We slept in as desired and didn't hit the streets until 8:00 AM. Our thought was we would just walk up the street several blocks, visit a couple of temples/shrines and be back at the hotel by 10 for checkout. We quickly realized that what appeared as a block is a HUGE block! We were successful, but we didn't make it back to the hotel until 10:20, and let me tell you, we were walking fast! As we were taking in the sights, we decided that we would like to just spend the day here, so when we arrived back at the hotel we paid for another evening.
We had not prepared to be late, and with good reason. Toyoko-Inns are business type hotels. Basically, you are not supposed to have access to your room during the hours between 10 and 3. Luckily, they let Joe go upstairs as he needed to get a camera and we wanted to drop off a bag. So, just know, that is a limitation, but certainly something we are willing to work around. Joe said when he got upstairs that ever room door was open and all the bed were stripped. So, instead of housekeeping the rooms one by one, they do floor by floor or have enough crew to do all floors at once. Possibly they start on the top floor and work down (we are on the top)?
So, during that excursion we saw the Nijo Castle - from the outside and
walked the grounds of the Kyoto Imperial 
Palace. After we regrouped, we visited the Nishi Hongani Temple which was on our way to the big train station as we had figured out we wanted to use the subway. Oh my gosh, the SIZE of the station made us realize HOW big Kyoto actually is. It alone was an amazing place. We struggled to locate the Kyoto Tourist Information Center, but finally were successful. My suggestion to the 
Kyoto Information Bureau is that they find a more prominent location or have better signage. Anyway, there we got a city map, a bus route map (there subway system isn't very big) and purchased bus tickets for the day. 
During our time there, Joe was interviewed by a group of students. They had created their own survey asking questions like: name,
where are you from, and favorite animal.
We had not prepared to be late, and with good reason. Toyoko-Inns are business type hotels. Basically, you are not supposed to have access to your room during the hours between 10 and 3. Luckily, they let Joe go upstairs as he needed to get a camera and we wanted to drop off a bag. So, just know, that is a limitation, but certainly something we are willing to work around. Joe said when he got upstairs that ever room door was open and all the bed were stripped. So, instead of housekeeping the rooms one by one, they do floor by floor or have enough crew to do all floors at once. Possibly they start on the top floor and work down (we are on the top)?
So, during that excursion we saw the Nijo Castle - from the outside and
walked the grounds of the Kyoto Imperial 
Palace. After we regrouped, we visited the Nishi Hongani Temple which was on our way to the big train station as we had figured out we wanted to use the subway. Oh my gosh, the SIZE of the station made us realize HOW big Kyoto actually is. It alone was an amazing place. We struggled to locate the Kyoto Tourist Information Center, but finally were successful. My suggestion to the 
Kyoto Information Bureau is that they find a more prominent location or have better signage. Anyway, there we got a city map, a bus route map (there subway system isn't very big) and purchased bus tickets for the day. 
During our time there, Joe was interviewed by a group of students. They had created their own survey asking questions like: name,
where are you from, and favorite animal.We also found an amazing store Isetan. It is a gastronomical superstore. It was l
ike the Neiman-Marcus of food. It was huge. Lots of fish and typical Japanese fare. Finally we located the bakery and I was in heaven. So, our lunch consisted of breads - savory and sweet. Joe 
also purchased a filled pancake in the shape of a fish. There were several types from which to choose. However, all in Japanese.Needless to say, I didn't purchase one for me. Joe still cannot define what it was he ate. He says it was kind of sweet. He purchased the type that was being produced. We t
hought it looked like purple refried beans. I am laughing so hard just thinking about it. While he says it was good, I will tell you he didn't eat the whole thing. Anyway, the breads/pastries we've had here are terrific!
We hopped a bus. it turned out to be the wrong bus, but we were passing a temple
so we got off. It was interesting and we photoed. Then, we got back on another bus and found our way to Gion. That area was different than anticipated, but we enjoyed. We found the park and saw some pretty sights and some birds. Joe got his picture of the Japanese Raven. They are everywhere! We also took pictures of the Japanese version of the Great Blue Heron and the Mallard duck. Then, I had the great idea to find the Kyoto handicraft market ghat was on several m
aps. After a nor long walk, we were not successful and returned to Gion. We were fascinated by the numbers of people in tractional dress in this area. We photoed a few and found out they were on holiday from Hong Kong and had rented the garb! Finally, after being on foot for nine hours, we returned to the hotel for a rest.
We are now back at the station for dinner. We are again sampling the fried pork as it seems safe (and about the only thing on the menu besides prawns).
Our interesting observations from the day:
ike the Neiman-Marcus of food. It was huge. Lots of fish and typical Japanese fare. Finally we located the bakery and I was in heaven. So, our lunch consisted of breads - savory and sweet. Joe 
also purchased a filled pancake in the shape of a fish. There were several types from which to choose. However, all in Japanese.Needless to say, I didn't purchase one for me. Joe still cannot define what it was he ate. He says it was kind of sweet. He purchased the type that was being produced. We t
hought it looked like purple refried beans. I am laughing so hard just thinking about it. While he says it was good, I will tell you he didn't eat the whole thing. Anyway, the breads/pastries we've had here are terrific!We hopped a bus. it turned out to be the wrong bus, but we were passing a temple
so we got off. It was interesting and we photoed. Then, we got back on another bus and found our way to Gion. That area was different than anticipated, but we enjoyed. We found the park and saw some pretty sights and some birds. Joe got his picture of the Japanese Raven. They are everywhere! We also took pictures of the Japanese version of the Great Blue Heron and the Mallard duck. Then, I had the great idea to find the Kyoto handicraft market ghat was on several m
aps. After a nor long walk, we were not successful and returned to Gion. We were fascinated by the numbers of people in tractional dress in this area. We photoed a few and found out they were on holiday from Hong Kong and had rented the garb! Finally, after being on foot for nine hours, we returned to the hotel for a rest.We are now back at the station for dinner. We are again sampling the fried pork as it seems safe (and about the only thing on the menu besides prawns).
Our interesting observations from the day:
- Kyoto is huge! From the guide book I thought it was much smaller and more pastural.
- The Emergency vehicles use a PA system to give verbal commands to the public when approaching intersections. Joe finds it quite amusing.
- The bus drivers turn off the engines at most bus stops and red lights. However, they are a fairly efficient way to get around.
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