Kyoto Trip

Last weekend we met our bridesmaid, Hiromi, at Tokuyama station and together we took the shinkansen to Kyoto. The trip took two hours and we arrived in Kyoto a little after 11.00am Saturday morning.
We had planned this trip after seeing Hiromi and our friend Maiko separately, wanting the four of us to get together before we came home to Australia. We always had so much fun together in Australia six years ago,we wanted to relive the memories. We even brought dominoes with us so we could have a game like old times!!
It was supposed to rain, but it only drizzled and we managed to do some sightseeing. We visited a temple called `Shouren-in` which had an incredibly beautiful Japanese garden that was so calming I felt my body was totally relaxed just being there. There are many such gardens and temples in Kyoto. I went to Uni in this picturesque city so I know it very well. (In another words, I was a great tour guide for our group, and they were so lucky to have me.)
Just being in Kyoto brought back a lot of memories, mainly good ones, and I still love this place. If I had to choose a city to live in, in Japan, I would definitely choose Kyoto!!! Rob says Kyoto reminds him of Melbourne.
On Sunday, Maiko, our other Japanese friend came to Kyoto. She travelled by bus from her home in Gunma, north of Tokyo, just to see us all again. This was really special as it was a 9 hour journey!!
We enjoyed every minute of our special gathering and we hope we can see each other again in the not too distant future!!

Thank you Maiko & Hiromi for making this wonderful weekend possible!!!