Post #26 (15.05.14) >> Day trip to Kyoto

Kyoto was once the nation's capital & home to Japan's Emperor for almost 1100 years, many many years ago.

Today it is home to approx 1600 Buddhist temples, 400 Shinto shrines, some of which are world heritage listed.

There are also dozens of museums, two imperial villas, castles. palaces, gardens + of course touristy souvenir shops.

Kyoto was spared from the American bombings of WWII in respect for the historical heritage value of the area.

Meaning today, many of these temples and shrines have stood the test of time pre-dating the 1400s or earlier.

Other than its historical goodness and the country's richest traditional culture, Kyoto is also reknown for its exquisite cuisine showcased in the art of Kaiseki.

This is where many restaurants serve high quality, meticulously prepared & beautifully presented Japanese dishes.

Normally tourists take 3 or 4 days to explore Kyoto, we're gonna get through its main attractions in one longgggggggg day.

Rather than get to Kyoto by touristy means i.e Shinkansen (High speed bullet train) we took the cheaper and shorter route via normal train.

From Shinsaibashi we caught a train to Shin Osaka then a JR special rapid express train to Kyoto.

From Kyoto station we caught another train to KItaoji (stop K04 on photo above)

After arriving at Kitaoji train station it was time to catch a bus to the Kinka-kuji michi bus stop to get the Kinka-kuji temple.

Catching a bus was a simple and efficient process.
You can enter the bus from the front or rear door.
Adult fare is capped at 230Yen/A$2.50 which is to be paid on exit at the front of the bus.
To ensure you have the correct change there is a change machine located beside the bus driver.
There are announcements in Japanese and English stating the next stop and why you would get off at this location.