Japan! April 17 Part 3 - Temples Near Kyoto Station

After lunch and before checking in at the hotel, we had some time to take in some sights nearby. We went to the Higashi Honganji Temple. It was almost surprising to come across it while walking through the city streets, there is such a contrast between the old and the new. But once you are on the grounds of the Buddhist temple you forget you are in the middle of a metropolitan area. It was the first time during the trip to admire dramatically huge temples upon a vast amount of land. Then while my mom took a leisurely stroll back towards the station, I took a detour and looked at the nearby Koshoji Temple, Nishi-Honganji Temple and Umekoji Park. It was nice to get a feel for Kyoto on our first day here.