Armed with a 500 yen ($5) bus pass, a bus route map and a map we headed out to explore some of Kyoto’s highlights.

First stop was Sanjusangen-do, a Buddhist temple with 1001 human size Buddhas, all lined up in neat rows in a huge hall. Very impressive.

Next stop was the wooden temple Kiyomizudera, and the walk down from the temple through old streets, grabbing a quick geocache on the way past. We managed to stop a Maiko, apprentice Geisha, during this stroll.

Back on the bus, through Kyoto central and continuing to the north of the town to Kinkakuji, The Golden Temple. Wow. This place is covered in gold leaf.

Last stop on the bus tour was Nijo-jo, Nijo Castle. This castle was quite a different design to others that we’ve seen. One remarkable feature was its squeaky floors. The floors were deliberately made to squeak. This was to provide the Shogun with a warning that someone, maybe an enemy, was approaching.

After a long day on the buses it was time for a short break before we started our Kyoto night tour, show and dinner in the Gion area, traditional home of the Geisha. The show was a mixed bag of traditional Japanese art forms including a tea ceremony, flower arranging, dancing, a puppet show and a comedy sketch.

Dinner was a traditional Japanese Zen style Tempura dinner. The highlight of the night was participating in a tea ceremony at the back of the restaurant/house. The tea room is separate from the house, surrounded by a garden. The door into the tea house is about 60cm high and just wide enough to fit through. The host explained the reasons for the tiny door. The low door made you bow as you entered, showing respect and making all who entered equal. In traditional Japanese society the class system was very strong, but the small door ensured everyone left their tools of trade outside, so making everybody equal within the tea house. The room was tiny, just enough room for the 4 of us, the tea mistress and the guide kneeling. The procedures were very precise, but the feeling was serine.  I’m sure we broke several hundred rules, but it was a great experience.