Warning: This post is broken into several galleries.
Shinsen'en
While we were waiting for Nijo Castle to open, we stumbled into our first shrine of the day. It had a really lovely garden, and the Koi chased as around, begging for food.
Murin-an
Not technically a shrine, this beautiful strolling garden took both Tom and my breath away. Thanks to our friend Noriko for recommending this lovely spot, just a hop, skip, and jump from Nanzenji. We wouldn't have stopped without her recommendation, but we're both glad we did!
Okazaki Shrine
This one would be Anya's nightmare. We stumbled on this shrine walking to the bus for Kinkaku-ji. It's a shrine to a rabbit deity, and is supposed to bless women with an easy childbirth. Freaky albino rabbits everywhere!
Hirano Shrine
The final shrine of the day was one devoted to Cherry Blossoms, which unfortunately don't bloom in August. We googled some pictures after the fact, and can see why this is a very popular shrine at certain times of the year. Mostly, the cicadas stick out at this one for us. I don't remember the songs being quite so loud when the broods were active on the East Coast last year...