The ever gorgeous bamboo forests of Kyoto

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Think crouching tiger hidden dragon.

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Some movie stars villa, gorgeousness

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A Pagoda of mammoth proportions, and my lame attempt and artistic-ness. 

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Sweeping roof

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Lets ignore the phallic symbol

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The Golden Temple and most likely one of the top most photographed spots in Japan. For a reason.

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The definition of Zen Buddhism

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Doorway!

Well today was conquer Kyoto epic day. Between meals, snacks and pre-meals, plus coffee breaks and deserts we managed to squeeze in what seemed like innumerable temples and shrines. The pictures sort of tell themselves, yet don't even come close. We bought a bus pass and polished off the north and west of Kyoto with hopes of hitting up the SE tomorrow after a long run. 

You know if you were to put our situation into a sentence or headline it might sound kind of weird. 21 year old travels Japan with 60 year old mother. But actually its enlightening. Enlightening in the sense that she has money and I do not. No really, I think were both doing things we wouldn't normally on a trip such as this. For me, its largely based in not living off pb sandwiches, for her its taking the time to sit and enjoy. Either way we know how to eat well, drink even better and compensate for each others losses. I can't read/speak Japanese, she can. She can't hear I can. It makes for an interesting combination really, I translate silence to Japanese... she translates Japanese to English. I show her one pot dishes for dinner, she shows me that we can afford the ingredients. She carefully reads the Japanese lettering on signs, sounding out each syllable and character... I read the english below it. "Pa...go....da..." "Ya think?" (said while standing in front of a giant pagoda).