The people in the snack shop pointed us toward the nearest bus stop where we caught a ride to the Nijo Castle which was built by a Shogun to prove his power rivaled that of the emperor. We all got to remove our shoes to tour the inside of the castle where, to protect the paintings, no pictures were allowed. The castle has Nightingale floors which “sing” as you walk on them to prevent intruders from sneaking in. Some of the rooms had manikins dressed in traditional garb to demonstrate the Shogun’s court. D thought he should wander in to visit, but we caught him in time. The gardens here were beautiful as well with a great view from the top of the castle wall. 
On the way back we 
found some vending machines and used up some spare change. This was a great plan as it had become a hot day. D sprang back to life like a wilted plant after having some of our water.Our next mode of transportation was the metro. Although we already had bus tickets, the metro station was right at the corner. This turned out to be a great plan as the underground station was air conditioned and we could leave D in his stroller instead of trying to get him to sit on a lap during the crowded bus ride.
After a not as brief as intended walk from the next train stop, we arrived at the tallest pagoda in Japan. We were hot and tired by this point and weren’t interested in paying the exorbitant price for entry just to be able to climb more stairs. Instead, J took some awesome pictures and we spent our money on some very good lemon tea. We then walked back to the hotel. As it was Mothers’ Day, J got to choose dinner. We went back to the same Chinese restaurant as the first night, which again did not disappoint. While J put D to bed, A went back out and brought home some fancy desserts to share.
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