Daley-sensei's Adventures in Himeji, Japan.

I went to Nara for the first time (finally)! I've been meaning to go since last year, but always wound up getting side tracked. It was well worth the wait, though. I spent the whole day there (arrived at 9:30, left around 3:45), and I still didn't see everything that I wanted to see. Alas, my fully-charged camera couldn't withstand a couple more hours of photographing, so I didn't try too hard to find a couple of gardens I had heard about once it ran out of batteries. I'll just have to go again during Spring! Since I was on my own, I mostly just wandered wherever I found something interesting; which, with a whole mountain area to explore, meant that I didn't find everything. I also have no idea what half of the places I found are called, so I'll just let my photos speak for themselves. Nara is famous for the deer that wander through the temples and shrines. They were quite literally everywhere. I couldn't turn my head without spotting at least four ...

I spent all day on the 22nd in Kyoto. I went to so many places that I cannot honestly remember the names of them all. I will try my best to be accurate, but it was pretty overwhelming. I also was able to en joy a performance by a Maiko , or apprentice Geisha.  She was very beautiful! The weather was great, in fact is got pretty toasty in the afternoon. The crowds, though, were a bit obnoxious. I've come to expect big crowds in Kyoto, but it still comes as an unpleasant surprise every time I visit. Be warned, I took a lot of photographs! Fushimi Inari Shrine Our first stop was the Fushimi Inari Shrine . This was actually many shrines, all along a gorgeous mountain trail that I did not have the time to enjoy fully (perhaps again, during a non-peak tourist season). Inari is the Shinto god of rice, and the messenger for this spirit is the fox. Thus, there were foxes everywhere, as well as the red coloring that goes with this god. You will see many Inari shrines throughout Japa...