Our first tourist stop was The Nijo Castle. This castle was created by the Shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu in the sixteenth century. This picture is taken at castle's gardens.
Next, we headed to Philosopher's walk, a cherry blossom lined canal meandering the base of the scenic Higashiyama (Eastern Mountains). Although we were early, there were many cherry blossoms in bloom.
The most famous site was the Golden Pavilion also called Kinkaku-ji, a glimmering legacy of medieval Japan. It was built by the third Ashikaga Shogun in the 14th century. This is all very impressive until you find out that it was destroyed by arson in 1950 and was later rebuilt. Never the less, it makes for a popular picture spot.
