Kyoto may have two of the most photographed spots in Japan and both were on today’s plan.

The first, the Arashiyama Bamboo Grove. Only bettered by the gardens of the adjacent Tenryu – Ji Zen Buddhist Temple. The gardens at this time of year show a beautiful array of brightly coloured flowers along with the delicate and wispy cherry blossoms. Nature at its most stunning.

Then in the afternoon a trip to the Fushimi Inari Shinto shrine complex. Made up of 10,000 (they say) tonfiii – shrine gates. These vary in size as they climb the 4km forested path uphill to Mount Inari but all are this brilliant vermillion colour with Japanese wording on their trunks. The gates are interspersed by shrines and offerings, guarded in most cases by stone fox statues wearing neck scarves. Im still not clear on the significance of the foxes. The place is otherworldly, particularly as it gets to dusk and the forests either side of the gates plunges in to creepy darkness.

Last stop, after clocking up 17,500 steps of which 17,000 seemed to be the up hill climb to Mount Inari, was an early evening snack in the dimly lit Geisha area of Gion. No Geishas walking the streets sadly but a very atmospheric place.