Kinkakuji "The Golden Pavilion" in Kyoto, Japan

Our second day in Kyoto started with a leisurely bike ride through the Kyoto Imperial Palace. From the Imperial Palace we biked to Ninna-ji (仁和寺), one of Kyoto’s UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The temple was founded as an imperial residence in 888 A.D. and is now the headquarters of the Omuro school of Shingon Buddhism. I loved the temple’s raised floors, painted screen walls, and attractive gardens. The temple also features a beautiful five-storey pagoda. While walking over to have a closer look, it started to rain. We waited under a pavilion while Cole ran to pick up some umbrellas and ponchos from a nearby convenience store. What a champ! When he returned, he was completely drenched and as soon as the umbrellas were distributed, the rain decided to stop. With no sign of rain, we continued on by bicycle to Ryoan-ji (龍安寺) or “Temple of the Peaceful Dragon”. This temple is another UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of Kyoto’s most famous and beautiful Zen temples. The temple’s famous karesansui, or dry landscape rock garden, draws crowds of visitors. We loved the verdant gardens at Ryoan-ji. The thick abundance of trees offered a much needed relief from the hot afternoon sun. The walking paths through the gardens were cool and quiet. Our final stop of the day was the impressive Kinkaku-ji (金閣寺), or “Temple of the Golden Pavilion”. It is one of the most famous temples in Japan. The top two floors are completely covered in pure gold leaf. The temple was rebuilt after it was destroyed in the Onin War and again in 1955 after an arsonist burnt it down. We made sure to do the coin toss in the garden and we all made it in! As soon as we left Kinkaku-ji, it started pouring rain! We put on our awesome ponchos and rode our bicycles until we found a yakisoba restaurant. It was the perfect opportunity to get indoors and have some Japanese fried noodles as it rained buckets outside. On our way back to the hotel we happened to run into the missionaries for our church, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and biked with them in the rain!