We started early this morning with a visit to Kiyomizu-dero, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Founded in 780, it is the temple of the Goddess of Mercy. People come to the temple to drink water from the falls by collecting it in tin cups; the water is said to have therapeutic properties, and drinking from the three different streams is said to give health, longevity, and success in studies.
Next, we headed to Kyoto Imperial Palace for our prearranged tour. The 60-minute tour highlighted buildings formally used by the Emperor of Japan. The current Emperor and his family actually use a different residence when visiting to Kyoto. This palace was used when Kyoto was the capital of Japan, before the capital was moved to Tokyo. We'll be able to compare this palace to palaces we saw in Germany on a previous Fund For Teachers Fellowship in 2011.
After lunch, it was time to catch our train to Hikone. We toured Hikone Castle, the garden, and the museum. Japanese castles are not nearly as ornate as castles in Europe. This is an Edo period castle, and it is one of only 12 in Japan with its original keep and one of only four listed as a national treasure. Be sure to note the ladder-like stairs inside the keep. They were crazy steep!
After a train back into Kyoto, we grabbed some dinner and called it a night. Tomorrow, we are up extra early to catch a train to Hiroshima. There we will meet local guide Kato.
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