The Ryokan we stayed at on Wednesday night looked out over Higashi Hongan-ji which is considered one of the largest wooden buildings in the world. Established as a temple in 1321, Higashi Hongan-ji is also the name for the Buddhist Sect which is based there. It means 'The Eastern Temple of the Original Vow' and is one of the dominant sub-sects of Shin Buddhism in Japan and abroad.
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After visiting the temple, we jumped on a train and went to Arashiyama, about 20 minutes out of Kyoto Station.
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| We hiked up a hill to the Iwatayama Monkey Park where there are about 170 Japanese macaque, or snow monkeys and a great view out over Kyoto. We then visited Tenryū-ji — the head temple of the Tenryū branch of Rinzai Zen Buddhism, founded in 1339. After seeing the temple we passed through the garden and entered Arashiyama's Sagano bamboo forest. | 
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