Ryozen Kannon and Kodai-ji

On Sunday we woke up with intentions to go to church. I actually really like going to church when we're on vacation. However, by the time we got ready and started walking to the bus stop we realized we didn't leave ourselves enough time to get there! We decided to lay low and walk around the area we were staying. We started out at Ryozen Kannon, not a particularly busy spot in Kyoto. In it is the 80 foot high statue of the Bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara. It serves as a memorial to the two million Japanese who died during WWII.

It's impressive for a small fee but you can see it pretty good from the parking lot. There is not much else here, but right next to it is Kodai-ji, a beautiful temple.

I'm not sure what the name of this building is but you can see it from Kodai-ji.

We had kinda pockets of fall color, not as I had hoped but still really beautiful in spots.

Another zen garden.

These kids were such troopers, going to all these temples.

As we walked back to the house we saw this couple having their picture taken in front of the pagoda.

I assume it was a bride and groom. During the course of our stay in Kyoto we saw numerous couples and families getting their pictures taken near this pagoda, must be a popular place! This was our low-key Sunday. Still more to come.