Breakfast at least is cheaper than at the New Takanawa hotel. I went for the continental and stoked myself up for the day. Couldn't find a fork so resorted to eating the pancakes with chopsticks!

Once again made the mistake of putting thinner socks on for a tour including shoes off moments. This tour gave us assigned seat numbers, not sure so necessary. After a long time of picking up others we hit the Nijo Castle which sounds romantic and Oriental but just means 2nd Street Castle. This is the famous castle with the nightingale floor achieved by an iron bracket. And was it a cold floor in thin socks.

Next up was the Golden Pavilion, a very photogenic Buddhist site with a golden pavilion in it. Not quite the original pavilion as it has been burnt down many times, lastly by a young monk who committed arson in 1950 but as photogenic as ever. It had a 600 year old tree which started out as bonsai. Like every temple complete with gift shop.

Things got really regimented at the Imperial Palace where we had to form four lines to be counted, warned not to touch the alarmed walls, warned not to go out of position to take pictures. Pretty garden, large site, traditional grand buildings, no heating so not used now.

After a rushed lunch it was off to Nara with new guide Yumi to see the deer milling around Todaiji Temple, which has a very large Buddha indeed in the largest wooden building going. The deer are rather a pest like pigeons in a park, vendors sell deer snacks to be fed to these divine neighbours according to Buddhism. The Japanese capital got moved from Nara to Kyoto after political intriguing by the Buddhist monks.

We also saw the Kasuga Taisha Shrine associated with the Fujiwara family who controlled Japan in the Heian era. Many many stone lanterns crowded in on the temple.

I went to a nearby sushi bar Sushiina, and had a 9-piece selection including salmon roe. A challenge persuading my mouth to ahead and bite into it, and my throat to swallow, but worth it. I enjoyed my sushi, whilst knowing I am no sushi expert. I didn't eat the first item placed on the green bamboo leaf, not sure if it was decoration or a kind of side salad. The guy serving did stop me using soya sauce with one piece - probably real sushi eaters don't use soya sauce.

Rounded off the evening with a green tea flavoured and coloured cream puff.