Himeji, Seto Inland Sea, and Kyoto

For those of you who have been keeping track of the totality of the trip – we have changed plans. We are not going to India. The geopolitical situation is so crazy and has resulted in such flight disruptions, that we are arriving in Malta March 7, 2026 direct from Tokyo.

Now on to more exciting stuff!

We started our sightseeing at Himeji Palace – 700 years old and the first of many World Heritage sites you’ll see in today’s blog.

We went on to Onomichi from Himeji to meet our daughter-in-law Megan Connolley. She and Zach Howard live in Richmond, VA but Megan has been living in the Seto Inland Sea area for several months teaching English to elementary and middle school students. She was a fabulous host and really has amazing command of the language, the driving, and what is worth seeing.

She first took us to the Kousanji Temple. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/K%C5%8Dsan-ji

Click on the above to see the video

This is a temple designed and built in the 1970’s by many artists. The next video shows one of many man made waterfalls inside.

This part of Japan has marble quarries and the artist and his crew who built this temple created a marble garden on the mountain top. The last video of this section is a view of the harbor from the marble garden.

We caught the very beginning of cherry blossom time. The advantage – fewer tourists.

Pirate Museum – who knew there were pirates in Japan!? Megan explained to us that the Pacific Ocean converges turbulently from two sides around the 6 islands of the Seto Inland Sea. The pirates ruled for hundreds of years because they were the only ones who could safely navigate these waters. They were called the Noshima Murakami Kaizoku – and MANY of Megan’s students have the surname Murakami!

On to Kyoto!

We marvel at the rapid train system here. Get a look at this.

The second video is from inside the train and gives an idea of just how fast they move.

Rather than a conventional hotel, we chose to stay in lodgings run by one of the many Buddhist monasteries here in Kyoto. It has been a wonderful experience – this morning we got up at 5:30 am to attend morning services with the monks – in an opulent setting with a huge gold Buddha, breathtaking ornate golden chandeliers, and intricate wooden pillars and ceilings. The chanting was virtuosic, the drumming stirring, and the monks robes were simple but stunning. Sorry to say, no photos were allowed. BUT – we were able to take pictures of the fabulous meals they served.

We went to the Golden Pavilion (Kinkaku-ji), a renowned Zen Buddhist Temple originally built in 1397 as a Shogun’s retirement villa converted into a temple after his death. The garden grounds are covered in lush moss and bordered by bamboo fences.