Kyoto

We visited Kyoto on our first full day in Japan. Kyoto is about a 30-minute train ride from Osaka, where we were staying. The Kyoto train station was a destination in itself. The architecture was stunning (and enormous).

Our first stop (outside of the station), was Kinkaku-ji, or "Temple of the Golden Pavillion," which is a famous Buddist temple. (We traveled by taxi, which was a pristine car driven by a polite, white-gloved driver.) The temple and scenary were breathtaking and set the stage for a discussion about the crossroads of history, culture and technology. (We learned that Kyoto was a source of inspiration for Apple Founder Steve Jobs.)

From the Golden Pavillion, we walked to the Zen rock gardens at Ryoan-ji, a temple built more than 500 years ago. The rock garden features 15 giant rocks, but you can only see 14 from any one perspective -- an important lesson for young journalists.