The Last Few Weeks, Post the Third

So all sorts of things have been going down. Kamakura on Monday (gorgeous, but had to get up WAY too early), a taiko lesson (with the hottest brothers I've ever met, ohgod those ARMS, and I got a semi-hug from the little brother), Japanese placement test results (got placed in a higher-level class, yay!), joining clubs (still have no idea which to go for yet, but it was amusing to wander around and get chased by various representatives)... I thought that while I had two seconds to breathe, I'd continue my picture posts. Enjoy!

Next up are some pictures from Kiyomizu-dera, a Buddhist shrine. It's an interesting little place: one part of the temple has a statue of a Bodhisattva, and another part is an offshoot shrine dedicated to the Shinto god of love, Oukuninushi. At Oukuninushi's shrine, you can walk between two "love stones" with your eyes closed, and if you manage it, there is love in your immediate future.

There was also a stand with the best udon I've ever eaten. It was the first (and one of the only) meals I finished in Japan!















































































































































Kurama and Kibune: Two mountains surrounding a more rural area outside of Kyoto. We started in the Kurama area and then walked to and partially climbed Kibune.

















































































































































WOW. If you guys looked at all those, you deserve a prize. More to come another time!