Kyoto and Nara

Raindrops on the shinkansen (bullet train)


Giant Buddha at Todai-ji in Nara


Marië and deer






After a hike in the mountains outside the city, we descended down to a river with restaurants built up on the water. Some even sent soba noodles down a slide of cold river water to patrons of the restaurant.








At the entrance of every shinto shrine, there is water to wash your hands and mouth.


Wishes written on paper are hung on bamboo once a year for Tanabata, a Japanese star festival.


Two women ring bells in front of a shinto shrine.


At shrines, folks can make a small donation to receive omikuji, fortunes on small strips of paper. If the fortune is bad, one ties the paper up on a row of metal wires in hopes of leaving the bad luck behind.