Kyoto Photo(s): taking a stroll around Kyoto

We're almost at December and I haven't finished posting photos from our Japan trip at the beginning of OCTOBER.  Yikes!  Talk about being BEHIND schedule!

Well, keep your fingers crossed that the internet works today so that I can finish showing you stuff we thought was cool about Japan.

I think this might be a temple in the market: 

Check out the coin-operated electronic puppet that dishes out Written Oracles.

I just have to try!  I wonder what our Written Oracle will say. 

Ah! Here it is!

So…what does it say?????

Hahahaha!!!!! Our fortune: "You are now far from good luck. Everything seems to go bad. Be modest and faithful. Wait for the time." Under the Travel heading here's our oracle: "You are apt to waste money. Behave yourself." Waste money??? Well, duh! We paid for this written oracle, didn't we????

Check out these amazing boots the girls found in a store:

Japanese-style colonel!

Cake spitting machine!

watching the machine spit out pretty little cakes:

I think we've seen the market…time to go for a stroll down the road and see what the Gion district is like….

Go Ape!!!!

Neat little side street!

The girls fell in love with this black cat. Apparently we weren't the only ones admiring the cat. (obviously the girls are missing one cat in particular!)

I think we're in the Gion District.  Okay, from what I understand, this is the area of Kyoto where you're very likely to see women dressed up as Geishas.  Now, we did see many women dressed in costumes but it seems they were heading to a show or something else (lots of dressed up people heading to one particular building).

After all this walking around I think we've earned our dinner!!!!!

Somewhere on this street I think we'll find a restaurant…we want to eat the special beef we've heard so much about!

And we found one!

We had our waitress expertly cook some of our food.  Oh- My – Goodness!!!!!  That beef is AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I think this is what they call shabu shabu?? It reminds me of the Chinese hot pot. 🙂

Ava is obviously not excited about eating.

😉

The dinner came out little by little….we kept thinking it was over….and they kept bringing more food!  The meal was the perfect thing for us!

Tiny little dessert balls…more like malt balls.

Our waitress. Thank you for your help!!!!

Well, it's been a fun evening!  It's time to go home but we're too tired to figure out the bus system to get us back to the bus stop next to our inn.  How about a taxi ride?  I'm sure it'll be expensive but worth it!!!

Our taxi awaits us:

Lace covered seats! I think that might be a first for us!

So smart driving a Prius taxi cab!

This taxi even claims to offer GPS (and our driver used it to get us home!) …and yes- expensive!  

What a day!!!!  What a fantastic day!  We did so much…and we've got part of tomorrow to see a few more things before leaving Kyoto.