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Published: October 21st 2008
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To-ji
Photo op -- they tried to sell us a picture, but it's not very effective since they also take a pic with your camera (and ours came out better) The title refers to the joke we've been working with for a few days now. Japanese people often seem like robots -- there is so much conformity that what I thought was a great fashion sense is actually everyone trying to conform to the boots and tights look. You can't cross the street against the light even if there are no cars coming because everyone else will follow you without even looking and might get hit. Our robot is Mayumi, but she's not quite as effecient or conformist as the Japanese robots. So everytime she does something a little flighty (which is often), we say our robot is broken. A good laugh.
Yesterday started off as lazy as the day before. We started off with a movie over breakfast (in English! Bridget Jones Diary never looked so good). By the time we got all together and moving, it was 12:30. I don't know how this keeps happening. Today (our last day) we're getting an earlier start. Because of the time, once we got to Kyoto we only had time for 2 temples (but made a valiant attempt at a third). And they're not really that close to each other either.
To-ji
The tallest pagoda in Japan. It was pretty tall... We started off from the train station for the "2-block" walk to the first temple -- To-ji, which is the biggest Pagoda in Japan. 2 blocks turned into about a mile. In the meantime, Mike and I ducked into an electronics store for me to buy a wire for my camera, and Nick didn't see us go in. About 15min later Mike and I finally found a pay phone to call Nick and meet up. He was already at the Temple so Mike and I hoofed it the rest of the way. It kinda set the tone for the day though. Nick was pretty pissed the rest of the day. I think he's getting sick of us 😊 The pagoda was cool though. It was my first Buddhist Temple, so everything was still shiny and new for me. I wish I knew more about Buddhism though -- would've given me a little better appreciation for what I was looking at. Still, it was pretty impressive. Really big buddhas -- with lots of dust. No photography allowed though. 😞 From there we took a cab to another train station where we met Mayumi. Turned out to be another mile walk or
Robots
Apparently these are all male hosts. Host bars are where you pay a decent cover to go in, then girls (or guys) sit and talk with you while you drink. Like a strip club with no stripping. so from there to the next temple. If we had known, we could've saved a lot of time with better transportation plans... As it was, we got up to the top of this temple, the famous Kiyomizu, around 4:30. Great views of Kyoto from there. The whole place was a lot of temples, but most you can't even go in. There was a stage in the back that we could have paid $3 and gone in, but we pretty much saw what we came to see -- the great view. With sunlight fading fast, we wanted to get to the next temple. However, Nick was in a bind because he was supposed to buy something for Megumi but didn't know what and couldn't get ahold of her until she got out of work, at least another hour. So we parted ways for Nick to wait there for Megumi to call. On our walk to the cabs, there is a shop-lined street. Most of them are tourist traps, but still fun to shop. There was a LOT of mochi stuff for sale (and sample). Apparently Kyoto is known for its mochi. Pretty good, but like any other mochi. There was also
Kiyomizu
The most famoust temple in Kyoto (or so it seems). a ton of green tea soft-serve. I've never seen that! There is so much green tea stuff here (ice cream, bread, candy, etc) that I wasn't that surprised. They even had sesame soft serve. I went with the green tea -- in a crepe, no less. Pretty good! And to think, only about a year ago I had never had green tea ice cream.
Mike, Mayumi, and I took a cab to a famous Zen Rock Garden Temple. However, by the time we got there it was just 5pm, and little did we know, the temples all close around 5pm. We could walk around the outside (I saw the big zen rock garden) but couldn't go inside. And we found out that our back up plan of seeing the golden temple last wasn't going to work. You can't even see the outside (which is the most exciting part) after they close. Instead, we took a cab from the rock garden and went back to Zion to wait for Nick. We walked around and shopped a little. Still no geisha 😞 You can book an evening with a geisha, but according to Mike, that'll cost you around $1000 (don't ask
Kyoto
Great view through one of the temples at Kiyomizu me how he knows). Maybe on my next trip. We at least wanted to have some tea in a tea house, but settled for a bakery cafe when we couldn't find one.
We met Nick at the Kyoto train station, and set off for home. A modest dinner of chicken, tomato sauce, and rice, some down-time, and off we went again for karaoke. At least this night was close to home. Japanese karaoke is a lot of fun. You go into a private room with your friends and have the machine and lists all to yourself. It's a nice way to do it. Plus with unlimited drinks (too bad I didn't feel like drinking).
Today we're heading back to Kyoto (by the time Nick heard from Megumi the temple shops were closed. He has to go back today). Big day, though. It's our last here, so we're gonna try to do Kyoto (with a list of things I didn't get to do -- golden temple, Nishiki Market, tea in a teahouse, +/- zen rock garden temple), Kobe, and some town near Kobe with a big castle (and cheap shoes apparently). And of course we have to be in
Kiyomizu
Nick washing his hands in the fountain near Kiyomizu. I guess that's what you do... Kobe for dinner. Can't go to Kobe without having some kobe beef!
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