We woke up early as usual, had some Japanese-style breakfast at a nearby cafe and took a subway to Fushimi Inari shrine, dedicated to Inari, the kami (Shinto god) of rice and sake. The temple is famous for its mountain trails that pass through thousands of vermilion torii gates. The gates stand so closely together that they form tunnels where light takes an orange tint and endless stream of tourists moves back and forth. We were lucky enough to see miko (shinto priestesses) performing the sacred dance while accompanied by a flute, koto (Japanese floor harp), drum and bells. No photos were allowed at the ceremony, unfortunately. We hiked up the mountain for a bit, explored a bamboo forest and took some photos in the torii tunnels during rare moments when there were no people in sight.

Later, we took a train back to the city and while searching for lunch, found an Indian restaurant, a pretty rare thing in Japan . After lunch we took a bus to one the most popular buildings in Japan (if not the whole world): Kinkaku-ji a.k.a. "Temple of the Golden Pavilion" (the building is literally covered in gold). The pavilion is a majestic presence, reflecting the sun with its shiny symmetrical walls and being reflected in the surrounding pond. As expected, the temple grounds were incredibly crowded, but we still managed to make quite a few photos of this unique sight.

After seeing the shiny golden building we headed to a nearby Zen temple to see quite an opposite sight: the rock garden of Ryoan-ji temple. There was a number of people sitting on the wooden terrace of the temple contemplating the rocks and pebbles of the garden. While the true meaning of the garden has been lost, the common belief is that it represents a tiger carrying it's cub across a pond. I suppose that it is open to interpretation. We have also participated in contemplative observation of the rock garden and then walked around the temple appreciating the painted sliding doors (fusuma). Behind the temple we found a small water basin with an inspiring Zen inscription that can be translated to "I know only satisfaction". Here's an excerpt from a Wikipedia article about the temple:

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Ryōan-ji also has a teahouse and tea garden, dating to the 17th century. Near the teahouse is a famous stone water basin, with water continually flowing for ritual purification . This is the Ryōan-ji tsukubai (蹲踞), which translates literally as "crouch;" because of the low height of the basin, the user must bend over to use it, in a sign of reverence and humility. The kanji written on the surface of the stone basin, 五, 隹, 止, 矢, are without significance when read alone. Though the water basin's frame is circular, the opening in the circular face is itself a square (口). If each of the four kanji is read in combination with 口 (the square-shaped radical is pronounced kuchi, meaning "mouth" or "aperture"), which the square opening is meant to represent, then the characters become 吾, 唯, 足, 知. This is read as "ware, tada taru (wo) shiru", which translates literally as "I only sufficiency know" (吾 = ware = I, 唯 = tada = merely, only, 足 = taru = be sufficient, suffice, be enough, be worth, deserve, 知 = shiru = know) or, more poetically, as "I know only satisfaction". Intended to reinforce Buddhist teachings regarding humility and the abundance within one's soul, the meaning is simple and clear: "one already has all one needs". Meanwhile, the positioning of the tsukubai, lower than the veranda on which one stands to view it, compels one to bow respectfully (while listening to the endless trickle of replenishing water from the bamboo pipe) to fully appreciate its deeper philosophical significance. The tsukubai also embodies a subtle form of Zen teaching using ironic juxtaposition: while the shape mimics an ancient Chinese coin, the sentiment is the opposite of materialism. Thus, over many centuries, the tsukubai has also served as a humorous visual koan for countless monks residing at the temple, gently reminding them daily of their vow of poverty. Notwithstanding the exquisite kare sansui rock garden on the opposite side of the building, the less-photographed Ryōan-ji tea garden is one of the most sublime and valued cultural treasures the temple offers to the world.
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Other than these two unique Zen treasures, the temple also has a lovely garden with sakura trees and a beautiful pond with more sakuras growing on its banks and small islands .

After visiting three temples and passing by a bunch more, we felt pretty zenned out for the day and took a bus back to the centre of the city. One of my goals for this trip was to buy some Japanese tea (such as matcha and gyokuro) and some teaware. So, during the bus ride I looked up a nice tea store recommended by fellow travellers (thanks to almighty Internet and his son Google). We found the store and I finally satisfied my craving by purchasing some highest grade matcha, high grade gyokuro, bowl, whisk (chasen) and bamboo scoop (chashaku) for matcha and an authentic clay Japanese teapot!

Tired after a long day we have decided to stop by a nearby sento, a traditional communal bath house. That was a truly authentic experience, as the bath house turned out to be very old and small. To take a bath Japanese-style, you first remove your shoes and put them in a locker, then go inside the building and pay the attendant who sits between male and female sides, then also buy a towel and soap from the attendant, finally remove clothes, store them in locker and proceed into the bathing room behind a sliding door; there first rinse yourself using a small bucket, then dip into hot bath (we had a choice of deep, shallow and green), then wash yourself thoroughly while sitting on a plastic stool and finally take another dip and go dress . You could tell how authentic that bathhouse was by the number of local patrons and by complete absence of tourists (except for two).

Relaxed by a nice bath, we walked back to the hotel. On the way there we had some ramen for dinner and even encountered another two maiko in Gion district.