Interesting, @gaudi, you posted a picture of Kinkaku! That's where my most recent profile picture was taken. Very cool.

I took a business trip to Kuwana which is just outside Nagoya several years ago and over the weekend someone took me to Kyoto to go sightseeing (we took the shinkansen to Kyoto from Nagoya which was very fun for me).

Kyoto is a beautiful city and is like something out of a story book. I was there in the early summer 2012 when the hydrangeas were in bloom. We visited Kiyomizu, Ryozen Kannon, and finally Kinkaku. I can't decide what my favorite thing that I saw was. Probably either Kiyomizu or Kinkaku. I enjoyed the story behind the stage at Kiyomizu and people who have jumped from it in hopes of being granted whatever they wish for. I bought a couple of souvenirs there--two small items that are supposed to bring a person luck in different aspects of life. I bought one for love and one for money and two weeks later I met the woman that I ended up marrying! Coincidence or did the souvenir really help bring me luck in love as was advertised?

Anyway, thanks for posting these beautiful pictures. I look forward to traveling to Japan again as I live in the US and work for a Japanese company here in the states. I'd love to see it in the fall when the trees are colorful and also in the spring when the cherry blossoms are in bloom.