Japan Day 6

First stop today, heading to the Iwatayama Monkey Park. I found a parking spot near it. At first, I went in this entry and there were some statues and shrines. It did not look like the entrance to the park. I asked an older lady if she knew where it was and she understood what I wanted, so she pointed me down the street. I walked about a block and found the entrance. Walked up some stairs and there was a little shrine. I did not see the entrance off the bat, so I walked a short distance along the canal that was right there. The I asked a young guy at a ticket booth for boat rides, and he said it was where I was. Realized the ticket counter was off to the side. Got my ticket and headed up the hill. The sign said a 20-minute walk. Got to the top and it was a flat area with a bunch of monkeys walking around and a building you could go inside and feed them through the fence. I was expecting something more like Bali, Indonesia’s Monkey Park, which was very big, but this was cozy and there were monkeys. I got lunch at a McDonalds on the way to Arashiyama Village. Super crowded area with locals, and parking areas were full. After driving around a bit to search for a lot, I just pulled into one right near the center and waited for someone to leave. I was about the 4th car in line, and it didn’t take too long… maybe 20 minutes. Walked through the busy streets to the Tenryu-Ji Temple. I walked around through it and the Garden. Walked back, browsing in several stores that lined the streets. Stopped for a soft-serve ice cream cone and sat on some steps to take a break and figure out where to go next. I took some pictures of the bridge. The Togetsukyo Bridge. A lot of people crossing it in both directions. I located another temple nearby, but off course there was no parking available, so I headed to my last stop for the day, Kyoto Tower. I arrived near the tower and ended up circling the block a few times because maps was not being helpful. I could see it from the street, jeez. Finally, just took some streets myself towards the tower and found the parking. Off course, like most sights, the tower had several floors of shopping and food haha. I laugh because one of my insights so far is that the Japanese like eating and shopping. That of course is a humorous generalization, but if you were seeing what I have seen, you might agree. It was nearing sundown, so I decided to hang around until dark to see the city lights. About an hour and a half, it was dark and I took some night pictures. Headed back to the hotel to call it a night.