Kyoto (Tuesday 14th & Wednesday 15th April)

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Tuesday

I arrive in Kyoto at 7.30am, jump on the bus i have been told to in the directions and head over to the guest house. I am hoping they may not mind being woken up so early although it is run by a friend of a friend so i think i will be alright.

I drop my stuff off & go to find somewhere close by to get some breakfast. After a quick coffee & toast i jump on a random bus, see that it is heading towarda Matsuo Shrine & decide that i will visit there first. It is raining pretty heavily already & I do not have an umbrella. However, being a true Brit, I do not mind the rain. Especially as it is mild outside and I am yet to experience a proper Japanese rain shower!

I arrive at the shrine which is tucked away behind some old-style Japanese houses and through some little alleys although the route is visible from the road. I have a look around, as far as shrines go this one is pretty small but seems much more genuine in comparison to some of the big, grande & popular shrines i will come to view (heavily) throughout my stay.

After my short poke round the shrine I head into town to have a look round the shopping precincts, get some food - i like to shop, as you may have gathered - and dry off a little before heading out towards one of Kyoto biggest & oldest shrines & little historial villages called Shimgamo Jingo Preceinct. It takes me 20 minutes on a bus & without the aid of a map i get off the bus too early. The way is clearly signposted and is another 1.5 km walk. By this time it is absolutely pissing it down & I am loving walking in the rain through the town & along the riverbank.

On my arrival at Shimjamo i am greated by the usual large gate entrance towards the first initial buddhist style shrine. I walk through and notice how beautiful the surroundings are. Little streams, walkways & green tree line the shrine area and you are immediately put at ease. I take some pics then head off along the footpath to the big village/precinct that i have come to see.

Shimjamo is huge. There are many little huts, homes & the worshippng temple that has been rebuilt many times over the years. There are eating quarters & a mini school all in the exact same location and layout as there were centuries ago. It takes a good time to look around and i view some old artwork done through the ages. I am gettng increasingly soaked and decide to head back to my guesthouse to dry off as the wind is now picking up.

After a walk back & get inside and dry off. Having travelled all night on the coach & not gettng a wink of sleep i decide to catch some on some hours rest. There is no chance of me/or anyone heading out tonight as the storm has gotten bad. I listen to the rain & think of home as i drift off to sleep.

Wednesday

I wake early in the morning and head back to the little breakfast place I ate in the previous day. I like this place as the coffee is spot on, made with real cream & strong - just the way we like it. I head up town to kill some time then head off to Gion (original old town, used as a reference in the novel 'Memiors of a Geisha) more shrines/temples etc etc. It seems that there are so many shirnes in Japan you actually get a bit bored of seeing them. They are like churches in England. The sun is shining today which is welcome after yesterday's storm. I head up to Ginjinki-ju Temple & it takes over 1 hour to get there. The buses are packed with school kids today, seems like everyone is on their school trips. I put Bill Hicks on and giggle away to myself on the journey there.

I arrive at the temple to realise that they are charging an arm & a leg to go inside & i dont quite have enough cash on me after breaky, lunch, coffee, bus fare etcetera if i wanna get back to the guesthouse so i decide to come back in the morning. It seemed pretty overrun with tourists at this stage so i was happy to leave it until tomorrow. I get the bus back to the village and realise how close I am to the actual guesthouse from the temple. I have done the full circle of the city on the bus inorder to go about 10 mins up the road on the bus!..hahaha (never mind it suits me well for the morning)

On the bus home i pass a number of rest' and shops/arcades next to where i am staying and decide to check this little area out in the evening. I go back to my room & get changed. It is fast becoming late & i am getting hungry. I walk past a little italian place just opposite where i am staying that smells so good that i just have to eat there. I make my way to the top of the road to have a wander around but all the time i am thinking about the italian place. It definitely makes a refreshing change from the all the Japanese food so after a drink of sake in another bar, i make my way back there with my tummy rumbling to fuckerey!

I sit down in the rest' and the waiter comes over, he speaks really good english and i am glad i listened to my instincts. I order a random dish which turns out to be spaggetti, clams, tomato & cream suace with herbs etc, red wine, a dessert & coffee. It is by far one of the nicest italian meals that i have ever head. I am delighted with it. I start to panick towards the end as i think that i may not have enough money on me but find that the whole meal only cost 2,700 yen. A snip at the

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