Today = temple-day! But first we head out to search for a store that sells cheap Yukatas (= summer style light kimono). Unfortunately we cannot find them, so we continue to have lunch in a nice ramen restaurant and then head to a lot of temples! The first shrine we visit is Ginkakuji, also known as the Silver Pavillion. The pavillion itself is under reconstruction, which is a bit disappointing, but does allow us to see the details of the construction of the bui...

Although I still feel tired we wake up early and head out to walk the Philosophers' Path, together with a friend of Shinya. The temperature is still pretty high, and to avoid the big crowds ate the temples ini the city this seems to be the most sensible choice. After a relatively long bus-drive through the city we meet Shinya's friend, a French engineer that also spent some time in Delft. A short trip on a local train brings us to the start of the track. The ...

After sleeping in we decided to keep this a nice and relaxed Saturday. We explored the shopping area of Kyoto for a bit and especially the food market was really interesting. I thought it was very cool that there were all kinds of free samples of local delicacies available for tasting. I especially enjoyed the Japanese pickles. Around lunchtime we headed for a little restaurant with French style foods where we had a very nice lunch with Iku-chan (a good friend ...

After an early rise I set out together with Laurence and Helen to the top of the mountain. During the night we didn't get much sleep, and Becksy was too affected by altitude sickness to continue upwards. Luke finally also couldn't continue. Laurens, Helen and I made it to the top and had some time to find a nice spot to wait for the sunrise. The actual sunrise was really cool, and a good reward for the effort we took in climbing the mountain. After sunrise we w...

We leave for the train-station at 7:30, to take the bus to the 5th station of Mt Fuji. Saleem wakes up at 5:00, so I am at least not too late. Luke sacrifices himself to queue for bustickets, while the rest of us enjoys a nice breakfast . The drive to the 5th station still takes 1,5 hours, including a short photo-break at a Shinto shrine. From here the mountain is clearly visible and we see that the top is covered in clouds: we all hope it doesn't rain! When w...