Today marks 6 months since we left for our travels. It's safe to say it has flown by! (Not that we don't miss you all of course).

From Tokyo we got the Shinkansen to our next stop, Kyoto. The train reached speeds of up to 300kph (186mph) and glided silently along. When the ticket inspector made his way through each carriage, at the end before moving to the next carriage he would turn around, bow, and then continue on his way. South Eastern and First Capital Connect should take note! Before we knew it we had arrived. Kyoto was formally the capital of Japan for more than a thousand years and is known as the 'City of Ten Thousand Shrines'. We didn't quite make it to 10 thousand but saw a good handful!

After walking around for a while with our (now quite heavy) backpacks and tourist map in hand, a point in the right direction from a local led us to our accommodation. We opted to try staying in a Ryokan - a traditional Japanese inn. When you enter the Ryokan you have to take your shoes off immediately and wear provided slippers. The floor of the Ryokan, including our room, has traditional Tatami flooring which is a soft, wooden mat. The rooms have sliding doors, a low table with cushions on the floor as seats and green tea making facilities. You are provided with Yakata robes which are a kind of Japanese dressing gown. The beds consist of a futon style mattress laid on the floor.

After exploring our room we set off to scope out the area. We opted for a Japanese speciality called Omoniyaki. It's like a pancake that consists of vegetables, created originally to use up leftovers (a bit like bubble and squeak back home). The Omoniyaki is served onto a hot plate that's built into the middle of your table. Once we paid, te lady serving us saw us out of the restaurant and repeatedly bowed every few steps behind us - it's so bizarre! The Japanese really are so attentive and polite. We of course returned a few bows back in her direction. We then took a stroll along Nishikikoji Market and headed for a wonder around the Gion district, hoping to spot a geisha.

The next morning we felt like our hectic sight seeing schedule of Japan had caught up with us. So we had a lazy morning to recharge our batteries and avoid burning ourselves out. Our futons on the floor were surprisingly comfy! In order to make the most of the afternoon we rented out some city bikes in search for a shrine and temple. The first port of call was the Fushimi Inari-Taisha Shrine. It took us about 30 minutes to cycle there. It was another beautiful day and we found it a great way to explore and see some of the side streets of Kyoto. The shrine was amazing. It's made up of thousands of Torri's (traditional Japanese gates) that sit at the bottom of Mount Inari. Each gate is donated by a person or company and has their name in Japanese carved into the wood.

After strolling around the shrine which seemed to go on forever we decided to head over to the next temple before it closed. We rode to the Kiyomizu-dera Temple. The temple was so different from anything we had seen before - a huge wooden structure built on stilts.

To refuel for our ride home we tried some octopus balls - not the type you're thinking of but a fried dumpling. Unfortunately they weren't to our liking (the first thing we dislike in Japan).

In the evening we took a stroll alongside the canal at Kiyamachi-dori street. We managed to stumble across a tiny bar down a side street with an incredibly friendly barman. Steph had a few cocktails and after a beer Max decided to give the Sake a go. We decided to have a further stroll around the Gion district in search of a geisha, and just as Steph was moaning about the slim possibilities of seeing one, a geisha scurried past! We couldn't quite believe it.

Day 3 in Kyoto we did a day trip to a nearby city called Nara which had been recommended to us. Nara is well known for its park and temples. We visited the temple Todai-ji to see the giant Daibutsu (Great Buddha). Afterwards we strolled around Nara-koen, a park filled with tame, wild deer. In pre-Buddhist times the deer were considered messengers of God and today they are seen as national treasures. We bought some shika-sembei (deer biscuits) to feed them.

These deer are not ordinary - they're Japanese through and through. If you bow to them before feeding them, they will return the bow back to you. Hai that's right, as if Japanese culture wasn't polite enough the animals now too! We had a lot of fun wondering around the huge park feeding the deer in exchange for a selfie or two. We finished the evening with our first experience of a Japanese curry in the basement of a shopping department store. The curry didn't disappoint, very tasty!

Day 4 in Kyoto we had to move to a new ryokan as we could only book our last place for 3 nights (the downsides of last minute booking). It was another really cool place to stay. The door was opened to us by 2 elderly Japanese sisters that made us feel at home from the start. After checking in we jumped on a local train to Arashiyama to see the bamboo grove - you'd recognise it if you've seen Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon.

In the afternoon we got a local bus to the temple Kinkaku-ji (the golden pavilion). This temple is probably one of the coolest we've seen. It's covered with pure gold leaf and set amongst beautiful zen gardens. We then visited the Nijō Castle and wondered around the inside of the ancient building as well around the traditional Japanese gardens. For dinner we went to a lonely planet recommended restaurant, Ippudo. We both had some really tasty Ramen dishes with a few Gyoza dumplings on the side.

On our final day in Kyoto we visited our last temple, Ginkaku-ji (silver pavilion). It was set behind a gorgeous pond and didn't disappoint Japan's beauty.

The next stop on our itinerary is Osaka.

Sayonara,

Max and Steph x