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In an attempt to make the most of our time we planned a long weekend of travel, headed to Kyoto and then Osaka. The historic house in Kyoto was very neat. Every bit of space in the house was well planned for use of necessary activities like eating, sleeping, cooking or cleaning oneself. Comfort was an afterthought. No couch for those weary travelers with aching feet, but for the purpose of experiencing Japan and what Kyoto has to offer, it was exactly what we desired. The house was nice sized and allowed the children and couples to sleep in separate rooms, as we are accustom. The rental house advertised it to sleep up to 22. It fit 7 Americans nicely. Our expectations of space and privacy are demanding by Asian standards.
Kyoto is well known for a large Geisha district. It was quite the unique place. For those, like myself, not aware a Geisha is a woman classically trained in art, conversation and dance with the aim of entertaining dinners at local establishments. Mostly tearooms use Geishas, but also fine restaurants it seemed. This seems to be a dying art in Japan, but with a large historical significance. A Geisha didn’t entertain us but we did see three of them nearing dinnertime, traveling to work for the night. They were very pretty, with perfect white make-up and dressed quite elaborately. Quick time was made in getting to their final destination as to not attract too much attention from the tourists. The sightings were rare and fast.
Sloane and Bryce continue to surprise. How quickly they adapt. In my first entry, the mindset of my travel agenda was to avoid everything American and typical. That simply was not a reality, nor should I have been foolish enough to attempt such. It’s a gradual process not a jump-into-the-deep-end scenario. Only a week in, and Sloane, the picky eater, is trying steak, fish, cold noodles, salty ham in a ramen bowl and – hold your breath – even beef heart. She enjoyed the heart. We have a video to prove it. Bryce is doing the same.
We went to a park in Osaka famous for small deer that will bow to you for a cracker. Many deer, some of which weren’t what I would call small, had large antler racks. A few local vendors sold packs of grainy crackers that the deer enjoy and are likely their largest food source. Some were docile while others weren’t. The moment one embarks upon a transaction with the cracker vendor, the deer come quickly. They’ve seen this before. It’s essentially like ringing the dinner bell; they want the crackers and they want them now. In my infinite wisdom, I planned to buy a pack and hide them in my pocket to give to the children throughout the day as we walked the park. The deer didn’t agree with that plan; they could smell the crackers in my pocket. It wasn’t long before I had many deer around me wanting food. I pushed one of the larger stags back, but he pushed against me in retort. Another flanked me and bit my leg while one bit my hip area. Ryan was watching from a comfortable distance, strongly advising me to simply give them the crackers. He’s smart. If you run they will chase you, if you turn your back they will bite your butt. The deer won; they got the crackers.
Bryce loved the deer nonetheless. He amazed me at how fearless he was of the animals that were eye level with him. He was running around petting the deer, sometimes with so much excitement that it spooked them. The adults were a tad nervous that he was going to get kicked or prodded or bitten. Unlike many children there, he was not fearful at all. He talked about that park and those deer for the rest of the day. I doubt we have a future hunter.
The children are doing so well given what we’ve asked of them. It’s possible that we’ve made the mistake of cramming too much into a small window, as our agenda over the weekend had us walking many miles, staying on ones feet for extended periods, and crawling in and out of trains, subways, and buses for the better part of many long days. How else can we see all sights? Hindsight is 20-20. No regrets.
It’s mid-afternoon and I separated from the group. Ryan is going back to work on Monday and the girls are going to stay in Yokohama with the kids. It’ll be good for them to have a day of downtime. I’m back on the Shinkansen headed to Hiroshima for tonight and tomorrow to tour the atomic bomb site. I plan to take many pictures as this will probably be interesting to Layla and her family since they’ve lived in Oak Ridge so long – a city played an important role in the Manhattan project.
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Ryan
non-member comment
Deer
I was actually a tad bit fearful for your life at one point with the deer. You weren't giving in and neither were the deer. It looked like the deer were winning though. I became fearful for your life when the deer started to use their antlers on you. They looked dangerous.