First Time in Japan

We have made a number of trips to Europe, and we decided months ago that it was time to try another continent, so we signed up for a travel/study tour in Japan. We are two among 35 participants, and though this feels like a large group, everyone is congenial and (very important) prompt.

After a 12-hour flight and a long bus ride from the Osaka airport, we reached our first lodgings in a Westin hotel in Kyoto. It’s very comfortable, and the combination of Japanese and Western amenities is pleasant and instructive. (Yes, the toilet has a control panel, but that’s a tacky way to start a blog post.)

We have good shepherds running the show. Kyoto has many UNESCO World Heritage sites, and we’ll see lots of them. Our first tour day (Monday) took us to a Zen temple with an impressive rock garden, the “Golden Pavilion” (originally a 15th-century statesman’s villa, later a Buddhist temple), and the Kyoto Imperial Palace.

Here’s one side of the rock garden:

This is the Golden Pavilion:

And here’s a bit of detail of one of the many buildings in the Imperial Palace:

We also had a large lunch and a multi-course dinner. Along with two introductory lectures, that all made for a very full day.