Tenchi's Thoughts: Japan Trip Day 4: Chishaku-in Temple and Sanjusangen Temple

X__X Perhaps I should have written down where we went each day so blogging would be a bit easier. Because my husband has the memory of a goldfish and I am having a hard time remembering which temple went with each day. X__X Because I am that special and jet lagged.

But here we go folks. Sorry if I get a little picture heavy.

On our way to some temples and shrines. Remember while in Japan one must look out for mascots. Everything needs a mascot.

Up first on the list of things to do today was Chishaku-in. We actually were not planning on going to this structure but went the wrong way on the road and ran into this temple instead. But we still had fun and was well worth the visit. This is the road the Kyoto National Museum is on.

Arriving at Chishaku-in. If one is a fan of old structures Japan is the place for you!

If one is not a fan of stairs Japan might not be the best place for you. Japan is all about the stairs.

Never got to hear any of the big bells hit. :( But they are pretty to look at.

Even though we are inside old structures one cannot escape the influences of the new world.

We saw many people over our trip dedicating a whole lot of money to the temples and shrines. But I guess if you believe your wishes can come true through an offering it makes sense.

When something says temple or shrine in Japan it can either mean one structure or a huge lot with many different structures. Sometimes going through these temples and shrines would take hours or 30 minutes. So it is best not to plan too much on your day in case your particular destination is a bigger one.

This seemed to be the main structure inside Chishaku-in. A few people came to chant while we were nearby.

Great Buddha feet.

This path looks spooky yes? Almost looks like it is out of Alice and Wonderland. XD

The path lead up to a graveyard where several wild kitties were running around.

More small structures around the property. One has to look everywhere and carefully to make sure they see everything.

So many beautiful views from inside Chishaku-in.

There was one building in Chishaku-in that we were allowed to take pictures in. It looked more like a house than a shrine. It had a beautiful garden outside.

View of the garden and what building we were allowed to go inside of.

Many people were just chillin and takin in the view when we arrived. Some people had stuff for an entire day to do while looking at the beautiful garden.

After Chishaku-in Temple we went to Sanjusangen Temple. Most of the impressive parts were inside the temple and we were not allowed to take pictures in there. But the wooden building went on forever. X__X

Some parts of the temple looked very old while some looked brand new. Always rebuilding in Japan.

Since we couldn't take many pictures inside there is not much to show you from Sanjusangen. Only that it is very impressive and one must go if they are in Kyoto. After we did a few more temples we decided to go to a shopping arcade and do some shopping.

Loft is a super cool store that I highly recommend. It has several branches in Tokyo too. Most have at least 4 floors, separated by different categories. One part of a floor has anime goods/characters. And so many stickers!!! If you love stickers and spending money this is the store for you!

That store had such expensive treats but look how big the one on the bottom is. X__X Got to take at least 10 friends with you to finish that one off.

Cat Cafe!!!! One can buy a super expensive drink and spend time petting very friendly kitties. We were not allowed to take pictures inside but all the kitties were so cute! Made me miss mine so bad.