Kyoto - 2/5

After another reasonably late start, Vince, Dave and I headed through the city to visit the Heien Shrine. Nestled in the corner of the city surrounded by mountains, the Heien shrine also hosts the largest gate (which is the entrance to the temple) in all of Japan. The gate alone was a sight to see, and having a mild interest in architecture the gate was a marvel of both engineering and aesthetics. We proceeded to head further into the Heien shrine. Vince suggested visiting the Zen gardens, a suggestion both Dave and I quickly agreed with. After removing our shoes, we proceeded to make our way through a maze of simplistic Japanese buildings, surrounded by the most amazingly simple yet eloquent gardens. I personally love the Japanese aesthetic and seeing the peacefulness it exuded was truly beautiful. I found it quite amusing that the garden design was even able to incorporate subtly placed motion sensors to ensure people wouldn't enter the garden, which we didn't actually notice for the first 15 minutes. These photos don't really convey the beauty of the gardens, but they are an example of the aesthetic which I'm sure most people probably recognise.



For lunch we stumbled upon what could only be described as Dave's ideal festival - a Vegan festival. I am happy enough to concede that most, but not all, vegan food tastes pretty damn good. The food we had at Vegan festival was no different and made Dave seriously contemplate moving to Japan - an abundance of Soya Beans, vegan festivals, rice - what more could he want?

A day of riding around Kyoto reiterated what a beautiful city it is, not to mention the fact that it is the historical Mecca of Japan. Kyoto has engaged my love of history, architecture and of course food. This has been enhanced by the ability to explore this city on bikes (due to the generosity of Vince). Although I am not a seasoned traveller by any means, I have already learnt that bikes are by far the best way to immerse yourself in a city, find it's little nooks and crannies and make your experience as fulfilling as it can be. My recommendation probably doesn't extend to cities in Vietnam though, as I would like to stay alive for the rest of my trip.