Is Kyoto simply temples and tea? Yes.
Oh, alright, there is more. West Kyoto is home to Toei Uzumasa Eigamura, a kind of theme park put together by Toei, one of Japan's film companies. Actually, most of Eigamura is a vast film set that has been opened to the public. While we were visiting, a film crew came out, set up a scene, told everyone to be quiet while we watched a group of samurai conduct a conversation.
The place is literally drowning in souvenir shops and, although I felt the place was a bit tedious, there were some interesting highlights. The monster that surfaces from the lake, shown above, is not particularly scary. What was more memorable was the regular show put on to explain how some special effects are achieved in your typical samurai drama which was really funny - hilarious at the end. Although there is no English translation, you would still be able to appreciate this particular activity without any Japanese skills.