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My second temple visit in Kyoto was Kinkaku-ji, “The Golden Pavilion.” Kinkaku-ji is the informal name of Rukuon-ji Temple, but even the bus stop and tour guides have it marked as Kinkaku-ji.

The pavilion at Kinkaku-ji is covered in actual gold leaf, making it quite a sight. The pavilion was burned down several times in its history, most recently in 1950 by a mentally disturbed monk.

It was getting close to sunset, and the intermittent cloudiness had now turned to dark overcast and a fairly steady drizzle. This, combined with the “no tripods” rule, made photography difficult… but I managed.

Kinkaku-ji was a lot more serene than Kiyomizu.  The pavilion is set in the woods, surrounded by a tranquil pond with small islands decorated with small rocks and trees.  The darkening sky and gentle rain made it a suitably relaxing setting.

On Thursday I took a bullet train (Shinkansen) to Kyoto. The train-ride itself was fun, as it’s not often that I get to travel at 180 mph on rails. The route takes you through mountain tunnels and past the breathtaking Mount Fuji. I would have snapped a photo but given the speed of the train and nearby obstacles (telephone poles, wires, stations &etc) whipping by I never really had a clear shot.

After dropping off my stuff at the hotel in Kyoto, it was off by bus to the first temple I wanted to see: Kiyomizu-dera. Kiyomizu-dera was founded in 788, but the current structures were rebuilt in 1633 after a fire. The temple consists of several structures and is named for a waterfall that runs through it.

Kiyomizu-dera is built high up on a hill overlooking the entirety of Kyoto. The scenery was breathtaking.

After wandering around Akihabara a second time, I decided to also spend a second evening in Shinjuku – this time with my camera. Lugging a DSLR camera and tripod around in Shinjuku provided the distinct advantage of warding off the strip-club barkers. (After all, no strip club is going to let in someone with a camera and tripod.)

Shinjuku has been called the Times Square of Tokyo. It is similar, with the bright lights, the restaurants and clubs, and the constant hustle of tourists and locals alike wandering about. That being stated- Shinjuku is huge, even in comparison to Times Square itself.

Anyone familiar with Tokyo will find that title amusing – as Ginza and Harajuku are both shopping districts, but they are as far apart culturally as they are geographically (on opposite sides of Tokyo.)

Nonetheless, I happened by both on this day. Hey – I had an unlimited 1-day rail pass so why not?

Ginza is the Fifth Avenue of Tokyo, with such high-end shoping as Hermes, and Dolce & Gabbana, etc. The Sony HQ building is there, with a showroom I had to see. (It had a 100″ flat-panel television!!) I went into D&G, and they treated me like royalty – offering me a seat and rushing to/from racks to pick out clothes for me to look at! And they didn’t even seem offended when I didn’t buy anything, offering me the same enthusiastic smiles and bows as when I came in.

I also ran across a Japanese local with a very nice Canon DSLR camera and huge image-stabilizing (IS) telephoto lens practicing his Paparazzi technique. He was literally perched at the end of a block around a corner, and would poke around the corner and shoot photographs of customers exiting the stores on that block. I watched and even checked out some of the photos on his camera (he was happy to oblige when he saw me carrying a similar camera myself.) At first I thought he was perched for a particular sighting, but it became clear after a while that he was merely practicing. Poised for the next Paris Hilton visit, I suppose.

On the other side of Tokyo, Harajuku is the “teen fashion” shopping district. The main shopping street is lined with well known western and international stores like The Gap. The side streets and alleys, however, are lined with locally own shops trying to make a name for themselves, each with its own brand of designs for hip Japanese teens.

I had fun wandering these alleys and checking out some of the more amusing stores, many which centered around various aspects of western culture – jeans jackets, leather clothing, hoodies, &etc were all featured. There were also some motorcycle wear shops, tattoo parlors, and numerous skate shops in these alleys.

It was getting towards sunset, so I didn’t take many pictures. I would really like to return here on a weekend sometime to see the locals who hang out, as I hear they are a sight.