South Central

A few days back a bunch of us went down to the old capital - Kyoto. But before that we headed to the city even before Kyoto was capital, where the beautiful Miyuki (NMB48) came from, Nara!

It was pretty quiet, almost too quiet for such a well known place, maybe because the people there know that a bunch of crazy foreigners are coming that day. Nah, it's most probably because it is right after Christmas and just before New Years, and people just want to take a break.

I heard of it often, all of Nara's sightseeing spots are close to the station, and no joke, there are some traditional architectures/sculptures right next to the station, such as this:

If there is only one reason you are in Nara, it HAS to be going to see (and feed) the deers! This is the route, it's just a straight road from the station. If you don't want to get lost, there are plenty of maps and sightseeing leaflets at the station.

 

Before seeing the deers, there are some precautionary measures that must be read beforehand!

They are WILD!!

 

Not really, they are very friendly, as long as you keep your belonging as close to you as possible. Once something enters their mouth, there is no way it will come back out (or at least the same way as it was anyway).

Koufuku-ji

We also went to the Nara national museum and other nearby temples (which is mostly all there is to Nara). I have a fascination with Asian temples so I don't get bored of it (as quick anyways). The museum has a lot of interesting paintings, sculptures and artifacts. There are some very nice cross-section models of ancient buildings and beautiful scrolls definitely worth checking out!

It's getting dark, time to head to the hotel in Kyoto! At the station, I found this!

I've heard about it a lot in Tokyo, but it's my first time seeing it. 

The first thing I saw when I got out of the station was this spectacle:

Kyoto Tower!!

Then, something else amazing...

Yodobashi Camera! My favourite place in Japan!

The "hotel" we stayed in was actually an international hostel, and speaking of international, Kyoto has a butt load of foreigners, so much that I felt strange after living in the countryside of Gifu (when only Japanese people are present). Back to the hostel, if you've stayed in one you should know how it feels. It reminds me of my stay in Tokyo back in 2007, but it wasn't as bad since I had a close friend with me. But seriously, hostels are the weirdest places you can stay in, sleeping with people you've never met (well I didn't mean it THAT way but you know).

So, the next day we decided to explore around Kyoto! I woke up extra early so I could go stroll around Yodobashi. EVERYTHING was on sale there!! I'm regretting not buying the camera I wanted T_T

First we dropped out stuff at the coin lockers near the station, dang, it's quite impressive!

The main type of transport for sightseeing in Kyoto is...

Bus! You can get a day pass for 500yen and go nuts visiting all the temples you wanted! (Yes Kyoto is mostly about temples, AGAIN)

Our first destination was Kinkaku-ji (A temple made of gold)! But first, some nice traditional/architectural photos on the way.

And then...we're here!!

Wouldn't mind staying there for a night or two there.

Next, we headed towards Kyomizu-dera, another famous temple in Kyoto, the walkway to there was absolutely unbelievable, there are shops EVERYWHERE NON-STOP, I was struck dumbfounded and didn't take any pictures, but it's literally a entire street of souvenir, food, and sweets stores, it's amazing!

Though I did took photos of buildings and decorations just a little before the store-filled streets.

Andddddd, here we are, the grand Kyomizu-dera, definitely worth going in (for a hefty cost of 300yen) because you won't see anything else like it.

BEAST!!

I was travelling with just a massive backpack so I didn't get many souvenirs. Of course, I got a couple boxes of sweets. They're quite expensive but it tastes like Christmas in your mouth so it's definitely worth every single yen.

Also, a got this cute little deer <3