Japan - Day 14 - Kyoto Zoo and Heian Jingu Shrine

2nd January, 2008

Today was a fun day for all of us.  David was thrilled that we took some time to go to the Kyoto Municipal Zoo.  It's apparently the "Second Largest Zoo" in Japan.  Woohoo.  Well, it was fun.  I wasn't overly impressed with it compared to the Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium in Tacoma where we used to go.  But I've come to realize over and over while traveling that it doesn't really matter what we do as long as we're having fun and spending time together as a family.

The real highlight of the day for me was going to the Heian Jingu Shrine (Temple?) where there was a huge new year's celebration going on today.  The streets were blocked off and there were literally thousands of Japanese there to welcome the new year.  From what we could gather, there were four (or more) things they all had to complete:  1.  Tie a blessing to one of the fences.  2.  Walk into the main temple.  We didn't go inside, so what ceremony took place there I'll never know.  3.  Shake a can of coins.  4.  Spray your friends with water from one of the wells.  5.  Not sure what else was part of the tradition, as we were by ourselves without a local tour-guide to help us interpret the goings-on.  Regardless, this is the kind of impromptu "real" stuff we like to find when we travel.  There were very few foreigners there.  All in all it was a great day.
 

As usual, some pictures are below.  Click on the image to see a larger version.
 

A flower arrangement in the lobby of our hotel.	The bustling center of Kyoto Station.	David comparing his hands to that of a gorilla.	The fountain at the zoo.
A jaquar.	And an elephant.	Dinner anyone? Yep.  It's elephant poop.  And it smelled real.	The lions just hanging out.
Devin and David.  Glad I was holding the camera...	The entrance to the temple grounds for the new year's celebration.	Not sure what these are...but they looked cool.	The "good luck charms" tied to the fence.
People shaking cans of coins.	The crowd all lined up to walk through the main temple.	One of the more beautiful temples in this park.	The water being tossed on friends.
Many Japanese arrived in "traditional" dress such as this person in a kimono.	The main gate to enter the temple grounds.  It was HUGE!	And a cool looking shrine in a different park.  I really liked the contrast of the white and blak.