Shinkansen to Kyoto and Nara

The Gion Festival Parade- floats lifted and carried
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Upon arrival at the Kyoto station, we got a bite of ramen noodles for dinner. When we got to our hotel, we were pleasantly suprised to see that the Gion street festival was in full swing already.

The next morning (Thursday), Shaleen and I woke up early and switched hotels. Unfortunatey, we were partially caught in the Gion float parade in downtown Kyoto. We managed to get to the hotel on foot, eventually, and caught some great views of some spectacular wooden traditiona Japanese floats. We made our way through the streets of Gion to see the Yasaka shrine and some nearby temples. Exhausted from the heat and with tired feet, we headed back to hotel for some rest and went out to Komameya for a multiple course dinner of yuba (soy bean curd or skin). Definitely an adventurous meal.

Parade Floats pulled by hand
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On Friday, we took the JR train to Nara where we visited the immense Todai-Ji Temple (large wooden structure in the word apparently) and the deer park nearby, where hundreds/thousands of deer roam through the park and mingle with the visitors. In the afternoon, we went to Iga-Ueno to explore the ninja museum. By the time we made our way back to Kyoto, it was dinner time and we were too tired to locate some of the restaurant recommendations (Katsukura) we had found on the internet -- but, luckily, we found another branch of the tonkatsu restaurant in The Cube (food court) at Kyoto Station.

Ryozen Kannon- Memorial to WW 2 victims
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On Saturday, we decided to tackle Kyoto by bus and purchased a day pass. First, we made our way to Kiyomizu temple, which is nestled along the hills at the edge of Kyoto. Next, we took the bus to Ginkakuji Temple and its Zen gardens. For lunch, we tried some udon noodles at nearby Omen. On our way back to the hotel, Shaleen and I swung by the Nichi market to catch a glimpse of the famous fresh food market. We rested at the hotel for a few hours while the weather was still hot and then went to Pontocho Alley in the evening for dinner, where we even managed to see a few true geishas!