After a simple breakfast, we headed to Fushimi Inari. The shrine is dedicated to the fox deity Inari and is especially famous for its thousands of torii gates, which lead up the mountain like an avenue. Of course, we walked up the countless steps right to the top, where we were rewarded with a lovely view of Kyōto.
Next, we visited Kyomizu-dera. This temple is famous for its huge wooden terrace on long wooden stilts, another postcard-perfect scene. We took the bus there, which is an experience in itself. Once you arrive, you squeeze your way to the front and pay the driver. Ideally with exact change, because otherwise you have to break your money down at a change machine first, holding up the whole queue.
We strolled around Kyōto a bit more, tried some sake soft-serve ice cream and wound down the day in a small Zen garden. After that, it was sadly time to say goodbye to our Japanese friend.
Tomorrow the group part of the trip starts. So we moved to a different hotel first. Luckily with a much bigger room.
