Taylor'd Travel

Taylor'd Travel Travel tips, tours, advice and adventures. Passionate about travel and inspiring others, especially women, to travel.

Come along with me on one of my small group culturally-immersive Moroccan tours in such an exotic and beautiful country.

Japan in May: I wore Chase out I guess the day before with everything we did so she opted to stay at the hotel while I e...
09/04/2026

Japan in May:
I wore Chase out I guess the day before with everything we did so she opted to stay at the hotel while I explored some of the other sights of Kyoto.

I taxied over to the Kiyomizu-dera Temple, one of Kyoto’s iconic sights. Being Saturday the walk up the hill in the Higashiyama District took a bit longer because the pedestrian streets were packed. Lots of ladies both Japanese and foreigners were dressed in kimonos. Bless their hearts. I was working yup a sweat in shorts and a tank top. If wearing a kimono I would have probably fainted. The street up was filled with food and souvenir shops on both sides. I decided to save looking for the way down.

Normally I don’t love going solo. I like to share moments as they unfold. But I was actually enjoying just doing my thing. I even offered to take photos for some duos snd groups.

The temple is beautiful and offers some great views of Kyoto. Kiyomizu-dera was founded in 778 AD and is sacred, so much so it is the 16th temple on the Saigoku Kannon pilgrimage, a reknown spiritual journey they say. It is also a World Heritage Site.

Kiyomizu-dera means “Pure Water Temple.”
People probably most recognize the temple’s large wooden platform that juts out from the main hall suspended 36 ft above the hillside. I visited the main hall and platform before making my way to the Otawa Waterfall located at the base. The waterfall’s waters are divided into 3 separate streams representing longevity, academic success and a fortunate love life. One should not drink from all 3 as it is seen as being greedy. I lined up with others to use the cup on a long handle to drink from 2. Overall I spent a little over an hour visiting the different parts of the temple. I think entrance was 500 or 1000 yen.

Japan in May: TaxisBoy like the toilets, the taxis put the US to shame. We used the GO app, like uber for taxis in Japan...
09/03/2026

Japan in May: Taxis
Boy like the toilets, the taxis put the US to shame. We used the GO app, like uber for taxis in Japan. I think the longest we ever waited was about 20 minutes and that was right after we left the Aoi Matsuri festival and not only was there traffic but it was made worse by all the streets blocked off for the procession as it headed to the shrines. Usually it was less than a 5 minute wait.

The taxis were spotless. They were roomy for the 2 of us. Drivers were polite, professionally dressed and most had white gloves on. The taxi doors automatically opened snd closed. Seats were comfortable and all the windows clean. We paid thru the app snd even when we would grab a cab we paid with credit card.

For short trips given the convenience it made no sense to take the subway, price wise or time wise. And we were happy to save our feet ( given how many miles we were walking anyway). We used taxis the most in Kyoto because some of the sights were not a straight shot on the subway. I refuse to do a bus…why because lines can be long and you might now make it on and would have to wait for the next. They are hot. You are out in the heat standing snd waiting. So we either could a taxi, walked or used the subways.

I loved the taxis in the places we visited.

09/01/2026

Chefchaouen, the Blue city of Morocco in the Rif Mountains.

09/01/2026

Japan in May: last of the teamLab Biovortex reels

09/01/2026

Japan in May: teamLab Biovortex Kyoto (Reel3)

09/01/2026

Japan in May: teamLab Biovortex Kyoto, one of the rooms there, so mesmerizing!
(Reel 2)

09/01/2026

Japan in May: teamLab Biovortex Kyoto ( Reel 1)

Japan in May: Oh my… yep there was still more on our itinerary for the day as if Aoi Matsuri, 2 animal cafes, sushi lunc...
08/31/2026

Japan in May:
Oh my… yep there was still more on our itinerary for the day as if Aoi Matsuri, 2 animal cafes, sushi lunch and a kintsugi class were not enough. We took a little rest before going to our last event of the day…to visit teamLab Biovortex Kyoto.

I’m just gonna say you really should try to experience teamLab when in Japan. There is an outdoor one, Botanical Garden, in Osaka, the Biovortex in Kyoto and 2 in Tokyo, Borderless (permanent) and Planets (temporary & I think closing in 26). I did a lot of research and for us Kyoto was the winner. I think we made the right choice!!!!

What is teamLab… a visual and even sensory experience of lasers, light, music, movement and even water. It is creative, almost mesmerizing. Truly visually stunning… like transported to another world. Totally worth the ticket price. I highly recommend. The photos snd videos don’t do the experience justice.

If you really want to go to a teamLab book ahead. We booked a 7pm slot 1) because our days were filled with lots of places closed at night and 2) if there is such a thing …lighter crowds. We took the 2 hrs to see it and I’d say 2-2.5 hrs is how much time to budget at Biovortex. For 2 adults it cost $57.
I will post photos then videos in several postings.

Photos part 1

Japan in May:Our day wasn’t finished yet. After our late lunch at Kura’s we headed to the south end of Kyoto to do a lit...
08/31/2026

Japan in May:
Our day wasn’t finished yet. After our late lunch at Kura’s we headed to the south end of Kyoto to do a little craft class. It took longer to get there and back than the class itself but was nice to have a new experience.

We booked a kintsugi class. Kintsugi is the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery with gold lacquer, transforming the fractures into beautiful seams that highlight the pottery’s history rather than hide it. It teaches that like pottery, people can turn their struggles into resilience and embracing one’s scars.

Kintsugi embodies a philosophy that embraces imperfection and resilience. It originated in the 15th century when a shogun sent a damaged tea bowl back to China for repairs. He disliked the metal staples used to repair it so encouraged Japanese artisans to create a more pleasing method using gold powder and lacquer.

We chose a small piece just to learn the process and make a small packable souvenir. First we picked out of piece. We both chose a small dish. Then we broke it into 2-3 pieces.

Next we filed down the edges with a metal file to make sure they were smooth. This took a fair amount of effort. Filing also needed to help enlarge the small gap between the pieces so they would fit together but also allow a space for the hold to be seen.

Then we cleaned away all pottery dusts from the filing.

Next we used glue to glue the pieces back together. Finally, it was time for us to paint the thick paste made of gold powder and lacquer onto the dish. We used a small brush to get the gold paste into the crack. And voila our own piece of kintsugi. It required 2 hands so I didn’t get but a couple of photos.

We booked thru Klook, which is a popular platform in Japan to book transportation tickets, tours and activities. Ours was called Kintsugi Workshop Kyoto Gion and lasted about 1 hour snd was $47 total for 2 of us.

08/31/2026

Japan in May: Kura’s conveyor belt sushi restaurant in Kyoto

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