Waaaah ラッキー!!!! It's so rare for people to be able to visit inside the palace, I remember you need a special permission otherwise if I'm not sorely mistaken, so you did indeed visit at the right time :D Even though the gardens are enough for me (plus the exterior of the castle of course), exploring it inside is definitely the icing of the cake. Thanks so much for sharing photos, I highly doubt they'll be open to the public when I go there ^_^

And thanks for the recommendation on Ryoanji, the surroundings and especially the lake, is really breathtaking! :)

I've always wanted to taste kitsune udon! Thus far I've only tried simple kake udon and nabeyaki udon, as I usually always go for soba (my fave noodle), but I love abura age so I'm sure it's delicious, and cheap when you're on the go ^_^ And that sakura cake looks so lovely :3