First thing our guide Taka took us to was the Gyoen National Garden and Imperial Palace.

Our next stop, about 15 minutes away, was Kinkaku-ji, also known as the "Temple of the Golden Pavilion. " Officially named Rokuon-ji (鹿苑寺), or "Deer Garden Temple," it is a Zen Buddhist temple that began as a villa belonging to the powerful statesman Saionji Kintsune, dating back to 1397.

After lunch, we visited Hoshunin Bonsai Garden located in the Daitoku-ji (大徳寺) zen temple complex, one of the largest and most important temple complexes in Kyoto.

A mere 25-minute drive from the bonsai garden brought us to the Arashiyama district, site of the Arashiyama Bamboo Forest.

Giō-ji is only about a 10-minute drive from the bamboo forest. You cannot enter the buildings, but they are open for viewing from the outside. It is surrounded by a lovely moss garden.

Dinner at a local, hidden, izakaya. Great atmosphere, great food!

We visited Byōdō-in Omotesando (平等院表参道) and the Byōdō-in Temple (祇王寺) in Uji.

From the temple, we traveled into the countryside for about 10 miles to Wazuka-cha Cafe in the Wazuka tea-producing area. Wazuka was certified as one of the Most Beautiful Villages in Japan in 2013 and a Japan Heritage site in 2015.

We traveled into the Wazuka countryside, where we saw tea plantations.

Our guide brought us to a very interesting place for lunch: Wazukaya soba noodle shop. This is an all-women-owned noodle restaurant that serves a cha-soba lunch.