Kyoto Day 4- Kitties, owl, monkeys and temples :)

The village of Arashiyama was so beautiful last night, there was just too much to see and do. We decided to start our day there, on the west side of town, and work our way back to the city center.

We were looking forward to exploring the village of Arashiyama.
Our plan was to hike up the mountain to see the monkeys,

but when we exited the bus, we were right in front of a
kitty and owl cafe...say what?!  Yes, please!

We got our coffees, and two bengal kitties
immediately crawled in to Herb's lap.
Ellie was a little put out...
She got out her scarf, hoping to coax one on to her lap, lol.
I got this sweet grey one to join me for a scratch or two.
Then Ellie finally had a lap cat <3
  
I found this kitten puddle in my coats and scarf :)

Him's so sweeeeet <3
Best friends.
I didn't want to leave...
Their coat is soooo beautiful... and soft. <3
They were so playful, too :)
Soon our time was up, and it was time to pet some owls.
They, too, are SO SOFT, but I was not as comfortable with them.
His head was very fluffy...but I felt bad they
all had an ankle bracelet attached to the tree.
It made me sad that the animals are captured
for our enjoyment...I feel that way at zoos, too :(
 



This little feller tried to give a nip!

 

Those EYES. Their markings are so beautiful,
they didn't even look real, until they moved!




If you were a lover of owls, this was the place :)
Next we walked through the village, across the bridge,
and headed toward the mountain to see the monkeys.
It was bitterly cold, but I am sure this guy stayed warm!


The village is in the background as we crossed the river.

I never miss an opportunity to take a photo of a boat- any boat :)

We started the ascent of Mt. Arashiyama to
go visit Iwatayama Monkey Park.

It is an open habitat to a troop of 170
macaque monkeys. 

Just a monkey swinging on a rope, with a gorgeous
view of Kyoto and the mountains behind him :)

This fella looked deep in thought.


It was so worth the hike up.

Just a momma, nursing her baby. <3

And another grooming her little one- so cute :)

The Japanese macaques are also called 'snow
monkeys' as they live in the northern most habitat.
Their faces and genitalia turn bright red during
mating season; the darker the red, the more
desirable the mate- who knew?!

Now this is how to experience wild animals...put the people in
a cage, called a 'Rest House', where you can buy nuts and
fruit to feed the monkeys. Genius! And so cool to be that close :)


As I came out of the Rest House, this fella was perched
on a platform with his face to the sun. I wanted to join him!

With a final look at the view, it was time to descend the mountain
to catch the next bus...we had more to see before the sun went down!
Kyoto has the most organized bus system I have
ever seen.  Not only is the signage in Japanese and
English, each bus 'advertises' what points of interest
can be seen on that line.  If that isn't enough, a
flat daily rate, and the towers which indicate
how far away your bus is makes it so easy to
navigate the city.  I lived in Beijing for three
years and never could get across town on a bus!

Since it was late in the day, this preschool
of eight Japanese littles was on board- OMG :)))

Because Ellie is THAT good at navigation, we made it to
the Kinkakuji Temple just as the late afternoon sun began to set.
Located on the north west side of town,
Kinkakuji means 'Temple of the Golden Pavilion.'
As the last of the sun was sinking behind the mountain...


...the view was, once again, breathtaking.
Though it was winter, the temple gardens were still beautiful.
On the east side of town is Ginkakuji Temple, which means
'Temple of the Silver Pavilion.' We'll save it for the next trip.

The last temple on our list was to go see Kiyomizu-dera Temple
which is set in a mountain on the southeast corner of the city.
Though we just left the Kinkakuji Golden Temple in the
northwest corner of the city, we did our best to hightail it
across town on the bus. It was now hard dark, but we wanted
to see the temple at dark, as it looked incredible lit up.
Sadly, though we nearly jogged the street uphill leading to
the temple, it had closed just ten minutes before. Gah!!!
We'll have to save it for the next time around, too.
(Google Images will have to take credit for this photo).
After four days of delicious Japanese food, believe it or not,
 we were Jonesin' for a burger. Thanks to Google maps, Happy
Smile Burger was at the base of the hill and just around the corner :)
I can't say it was an Angus beef burger, more like some
meatloaf combination. We still all got the clean plate award :)

With that, we were from one corner of the city to another today, a 20k+ day of steps on the fit bit.  Wow! We went back to our air bnb to play several card games of 3-13 before calling it a night.  What another terrific day. I'm a bit foot sore, and have an aching knee, but I am not complaining. It was another red letter day in Kyoto.  Tomorrow we just have the morning before we take a bus to catch a train to get to a plane to fly back home to Okinawa.  I am so happy to have had this mini vacay with Ellie and Herb...they travel like I do- to see as much as possible and to make the most of every day.

I'll sleep when I'm dead :)

G'nite, y'all!












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