Colin's Photos, Day 10 (October 3): Kyoto

Over the last 3 days, we went to Kyoto and stayed a ryokan (traditional Japanese inn) run by a delightful older Japanese couple.

On the first day, we took the bullet train to Kyoto and got a great view of Mt. Fuji out the right side of the train. At Kyoto Station we met up with our friend Deanna, who happens to be traveling in Japan for several months, and had Okonomiyaki (a Japanese "pancake" made of cabbage and toppings, typically meat, vegetables, and/or seafood that is fried at a griddle on your table). We checked into our ryokan and then spent the evening in Gion, the entertainment district along the river where geisha & maiko & traditional Japanese culture are performed. The district is a bit overrun by tourists (including ourselves) but hopefully you can get some ideas of what it's like from the photos.

We had a great dinner of wappa meshi (stuff cooked in a round wooden container) in a hole-in-the-wall restaurant Yuri found, which we had all to ourselves.