The second day started off interestingly. We wanted to ride bikes around the capital, but some of the others weren't too keen on the idea, so only David and I decided to rent bikes for the day. This quickly became the most terrifying experience in my life. Moreso than any roller coaster ride, or any car ride (even with the crazy friends who can't drive whatsoever). The sidewalks, the narrow streets, the aggression of the cars and Japanese people in general. I had never taken my life into my hands like that ever before. I can now look back and say, "Wow, what an experience that was", but at the time, I was just scared out of my mind.
Kim and Niki had left too early for the rest of the group, so we were separate for the first portion of the day. David and I biked all the way to Inari Shrine to meet them, which turned out to be pretty damn awesome. This is the famous shrine known for it's 1,000 torii gates, as well as the kitsune foxes they worship. I didn't get to go through all 1,000 of the gates, as it would take about 2 hours to go up through the mountain course, but I think I had plenty of great times and views all the same.
Fun times were had biking my way to Gion to meet the group for lunch. I got ditched. I got lost. I almost got run over repeatedly. I fell over and received more than a handful of stares from onlookers. I banged up my knee and elbow. But I made it just in time for a much-desired meal.
A quick lunch later and most of the group jumped aboard a long bus ride to the edge of town to see the Golden Pavilion. Kinkokuji is known as one of the main, most beautiful sights in all of Kyoto, so we knew it was going to be a staple in our journey to the west. And I must agree, it was quite a splendid pavilion, albeit quite crowded and actually rather small. School field trips filled the pavilion up to capacity from one corner to the opposite. But it was necessary for the full Kyoto experience, I feel, so it was worth the effort and stress. The pictures should speak for themselves, so go take a look at the album linked in the upper-right corner!
That evening, amidst swigs of courage juice, myself, Fione, and Niki discussed various topics and got to learn more about one another. It's always nice hearing about others and what they think/feel about a variety of topics. Particularly from Niki, given how quiet she is generally, it was quite pleasant to get a bit more straightforward conversation from her. Another day down, and tomorrow we would leave the former capital behind for an excursion to a very different type of city: Osaka.
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