We arrived just after midnight on Christmas at Taoyuan in Taiwan. By the time we made it to the Grand Hyatt Taipei and checked in, it was almost 1:30am. After getting some sleep, we headed out in the morning for a small Taiwanese breakfast before making a quick visit to the National Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hall nearby. After, we went to have lunch with family. In the early evening, we headed out to Banqiao to see Christmasland at New Taipei City Hall.
Continue reading “Christmas in Taipei”Tokyo Imperial Palace East Gardens
After waking up at the Hyatt Place Kyoto one last time, we returned to Tokyo via Shinkansen. We had some time before our flight from Haneda so we visited the East Gardens of the Imperial Palace, near Tokyo Station. After a nice lunch nearby and some more snacking at the ANA Lounge at Haneda, we end our fantastic 11 night trip to Japan!
Continue reading “Tokyo Imperial Palace East Gardens”Enko-ji, Shisen-do, and the Shimogamo-jinja
Our last full day in Kyoto! After waking up at the Hyatt Place Kyoto, we headed out to visit Enko-ji and Shisen-do nearby. We also made a late lunch reservation for Kani Doraku‘s nearby location. Afterwards, we ended the day with a visit to the Shinto Shimogamo-jinja.
Continue reading “Enko-ji, Shisen-do, and the Shimogamo-jinja”Bishamon-do and Sanjo to Shijo
After waking up at the Hyatt Place Kyoto, we headed out in the morning to Bishamon-do, near Yamashina Station at the eastern edge of Kyoto City. After spending some time at this Buddhist temple, we returned to central Kyoto and walked through various shopping areas from Sanjo to Shijo, eating various snacks along the way and having lunch and dinner as well.
Continue reading “Bishamon-do and Sanjo to Shijo”Oh Deer, a Day in Nara
After waking up at the Hyatt Place Kyoto, we took the train down to Nara to spend the day. We saw many of the ancient capital city’s very tame deer and visited Todai-ji and Kasuga Taisha. While there was some fall foliage to be seen, it wasn’t nearly as good as what we’ve seen in Kyoto on this trip.
Continue reading “Oh Deer, a Day in Nara”