Traditional Kimono

Thanks to Amy we found a beautiful kimono shop that would dress Ingrid in her kimono properly. It was interesting to watch as the woman assembled the traditional layers of the dress and when she was finished Ingrid looked like a very elegant little girl.

Starbucks and McDonalds

Apparently, we can't travel without them.

Pretty Girls in Kyoto

Yet another awkward moment for Cheryl and I on this trip was the spontaneous photo session that happened between ourselves and a group of Japanese girls. It began by my asking them to take a picture with Ingrid and ended with their iPhone photographing us and our iPhone photographing them. We must've been standing 2' apart and it went on and on for around 45 seconds. I am still laughing about it.

Nishiki Food Market

Today we walked the kids through the Kyoto street market to explore new foods. Though many of the smells turned them off we were all pleasantly surprised by some delicious new culinary finds. Little Man had an unwelcome shock when he grabbed for the octopus on a stick, I assume he was thinking that it was a red lollipop. He put the body of the octopus in his mouth and was unhappy for the rest of the visit.

Kyo-Machiyas

Our Kyoto digs.

The Kyo-Machiya in Kyoto was completely different from the modern tower where we stayed in Tokyo. The traditional townhouse had been restored to its fundamental 100 year old architecture. The place was gorgeous. The kids took little time turning the spare bedroom into their Dojo which meant the neighbors could feel the concussion of every karate kick. We should consider it good fortune that Mac never decided to take his new ninja sword up to the dojo.

Good Food In Kyoto

Awesome soba noodles around the corner from our townhouse. And pretty sake presentation.

When in Rome...

...drink out of the same cup as everyone else visiting the shrine.

It was impossible to stop our kids from drinking from the temple fountain cups. Those around us would take a ceremonial sip of fountain water (they didn't ingest the water) but our kids wouldn't do this, no matter what guidance we provided. I guess time will tell if we picked up a parasite along the way.

I found this online:

How to visit a shrine:
Behave calmly and respectfully. At the purification fountain near the shrine's entrance, take one of the ladles provided, fill it with fresh water and rinse both hands. The transfer some water into your cupped hand, rinse your mouth and spit the water beside the fountain. You are not supposed to transfer the water directly from the ladle into your mouth or swallow the water.

Hakone Torii

Hakone Shrine

Victory on Lake Ashi