I awoke to torrential rain so started the day by writing postcards and drinking green tea. I decided to keep the day urban to maximise on any shelter, so headed south of Kyoto station, an area I had not yet been to. First I went to the Toji Temple which at 5 stories high is the higest in the whole of Japan. The rain did little to obscure the size of this temple, although it did obscure my desire to stand around looking at it, so I ran into the nearest restaurant for some lunch - a bowl of Udon noodles with meat. While I was eating lunch I got to thinking about how much cusine defines a country. If a visitor came from abroad to England I would certainly give them fish and chips, and ... read more

Despite the cold overcast day I decided to go for a walk, so I grabbed the bus up to the Ginkakuji Temple, or silver pavilion. The temple was beautiful as were its gardens, but there were a ton of Japanese school children around so I quickly left down the Path of Philosophy - a riverside path literally surrounded by temples. Many of these temples were smaller and less impressive than the first but they were that much nicer for it. Many of them I had completely to myself, and when the sun eventually shone I was rewarded with some truly beautiful moments. I hiked up the hill behind one of the temples which eventually afforded me with views over the whole of Kyoto, and another city beyond which may have been Osaka. Lunch was a curious ... read more

Having woken earlier than planned is decided to head out to the Tsujiki Fish Market. The fish market is a phenominal place which assaults all of the senses. Lorrys drive in and out, motorised carts scoot around with little or no regard for the safety of anyone nearby. The inner market is stall upon stall of fish and seafood - dead, alive, whole, filleted, fresh, frozen or preserved. The floor is wet with water, ice and blood. The central market is surrounded by a peripheral market which sells vegetables, knives, teas, condiments and so on, and is far less hectic. I took the time to sample some green tea with a couple of Japanese. The conversation was slow to say the least, and can be summed up with "Ingrish?Weeeverpool?Bweeeetles!Boom boom!". Having left the beatles fanatics I ... read more