We checked out the old Imperial Palace from back when Kyoto was still the capital of Japan. We made it inside the building just in time before a heavy thunderstorm. There was no artificial light inside, so it was pretty dark. Taking photos wouldn’t have been allowed anyway, though. A shame, because the old wall paintings are worth seeing. The wooden floor is pretty cool too – it squeaks when you walk on it to give away intruders.

With slightly better weather, we then checked out the Hojo-Teien, one of the most famous rock gardens in Japan. It’s on the grounds of the Ryōanji, which has a landscape garden that’s really worth a look.

Next stop was the Kinkakuji, the Golden Pavilion.

We had the afternoon off, so we had a look around Kyoto. The Higashi honganji temple is right in the middle of town. An outbuilding is currently being restored, but we managed to get a look inside. After that, we popped over to the main railway station. A massive building where escalators seem to go right up into the sky.

South of the station, there are even more temples and shrines. We had a quick look at the Kōshōji, but our aching feet put an early end to the evening.