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Published: January 29th 2006
I went to Kyoto for the first time yesterday afternoon! After successfully navigating a bus and a train ride (trains are a first for me), I visited a beautiful temple with a group of international students. Our "tour Guides" were local Japanese students and they were lots of fun! After putting up with our very tourist-like oohs and aaahs, the students took us to do some postcard shopping in the surrounding area, I had my first taste of green tea (which I must admit wasn't my idea of delicious...), tasted some japanese sweets (now that's what I call scrumptious!!!) and had a few drops of Japanese rain.
Feeling culturally enlightened and rather hungry, we made our way to a small, dark restaurant for more okonomiyaki (squid this time!). We oogled at the beautiful shops along the way! Kimonos and dolls and clothes and shoes and and and... I think I'm going into cardiac arrest just thinking about it. The restaurant felt really authentic as I think we were the only gaijin (foreigners) around! After dinner we picked the brains of our guides for shopping tips and travel plans... There is so much to do in even one city, but so little time.
Today I had a bike day! Seeing as I havn't done much bike riding since childhood, it was quite an adventure. My bike is blue (matches my light blue jacket, mom!) and has a bell and a shopping basket in the front and dorky mudguards and everything!!! In Japan it's pretty standard, though! I'll send pics as soon as I get a digital camera. My dad will be really proud. It's like being 12 again. The only catch is... the traffic is bad, the roads are narrow- really really narrow, in places the pavements are non-existant and there are bicyles and pedestrians everywhere! I rode into Hirakata City Centre with some friends to check out what there is to do and buy locally. I nearly used up all my money on the spot...
I'm falling in love with Japanese confectionary.... The breads and cakes and rolls and sweets are just amazing! Mostly I've just had the pleasure of smelling and seeing, coz the prices are crazy! Japanese vendors and shop owners seem to love giving away samples... I've been enjoying the taste of those! I went into an exclusive-type department store and there was half an entire floor dedicated to such wonderfully gluttonous treats.
One problem, I can't find brown/wholewheat bread... Bread cost about Y104, which is about R6, but you only get about 5 slices per packet. I reckon I might have to stick to rice and noodles, afterall. It's a good thing that my skill in using ha-shi (chopsticks, you uneducated westerners!) is improving all the time...
Dewa Ashita...
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sharday
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hey
hey nerd i cant believe you're really there!!! its insane! its been raining constantly since you left but dont worry as usually the surf is like a lake:(...have fun luv shosh