Japan - Part 1

I have been back home for a week now catching up on a little sewing and deciding which project to start next . I'm still tired! I forgot just how noisy it can be living here in West End. I live just a little too close to the ever encroaching 'entertainment district' than I'd like to. I get less sleep at home than I did in Tokyo....
Anyway on to more exciting things - Japan was great as always. Kyoto is still my No.1 place to visit. It's so flat and excellent for riding bikes. I love the surrounding hills, the grid street system, the river, the shopping arcades, the fabric stores and there seems to be heaps of vego/vegan places to eat (more than in Brisbane anyway). Oh and the people are super friendly and helpful.


tori gates, Fushimi Inari


bamboo forests, Arashiyama


For my friend Megan's birthday we went to Arashiyama (in the western hills of Kyoto) to Tenryu-ji Zen temple and Shigetsu for Shojin-ryori (vegetarian temple food). Shigetsu is set amongst one of the oldest landscaped gardens in Japan. The food was amazing!


There is another beautiful garden and villa in Arashiyama called Okochi Sanso. It's just up a bit from Tenryu-ji. It has some seriously nice gardens with paths all covered in moss, grand views of Kyoto city and a tea ceremony room where we drank tasty Matcha.