After Tokyo, TheTravellinGypsy and I took to the Shinkansen (bullet train) Hikari to ride to Kyoto. It was about 2 hours and 47 mins ride. So the night before, we packed up some snacks and drinks and headed to Tokyo Station. While there, we spotted a bento box seller with different varieties to choose from.
In Kyoto, the subway system isn't as dense as it is in Tokyo. So people out here take the bus. The bus system runs quite frequently and the wait for the next bus if you missed yours is about the same time as it is for the train in Tokyo. We took the bus to Golden Pavilion ( Kinkaku-ji ) which was about a 30 min bus ride from Kyoto station.
We came from the Golden Pavilion to the Nijo Castle. The castle was closed until 1800 for the night viewing, so we bummed around the area and found a ramen shop. This looks like Kotteri style ramen where they shake the pork fat into soup making it extra rich.
Inside Nijo Castle, the cherry blossoms were either fully bloomed or almost done. The closer they were to people, they were less sparse since people would grab the branches. The blossoms ranged from white to a deep pink.
The next day we were in Gion where the geishas usually would traditionally go from tea house to tea house. Anna rented a kimono to wear and got her hair done up. only $70 for the rental and hair styling!
Final day in Kyoto, we went to Fushimi Inari-taisha shrine and climbed the mountain underneath the torii. from wikipedia: Since early Japan Inari was seen as the patron of business, and merchants and manufacturers have traditionally worshipped Inari (god of rice).