extra pics

 

This was me the day before Christmas. I had to work on Christmas Eve so I wore the dress that my friend, Madoka gave me as well as the shirt she gave me under it!

I think that these pictures somehow didn't show up when I posted the stuff from Kyoto

GINKAKUJI

 

I think this one posted but I'm not sure. This is very famous. It's called "Kogetsudai" or the moon-viewing platform. Obviously it isn't really made for people to stand on it since it's made of sand, but the theory is that either it was supposed to reflect the moon on the silver pavilion (which never got to be covered in silver since the person who it was built for died) or it is supposed to resemble the moon when you stand on the balcony above it. 

 

Moss, moss everywhere! It looked so fuzzy, I really wanted to pet it!

 

The trees were so tall and thin. I felt like Princess Mononoke might come running out of the forest at any minute.

 

a twisted tree branch

 

I was the only one not rushing through the line. I actually stopped to watch the tiny rivers trickling through, they were really beautiful. Meanwhile, I was being trampled and sighed at for holding the line up . . .

 

According to a Japanese lady who was explaining this to her English-speaking friends, this was how the Silver Pavilion (Ginkakuji) used to look like. It was painted like the thing in the box, if you could even see it.

 

KINKAKUJI

 

You can kind of see inside, I'm not sure what those things were inside of the windows.

 

This bird kept diving underwater. Every time I tried to get a picture of it with Kinkakuji, there it would go . . . So I just got one when it re-emerged.