Heian Shrine...

This is the main gate of the beautiful Heian Shrine, founded in 1895, one of the top Shinto shrines in Japan.

At first glance, this looked like a shrub covered in snow.

On closer inspection, we realized that the shrub was actually covered in white pieces of paper, fortunes as we’d seen in other shrines but displayed more creatively.

In Search of Shrines...

Unlike Tokyo, Kyoto wasn’t devastated by air raids during World War II. Thus Kyoto still has a feel of old Japan, making it a desirable place for tourists to visit. We started by heading to one of the large shrines near our hotel. Along the way, we saw some smaller shrines,...

...this cute frog along a construction zone...

...and this adorable little girl carrying an enormous camera.

Off to Kyoto...

After having to wait until the evening before to find out that Ashlynn definitely had the weekend off, we booked last-minute tickets to go on the bullet train to Kyoto.

The tickets were crazy expensive for just one night away, but worth it. There was more legroom on this train than on any train we’ve ever been on.

Finding an affordable hotel wasn’t easy, but we were really pleased with Hotel Gran Ms Kyoto, a budget (although this is a relative term) boutique hotel in a great location.

We were surprised when we saw a peace rally in the street outside our hotel. The protest was against parliament’s plan to amend the constitution without a vote of the citizens to allow Japan to have offensive forces for the first time since World War II in order to aid their allies in the fight against ISIS and other radical groups.

More Awesome Pancakes...

After the temple, we walked around Roppongi for awhile and then went for do-it-yourself pancakes. This time we ordered the version with noodles.

We all cooked them ourselves.

We started by cooking the pancake mixture before cooking the noodles off to the side.

We then flipped the pancake onto the noodles, cracked the egg on the table and flipped the pancake on top of it.

After a few more flips, it was time to add some sauce and eat it. How delicious!

Not as Whimsical as They Appear...

While it isn’t unusual for Buddhist temples to have statues, Zojoji Temple was unique in the type and number of statues: there were hundreds of child-size stone statues. Instead of just red bibs as at most temples, these statues had hats, windmills and other decorations. We quickly figured out that each statue is cared for by individuals since they were decorated so differently.

We thought they were very cute and whimsical until we discovered the real reason behind all those statues. They make up the Garden of Statues of Unborn Children.

When parents lose a baby (miscarried, aborted or stillborn), they can choose a statue and decorate it to help them through the grieving process.

There is a belief that the garden is protected by Jizo, who ensures that the unborn souls are brought to the afterlife.

Zojoji Temple...

After meeting Masaya at the Zojoji Temple and getting just a glimpse of it, I knew I’d want to go back and see more of it. When Ashlynn and Andrea had an afternoon off, we walked across Roppongi to check it out.

The grounds were lovely with lots of trees and views of the Tokyo Tower.

The infamous red gate that has featured in Japanese artworks over the years was originally built out of wood, but was burnt down in World War II. The rebuilt gate is made out of concrete.

This gate from 1622 is the only structure to have survived the air raids of WWII.

More Contemporary Art...

After the gardens, I headed over to the National Museum of Modern Art. Imagine my surprise when I saw these paintings depicting a Japanese attack on Clark Field, a US Air Force Base in the Philippines, on December 8, 1941.

 

Those paintings weren’t the only creepy items in this museum.

Afterwards, I walked over to the Crafts Gallery, which was a small museum featuring a lot of ceramics...

...and a few kimonos.