Day 13 - Kyoto Sightseeing!

After a big day in Hiroshima, students enjoyed sleeping in this morning before exploring the city of Kyoto. 

We first hopped on a bus to visit Kinkaku-ji, a golden pavilion overlooking a large pond built in a stunning Japanese garden. Students enjoyed taking photos of this beautiful historical structure and walking through the garden. 

We then headed to Kiyomizu-dera, a Buddhist temple that has a large veranda built on a hillside. Some students enjoyed views of the city and mountains, partially covered with beautiful red maple leaves. Meanwhile, other students indulged in another round of souvenir shopping and tried various Kyoto street foods.

After the visit to the temple, we went to Kyoto Station. There we enjoyed taking photos in front of a very tall Christmas tree, beautifully lit up for the 20th anniversary of the station. Students also had fun exploring the station’s underground shopping mall and having dinner.

After returning to our hotel we started packing and also had a celebration for Julia’s 16th birthday. Due to the size of the cakes in Japan she had not one, not two but three cakes!

This was our last full day in Japan, but we still have another activity planned for tomorrow before we leave!