaving at 8:45 AM for the Sanjusangen-do Temple. The temple was reconstructed in 1266 after a fire destroyed the original 1164 temple. There are 1000 Buddhist deity statues in the 120 meter long hall. They are all made out of Japanese cypress and coated in gold leaf. The statues were completed during the 13th century. There are 28 other statues protecting the 1000 Buddhist statues. The temple gardens had many cherry tree blossoms around.
We then went to Nijo-Jo Castle built in 1603 by the shogun of the area, Tokyugawa Ieyasu. We learned about life in the Edo period and how the Shogun finally gave up his rule and became a commoner.
We had free time after the castle tour, so a group of us went for a quick bite in one of the department stores downtown then took a bus back to the hotel. We wandered around the Kyoto station area shops and then rested before dinner.
We left the hotel at 6:30 PM for our farewell tempura dinner downtown. The dinner consisted of 6 courses and free drinks :) It was one of the best dinners of the trip.
Got back to the hotel about 9:30 PM, said goodbye to everyone, and called it a night.
2025-02-09