The train station in Kyoto
Awaiting JR Isetan to open in the train station
Kimonos for sale at JR Isetan Department Store
Zen Garden Imperial Palace Kyoto
Water abstraction at the Kyoto Aquarium
Matcha Green Tea ice cream
A few highlights of our trip.
We loved everything about Japan.
It was so clean, neat and orderly.
The people were lovely, friendly and kind.
Most of our time was spent in Kyoto with
a couple of days in Osaka which gave us more
of the big city experience without needing to
travel to Tokyo. We can’t wait to go back!
The Zen garden looks very similar to Monet’s garden.
The Japanese influence is everywhere!
Japanese influence is indeed everywhere. It is described in the most wonderful book, “Japonisme – Cultural Crossings between Japan and the West.”
According to the author, that allure began with the very first contact in the sixteenth century. It only increased after 1858 when full trade with Japan and the West resumed. Japan’s borders had been closed to the West since 1638, for over 200 years!