We're off to Kyoto today! As usual, woke up very early to catch the first Shinkansen to Kyoto so that we can spend a whole day there!
Gonna have brunch at this stall.. it's within the station..
and as usual, i can't finish my food.. Bernard and Ernest always finish off the remains..hee~
Ernest & I will be heading back to Tokyo tonight.. catching the 8pm Shinkansen.. while Bernard & Lynn returns back to Osaka.. We brought our barangs barangs along, and we decided to put it in the lockers provided at the station!
My locker number is 8424.. for those who wanna buy 4D, can go and buy.. by the way, my aunt's car number came out last Sunday! anyone won? :) the locker's 300yen for whole day! Bernard should have brought his luggages along too.. so we can return back to Tokyo together..the locker's very very big!
We reached Kyoto, but dunno where to start off... while Ernest & Bernard were navigating, Lynn's at a corner..trying to act pitiful and homeless... very real hor!
decided to go to Tourist Information Counter to seek help... on our way there.. there's an exibition...
did you see clearly?... i shall zoom in for you...
it's me! the 4th one! but my face too tanned to be Geisha lah... should paint it white!
Finally, we've decided to go to Kyoto Imperial Palace! Bought a City Bus Pass which costs about 500yen.. then off we go! Kyoto tower...which reminds me, i have not visited Tokyo tower yet!
At Kyoto Station..waiting for our bus to the Imperial Palace!
Took this in the bus.. interesting way to park cars.. save space.. innovative!
Bus journey is about 20 mins.. and we've reached the outter palace...the Imperial Garden..
and right after this shot, the 2 guys went off to look for their imperial toilets....haha~
while Lynn & I looked at the map..it's a very big place.. of course, not as big as forbidden city lah..
some imperial soldiers doing 5BX.. haha.. i think they are the baseball team doing some runs.. poor thing..it's very cold..and the outter boundary of the imperial palace is very big! wonder how many rounds they hafta run...
even the drain cover has the word "Gong" on it.. that's my shadow.. along the way, we saw alot of wells too! but all sealed up..for preservation i guess... Ernest went on his Sadako climbing outta well story again.. first was TV, now well... and Bernard says he wanna throw me into the well.. and after many years, my hair would be long enough...then i can climb out and scare pple... argh~
our English Tour would begin in about 40 mins time.. so we decided to hit the imperial food centre nearby..and we found an imperial dog..haha.. so CUTE! it's shivering..i think it's very cold..but the owner's having food... mean.. left this cutie outside...
Large Fireplace in the food centre.. but it doesn't seem to be warm.. the fire's so small!
Toast! Our Imperial Tea! Chinese tea lah... so bitter..eeecks...
and our Imperial Food.. share amongst 4 of us.. we just had lunch... this is our tea! the rice is so blend...not nice.. i think fried rice's nicer!
Finally..we're about the enter the Palace! ooh..Imperial guards! haha~
this building is where courtiers are brought to before visiting the King..then they will be brought to this room to wait again.. duh.. the Cherry room, the Crane room and the Tiger room.. they will be splitted up according to their ranks.. of course.. Tiger being the highest.. Crane...then Cherry...
took a photo infront of the crane room... my rank not very high.. nor it's very low..hee~
it's a pity we can't go into the courts.. only can take pictures of it outside...
i like the architectural part of how the roof is being constructed...the designs...the colour...
this is where the empress stays.. very very cooling.. you can get the best and most cooling breeze here..
where the empress places her royal butt....
where all the important ceremonies are held.. the main hall...
the best i can zoom.. there's an orange tree and a cherry tree on each end of this building.. suppose to represent something.. 
this showed how the roof is being constructed..it's all made of wood..for ventilation.. and this palace is rebuilt many many times as it was burnt down alot of times.. made of wood...what do you expect... hmm...
this run down place is used to store all the treasures of the palace! one the the treasures...The Sacred Mirror, which can be used to see all goods and evils... is handed down for over 150 generations! i think it must be in some museum now..
The imperial study room.. used to store many many books..argh...can't even peek inside... BUT, i bought postcards.. and they have pictures of the interior...weeeEeeEE~
this is where the King takes his stroll... very very nice scenary... 
very cooling too... this garden is right infront of his bedroom...
imagine if it snows.. then there'll be patches of whites.. so nice....
oooh..this is like a notice board... for the King.. this board marks ALL the events the King has to attend in that year.. *faint* the King see already also sianz................but the palace is really very big.. and nice.. but too boring.. no tv.. i dun wanna live in there! I'll probably do gardening everyday...sobz... 
tour ended..about 1 hour.. this is a part of a tree that has fallen.. but they still preserve it.. it's a sick tree... a tree with tumour.. a BIG tumour!
after Imperial Palace, went to Gion...hoping to see some Geishas.. we went to visit a Shrine first..as Lynn & Bernard has not visit any shrines yet... !!! Look who's at our backdrop!!
ta da! now they're taking photos with us.. girls usually dressed traditionally to pray in shrines...
too bad.. the guys has no chance to take with the pretty girls.. went to get omikuji.. this year, all my omikuji.s are good ones... all good fortune and good luck! weeEEeEE~
went to buy some souveniers... then walk the small alleys of Gion.. this is their postbox!
i didn't get to see any Geishas.. so sad.. but Lynn saw 3 i think.. she didn't manage to get their pictures, she just snapped their backviews i think... the geishas walked very fast with their heads bent low.. i think, if we really wanna see them, we gotta pay for them loh... they're not cheap..tsk tsk...
rushed back to the Kyoto station..it's already 7:15pm.. Lynn & Bernard's Shinkansen back to Osaka arrives at 7:43pm while our Shinkansen back to Tokyo is 8:00pm.. so we just grab a plate of spaghetti each and gobbled it down..then they rush off for their train, we settled the bill and rushed off too.. A day in Kyoto.. but leaves deep impression.. very nice place for photo-taking.. and enjoying the old traditions of Japan..
Back to Tokyo...
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