We woke up today to a beautiful fresh day of around 5 degrees. It was a lot warmer than yesterday. The snow had stopped and there was no rain. We decided to venture off on our bikes again to finish looking at the temples and shrines we missed yesterday. Riding bikes is the best way to get around – it’s healthy and you get to view beautiful scenery everywhere you go. I nearly had a few collisions today and almost took out some old ladies but hey it was bound to happen sooner or later….the first temple we went to was called Higashihonganji Temple.
There were pigeons all over the ground. They were quite tame and they were actually eating out of people’s hands and landing on their shoulders. I was glad they didn’t land on my shoulder. We actually got to go inside this Temple. You had to take your shoes off of course. There were lots of people inside bowing down and praying. 
We ate our first McDonalds today. It tasted exactly the same to me. I had a double cheeseburger medium meal. The good thing was that inside the McDonalds they had a basin and soap so that you could wash your hands before you ate. I tell you these people are just so clean – it’s fantastic!
After McDonalds we rode to another temple called Toji. This was magnificent and by far the best one yet!
The grounds were very well kept as they have been everywhere. This temple is a five story Pagoda. It looked amazing. We also got to go inside the buildings here. There were lots of Budda looking statues – you weren’t allowed to take pictures. I had a pretty funny experience today with the toilet. I went to go as I was busting, found the toilet and discovered that it was located in the ground. I couldn’t believe it. How was I supposed to use it? 
To squat for me is quite difficult but when you’ve got to go you’ve got to go! I was cracking up laughing the whole time I was squatting. It was pretty funny really. Very awkward and I would avoid these holes where possible. After the Toji Temple we rode around for about an hour and discovered some more cute streets, beautiful buildings and spectacular scenery. 
Everything here is so picturesque! We are now back at the hotel having a little rest before we head out to grab some dinner and the go to a jazz bar where one of Yujins dad’s friends works. He told us to go there around 11:00pm. We went to an Asian Kitchen for dinner. It was yummy but very spicy.
After dinner we rode to the Jazz Club. It took us a while to find it but we eventually found it. We walked in to a tiny little room. As soon as I walked in I felt very uncomfortable. There were about eight people sitting at the bar and there were 2 people sitting on the lounge. We had to squeeze in next to them. I didn’t feel welcome at all. The music was fantastic but I just couldn’t wait to get out of there. We stayed for one drink each. There was a man there who made us feel uncomfortable. He kept telling us to speak Japanese whilst in Japan – I could understand his point but we were trying hard to with our dictionaries and he was still making us feel bad. He was the first mean person we came across. Apart from him everyone else has been great! This jazz experience was definitely an interesting one and not a highlight for me!
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