Blogs from Kyoto, Japan, Asia - page 84

OK, been out and about again recently. Got some more cool pictures here, but my favourite one has to be the Maiko in Gion. Kyoto Tower was OK, you get a great view over Kyoto, which is actually a lot bigger than I first realised and surrounded by mountains in every direction. I wanted a picture of Kyoto Tower for the blog, so decided to try and find a high spot in Kyoto Station opposite. I hadn't realised until then that there is a cool plaza and roof garden on top of the station. Actually, the station is a really good building. When you are passing through, bewildered by the Japanese writing trying to find your train, you dont really stop to notice how cool it is. Next pictures are from a costume museum where the ... read more

I figured I would finally deliver on my promise for pictures of the family and such. So, I present thee with: A Day in the Life of Danny 6:18 First alarm goes off, loudly chirping for five seconds unless I can locate the damnably small snooze button. 6:31 I enjoy my last precious seconds of warm futon-ness. With one eye open I check for new texts that I need to respond to that may have been delivered during the night (Kanako, homework questions, etc.). Feel popular when I see the exclamation point of a new message. Exit bed, push aside Lee-chan when I leave my room, say good morning to my host mom, head to bathroom, brush teeth, gel, throw on clothes that I laid out the night before to minimize morning issues. Put toast in ... read more

Written on Saturday morning ------------------------------ We spent the rest of that day hanging around the beach, walking along the sand, watching the dune-surfers (they really do exist: it takes 2500 yen and a two hour safety school, though, so we decided not to do it). After relaxing in the sun for some time, we slowly made our way back to our campsite, packed up our belongings, and attempted to call a taxi to come pick us up. We chilled around the station's main square when we got there, and quietly watched the breakdancers practicing, did a little homework, and got ready for departure. And thus ended our Tottori adventure. It's hard for me to believe that two weeks ago I was so terrified and lonely - some of the happiest moments of my life have already ... read more

it was good... read more

Written Thursday Night ----------------------------- Well, it's been a week now. I'm slowly adapting to this place, but I'm unbelievably busy right now. So far I've spent the majority of each day trying to work out the logistics of living here - buying a cell phone, buying an electronic dictionary (now I can read anything, given enough time!), managing the busy routes (still haven't done this one well ... it takes me almost two and a half hours to get home every day. I've gotten my morning commute time down to a little over an hour, though). I'm hemorrhaging money unbelievably fast. The bus fares alone put me back about $10 every day. I have to pay for my lunch food, too. And they don't trust digital monies, so it's not common to be able to use ... read more