arashiyama & uji

Satoshi had the day off today, so we went to check out the hasunohana (lotus flowers) in Arashiyama and Uji. The last time I went to Arashiyama was during cherry blossom season and the last time we went to Uji was last month to see the ajisai (hydrangea).

I got up at my regular time and made us a bento (boxed meal) for breakfast--tamagoyaki (omlette) with shiofukikonbu (seasoned dried kelp), asparagus with bacon, pickled veggies, ume (pickled plum), rakkyo (pickled shallots) and rice with tororokonbu (shaved kelp).

Our first stop was Arashiyama. I have often seen the empty pit at Tenryuji during Autumn and Spring, but never when the lotus flowers are in bloom.

Luckily, we were able to see them today. The lotus flowers are fenced in, so we had to use our zoom lens to get up close. There were lots of blooms and not many people so it was nice.

From Arashiyama, we caught the train to Uji and went to Mimurotoji. The lotus flowers were in pots in the courtyard of the temple so you could get pretty close to them.

Since it is a weekday, not too many people were out and about, so it was really nice and peaceful.

I was surprised at how tall they were!

After admiring the lotus flowers we headed back to Osaka for lunch and stopped at a cafe called Gokan. Gokan means 5-senses in Japanese. This cafe is located in an old bank building. I wrote about it (here).

Lunch was cold cuts, salad, brioche and croissant. There was also a nice matcha (green tea) dessert that came along with it.

It was a nice day (very humid), but nice in other ways.