Things slowed down for us a bit in Kyoto, where we spent several days exploring the city's beautiful temples, gardens, and forests; trying delicious food; and taking advantage of our hotel's public bath and $5-pours of Yamazaki 12!
The ramen that we had on our first night was pretty mind-blowing. The broth was incredibly rich and porky; the noodles had perfect texture; and the egg and pork slices have undoubtedly converted at least a few vegetarians. As a condiment, a big bowl of pickled greens was something I hadn't seen before -- deliciously crunchy and spicy, not too salty. Sure it was the type of meal that made us feel 10 pounds heavier the next day, but we needed carbs to do a lot of walking over the next several days (since I was a fat little kid, justifying eating more has always come easy to me).
We had a great time exploring as much as we could, and the time flew by. Everything was so beautiful.
The Bamboo Forests were especially breathtaking. There was such an immense calm and peace among the trees. It was one of those moments during our travels where it felt as if time had stopped, and all there was to do was look around, take a deep breath, and appreciate life.
