Ninna-ji Temple

We biked to the northwest part of Kyoto.  Our first stop was the Ninna-ji Temple.  But, first we had to feed the starving masses.
On the way to the temple, we stopped at a convenience store called Lawson (they have THE BEST apple juice!!) so everyone could use the bathroom.  While we were there, I grabbed some lunch to eat once we arrived at the temple.  I noticed these sweet potatoes roasting over charcoal and grabbed the three biggest.  They don't look that great in this picture, because I broke them up before I remembered to take a picture of them. 

 These are so amazing!!  They are best eaten after being slow cooked over a bed of coals.  They are very sweet and have a great flavor.  You don't even need to put anything on them.  They tend to be around 3-400 yen a piece.  While we could each eat our own, buying one for everyone quickly gets expensive, so I buy 3-4 and we share them.  Oh my gosh, we love these!!

I love this picture.  Nathan and Audra wanted to sit in the sun, so they ate while sitting on this log.

Then, it was time to explore the Ninna-ji Temple.  Founded in 888 by the reigning emperor, a member of the Imperial Family has always served as Ninnaji's head priest. 

 Due to the many wars and fires through the centuries, all of the original buildings have been destroyed.  We came to see the front gate and the five-storied pagoda--which date back to the early 1600s.

The ornate detail on the buildings was breathtaking. 

This was the first pagoda that we have seen in real life.

Pagodas are just cool!  They are an architectural wonder.  And, this pagoda is about 150 years older than America!

The main temple.  It was closed to the public because of a special meeting going on inside, but that was o.k.  We were mainly here for the pagodas.

The last pagoda that we saw at Ninna-ji was this small, two-storied one.  It was cute and pretty, being painted orange and yellow.