Kawh - Yes, bathrooms are another benefit of McDonalds but one of the many wonderful things about Japan was the number of public toilets available everywhere (and they were always clean, well-stocked, well lit and free). I encourage you to be more adventurous about food than I was, but also bring a stash of your favorite protein bars and pre-packaged peanut butter crackers! Oh, my other helpful tip which may have gotten lost in all my details above is to bring a bandana or light cotton scarf that you can use to dry your hands in public bathrooms; very few have towel dispensers or hand dryers; i noticed a lot of Japanese women of all ages using their own scarf. A small thing but nice to be "in the know" and not have wet hands. Enjoy your trip!

vickie.... good thought. i am a bit ocd about hand washing and this is a good reminder to stock up again on compressed towels (which i love for travel overseas, as they often do not provide washrags for the face! i'm going to get extras to carry in my purse!!

Cindyjo: I would have liked another day or two in Kyoto so that I could have gone to Nara and explored more of the far east side of Kyoto (there's a temple out there I wanted to go to, but it would have taken a bit of time for the to/fro).

Actually I found the garden in Nijo Castle to be the highlight of the place. I went during the cherry blossom season and there was a lot to enjoy there. But I think a lot of people still see "Castle" and they are surprised or disappointed to find it quite different than what they were expecting. You managed to see several places in Arashiyama which is great - the Otagi Nenbutsuji is one of my favorites. Speaking of gardens the delightful surprise I got in my last visit a few weeks ago was going to Heian Shrine - I had seen the shrine already but this time I was determined to see the garden behind it (the shrine is free, but there is a small fee for the garden). It was way bigger and far more beautiful than I had ever imagined. Unless you know it's there, nearly everyone just goes right past it and the garden is mostly empty.
What isn't though is Kyoto itself - I've seen more and more tourists especially over the last 5 years, but now it is like half of Beijing is moving through the city. Nara Park is the same way now.
What's even more amazing is that Japan has been putting up stickers in rest rooms on how to use a western toilet. I know they put up multiple languages so not to pick on anybody....but telling westerners how to use a western toilet is just screamingly funny.


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