Day 31 - Kamigamo Shrine

We travel south tomorrow and should have quite a long day of adventures, so we took it easy today. After sleeping In, Amy stayed behind with Isa and Lila while Meg came into Kyoto with mom and dad. 

I had never been to Kamigamo Shrine, so we took a bus across town to it and it was a really nice counterpoint to the more famous - and therefore busy - shrines and temples in Kyoto. There were very few others at Kamigamo, and we strolled the beautiful grounds up against the northern hills of the city. This shrine has a main hall but my favorite parts were the many smaller sub-shrines all over the grounds. There is also a stream that runs through the shrine and today there was a kindergarten group there splashing in the water and looking for bugs to catch. 

There is something remarkable about the deep red paint of Shinto gates and temples contrasted against the even deeper greens of the surrounding hills covered in ancient trees. It just feels like Japan to me. 

The afternoon was full of naps and packing, and then we ventured out to the neighboring town of Yamashina for a dinner of gyoza, fried rice, and other Chinese-Japanese food. 

Otsu has been a nice surprise. The apartment is nothing special, but I have loved being a bit outside of Kyoto and close to Lake Biwa. And we haven't scratched he surface of all the things to do here -- I guess we'll have to come back soon.  

いつか、大津に帰ってきたい。