Kyoto
So far, I must say, my favourite place in Japan has got to be Kyoto. It's a large city situated in the Kansai region of Japan, and therefore in close proximity to Osaka, Kobe, and of course Tatsuno. It has a tremendous historical and cultural heritage, and many of the ancient buildings still stand and blend well with the more modern architecture. There are many temples and shrines to keep you occupied during the day, and at night there's a real buzz about the place. I went there three weeks ago with fellow JETs Kim and Rob, as well as three Japanese friends, Tadashi, Akio and Tomo.
Tadashi opted to drive us there in a minibus, and this worked out well since, unlike those in Nara, many of Kyoto's temples are spread out across the city. We were also helped by the fact that he lived in Kyoto for a total of eight years, although apparently this meant he knew more about the bars than the temples and shrines. After visiting some sites of interest and a flee market we checked in at our ryokan (traditional Japanese inn). But before turning in for the night we sampled the nightlife. Along the streets at night we spotted a few Geisha, which was cool. The ryokan was a little expensive but in the end worth it since we were served traditional Japanese breakfast in our room in the morning (not to disimilar to that served at Koyasan).
The following morning we watched a festival procession for a couple of hours before getting some ramen and then heading home. On the way home I dropped some not too subtle hints to Tadashi that he should help us in our quest to find Kim a Japanese boyfriend. For some reason I could sense he was reluctant...
Loz: Tadashi-san...
Tadashi: Yes.
Loz: Do you have any nice friends for Kim to meet?
Tadashi: Maybe no.
Loz: Kim wants to meet some nice Japanese guys.
Tadashi: Ah.
Loz: Kim likes strong men.
Tadashi: Japanese men aren't strong.
Announcing our arrival in Kyoto. Us outside the ryokan. Me, Akio, Tomo, Rob and Kim.
Kinkakuji - Silver Temple.
Tea and cakes Japanese style. Kim, me, Tadashi, Rob, Tomo, Akio.
Tadashi opted to drive us there in a minibus, and this worked out well since, unlike those in Nara, many of Kyoto's temples are spread out across the city. We were also helped by the fact that he lived in Kyoto for a total of eight years, although apparently this meant he knew more about the bars than the temples and shrines. After visiting some sites of interest and a flee market we checked in at our ryokan (traditional Japanese inn). But before turning in for the night we sampled the nightlife. Along the streets at night we spotted a few Geisha, which was cool. The ryokan was a little expensive but in the end worth it since we were served traditional Japanese breakfast in our room in the morning (not to disimilar to that served at Koyasan).
The following morning we watched a festival procession for a couple of hours before getting some ramen and then heading home. On the way home I dropped some not too subtle hints to Tadashi that he should help us in our quest to find Kim a Japanese boyfriend. For some reason I could sense he was reluctant...
Loz: Tadashi-san...
Tadashi: Yes.
Loz: Do you have any nice friends for Kim to meet?
Tadashi: Maybe no.
Loz: Kim wants to meet some nice Japanese guys.
Tadashi: Ah.
Loz: Kim likes strong men.
Tadashi: Japanese men aren't strong.
Announcing our arrival in Kyoto. Us outside the ryokan. Me, Akio, Tomo, Rob and Kim.
Kinkakuji - Silver Temple.
Tea and cakes Japanese style. Kim, me, Tadashi, Rob, Tomo, Akio.
posted by Laurence at 4:58 PM
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