May 19



Today we traveled to Kyoto. It was unfortunately a rainy day and we were scheduled to visit the Toji shrine. Though we were getting rained on and it was. little chilly, it was still a beautiful place to be. I love that a lot of the shrines we visit have gardens on the grounds. This museum also had some really cool art artifacts. I unfortunately didn’t come prepared as I didn’t have an umbrella, so I got rained on which made me cold and wanting to leave. However, I still really enjoyed the place.


We also got to walk through another temple, and the rain added a little bit of an effect to the place. The temple was pretty, and with the rain adding a mood to it, it made it very calming. After this visit, we decided to check into the hotel and decided to go to the Fushimi Imari Shrine. We had the option to either go to the top, halfway, or go the next day. A couple of classmates and I decided to go up as far as we felt. By the time we had gotten here and started walking up, the rain had calmed down. It was a little bit of a hike up, but we had done Nachi Falls so it wasn’t bad at all. I loved the view. I always think it's worth a little blood sweat and tears to get a good view.


There were so many cute shops and little shrines on our way up! Once we got to the point with the best view, we headed back down and hit the shops for a little bit before leaving. I absolutely love the way I felt in Kyoto. Because it has kept its traditions, it felt different from being in a city like Tokyo. And not different in a bad way. I definitely like that Japan has a mix of cities with the way they are. Kyoto is much more traditional, and I honestly loved the feeling of being in a city that hasn’t changed as much as other cities. And that is why I love Japan so much. Pretty much around every corner you could find a little shrine or something like them. 

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