05:34. Look at the time! Already up and dressed, as we'd arranged to go to morning prayer with the monks from 6am.

05:34. My body clock was utterly flummoxed at this point, and perhaps as a result I found myself oddling craving an early morning swig of sake.

07:04. It didn't really seem appropriate to take pictures during the monk's morning prayers, so you'll just have to take my word for it that it was quite a unique and wonderful experience. After prayers, we were given a guided tour of the temple gardens. Here's some carp.

07:04. The temple gardens. Apparently the landscaped parts are modelled on Chinese landscapes. To complement this, the water has been deliberately coloured (in a completely natural way of course) to give the impression of a chinese river.

07:05. The gardens were very peaceful and very beautiful - hard to convey in pictures.

07:05. A good look at the Chinese style landscape.

07:05. Immediately to the left here was a room where we knelt and had tea. I wish I'd got a picture of it!

07:06. In my opinion, you just can't beat a good Zen garden.

07:06. The same garden viewed from the other side.

07:06. A view across the the cloisters we were being guided through.

07:12. A last view of the gardens as we were led off to breakfast.

08:00. At breakfast, ate sitting on the floor, which was very nice.

08:00. Chie said I looked very natural here.

08:04. Back in our room just before checking out. I think Chie was indulging my stereotyped concepts of tatami lined rooms here.

09:41. Kyoto station. The architecture might not be to everyone's taste, but I think it's quite breathtaking.

09:44. I also took a picture of this (whatever it is) in Kyoto station last year.

10:32. After meeting up with Kana and her friend Masako, we decide to walk to Chion-in temple.

10:32. I rather liked this little footbridge.

10:33. Me on a bridge.

10:45. Here we are in the grounds of Chion-in.

10:45. The main building of Chion-in.

10:46. Kana, myself and Masako.

10:53. Taken from the walkway around the main building in Chion-in. Mainly, I think I liked the stone urn full of flowers here.

10:54. Chie, Kana and Masako on the walkway.

10:58. I rather liked this. Kana, Masako and Chie across a sea of flowers.

10:58. A bit higher up.

11:01. A big party of Japanese people were visiting the temple for some reason or other.

11:05. Another stone footbridge.

11:12. Still in the grounds of Chion-in. A small building in which there's things you can hit with sticks to make a noise. Not sure I've fully understood this.

11:13. I think this is for the chief thingy-hitter to use.

11:15. I don't think I've ever taken my shoes on and off more than I did this day.

11:24. Chie, perhaps the only Japanese person to understand what "oggy raiding" means.

11:32. The main temple at Chion-in again.

11:39. The gates to Chion-in.

13:45. Chie, getting a little impatient waiting for a bus to take us to Ginkakuji (I think we walked most of the way in the end).

14:10. Chie in front of Ginkakuji. My friend Leon recommended I visit here, and it was good advice indeed.

14:13. Now, you're not fooling anyway, this is just a sandcastle.

14:14. The Zen (i.e. gravel) part of the gardens at Ginkakuji weren't quite to my tastes, but still, the rest was very marvellous.

14:15. Chie in front of lots of flowers, with Ginkakuji in the background (behind those trees).

14:17. I really like these little waterfall things - most of the temples seem to have them.

14:18. Apparently, this building (in the grounds of Ginkakuji) is called Tougudo.

14:21. Chie pulling a silly face. May have been in response for my asking her too many times to be in my photos.

14:25. Up the steps in the gardens of Ginkakuji.

14:26. A view across the grounds of Ginkakuji.

14:26. Chie resting casually on a bamboo fence.

14:28. Hmmm... too dark!

14:30. Ginkakuji through the trees.

14:32. I'm rather proud of this one, although it's almost difficult not to take a good picture of Ginkakuji.

14:32. Hmmm the lighting doesn't seem quite right in this one though...

14:33. Me and Ginkakuji.

14:35. Still wandering about the gardens...

14:35. Ginkakuji from the back.

15:50. On a bus (which soon became horrendously overcrowded) back to Kyoto station, from where we would go on to Hiroshima.