Japan (Kyoto)

April 8-18, 2023

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The Prince Kyoto Takaragaike Hotel and the Kyoto International Conference Center

The Prince Kyoto Takaragaike Hotel

The Prince Kyoto Takaragaike Hotel, Autograph Collection.

Street between the hotel and the venue
Street between the hotel and the venue

Street views between the hotel (left side) and the conference venue (right side).

Event hall

The “Event Hall” of the Kyoto International Conference Center.

View of hotel from venue

View of the hotel from the conference venue.

Swan pond behind the venue

Swan pond behind the conference venue.

View of the conference center

Main building of the conference center.

View of venue from the park

View of the conference center from a park across the lake.


Fushimi Inari Taisha

Front gate at the Fushimi Inari Taisha

Entrance area to the Fushimi Inari Taisha.

Fushimi Inari Taisha
Fushimi Inari Taisha

Iconic rows of orange gates. The engraved words are only visible while looking backwards (downhill).


Various streets in downtown Kyoto

Street in downtown
Street in downtown

Two of many streets in downtown. Mountains are visible in the background.

Intersection near downtown

An intersection near the edge of downtown, with mountains nearby in the background.

Major road across downtown

A major road going across downtown.

Nishiki Market

Nishiki Market, a very popular tourist street with foods and gifts.

Teramachi-Dori street

Teramachi-Dori, another popular shopping street intersecting the Nishiki Market street.

Night scene in Kyoto

A small river in the downtown area at night.

Kyoto Station

Train tracks at the Kyoto Station.

Above Kyoto Station

Stairs leading to restaurants above the Kyoto Station.

Kyoto Station

View of the Kyoto tower at night.


Kamogawa (Kamo River) and Kiyomizu-Dera Temple

View along Kamogawa
View along Kamogawa

Views along Kamogawa, towards the north direction. The river separates downtown from the mountains on the east side, where many of the temples lie (including Fushimi Inari Taisha and Kiyomizu-Dera).

View towards downtown from Kiyomizu-Dera
View towards downtown from Kiyomizu-Dera

Views of downtown from Kiyomizu-Dera.

Kiyomizu-Dera temple
View of the main Kiyomizu-Dera temple

Views of the main temple at Kiyomizu-Dera.

Sannenzaka stone streets
View of Ninenzaka area

Stone streets and shops near Kiyomizu-Dera.


Nijo Castle and cherry blossoms

Gates to Nijo Castle

Golden gates entering Nijo Castle.

Pond in Nijo Castle

Pond in Nijo Castle.

View of moat from a keep

View of the inner moat surrounding Nijo Castle, from atop a keep tower.

Cherry blossoms

Close-up of cherry blossoms.


Arashiyama: bamboo forests, Katsuragawa (Katsura River), and Monkey Park

Arashiyama Bamboo Grove

A busy day at the Arashiyama Bamboo Grove walkway.

Bamboo forest in Tenryu-Ji temple

Bamboo forest in the Tenryu-Ji temple.

Bridge across Katsuragawa

View of a bridge crossing Katsuragawa, the river separating the side with the bamboo forests and the side with the Monkey Park mountain.

View of Katsuragawa
Row boats on Katsuragawa

Views of Katsuragawa after crossing the bridge.

Restaurants and shops along Katsuragawa
Restaurants and shops along Katsuragawa
Hotel along Katsuragawa

Views of some restaurants, shops, and hotels along Katsuragawa.

View atop the Monkey Park
View atop the Monkey Park

Views towards Kyoto from atop the Arashiyama Monkey Park, home to hundreds of Macaque monkeys!


The vending machines of Japan!

Vending machine with drinksVending machine with breads
Vending machine with ice creamVending machine with snacks

Various vending machines.

Various foods I enjoyed in Japan

Japanese breakfastSushi

Traditional Japanese breakfast and sushi.

Smoked meat sushiMatcha desserts

Smoked meat sushi and matcha shaved ice + ice cream.

Tempura and hamburgerUdon noodles

Tempura and hamburger steak meal (from a restaurant at the conference venue), and udon noodles.

Unagi on riceDessert bowl

Unagi (grilled eel) on rice and assorted dessert bowl.