We went to Gyeongbokgung Palace on our first morning in Seoul. Gyeongbokgung Palace was built in 1395 and was the main royal palace for centuries. Unfortunately it burnt down in the 1590s and then was destroyed again in the 20th century by the Japanese. Some buildings were spared and the…
Kinkaku-ji (The Golden Pavilion) is a Zen Buddhist temple that was originally built in 1397 and reconstructed in 1955. It is such a beautiful structure set in such a picturesque setting. It was overcast when we visited, but still quite stunning. The weather didn’t keep the crowds away so it…
On our first morning in Kyoto, we took a taxi to the pedestrian streets leading up to the Kiyomizu-dera Temple complex. We had a great time popping into the shops on the walk up to the temple. Many shops had samples so we were able to try so many Japanese…
Gion is the traditional geisha district and is what I picture as the quintessential historic Japanese area. Wooden buildings, paper lanterns, Shoji screen doors. It is so picturesque and charming and I wish we’d had more time to explore the tea houses, shops, temples, and shrines that are tucked into…