Kyoto

Kinkakuji 

Last night we flew from Tokyo to Nagoya. The flight was an easy 1 hour and our hotel is right on the bay with a water view.

Our Car

Today we got the rental car and drove from Nagoya to Kyoto. The drive was 3 hours each way with most of it on the expressway which made it easy. Kyoto was ok to drive in but at times the streets were very narrow, as it is an older city, and there were lots of people to watch out for.

Suntory Distillery

First stop, of course, was the Suntory Yamazuki Distillery where we picked up a great single malt to drink back at the hotel. The distillery is the oldest in Japan and has a rich history. It's kind of hard to drive to with very narrow streets so I would recommend taking a taxi. I drove but won't do that again. They have a visitor center with a museum and tasting room. If you like scotch then this is a must stop.

Next we went inside Kyoto to the Kinkakuji Temple. Kinkakuji, Temple of the Golden Pavillion, is one of the most popular buildings in Japan is a World Heritage Site. The outside of the temple is covered in gold leaf.
Kyoto has a hop-on hop-off bus that hits all the historic sites. I would recommend taking that to see everything.

Tomorrow is the first day of Formula 1 with qualifying so the next 2 days will be at the circuit.