Kyoto, Kiki and Jiji

After lots of fun with the family we went off to explore Kyoto. Speed limits on motorways here are Very Slow so there's lots of time to check out whats going on around you. For example, we drove along side a gang of bikers for quite a while on the road to Kobe.

Awesome.

I have noticed a lot of people sleeping on public transport or generally in public here. I guess people work a lot longer and harder but also people don't really seem to steal here so you can relax without worrying that you will wake up to find all of your possessions gone! The guy in the overalls had cool glasses.

ZZZzzzzzzZZZzzzzzZZzzzz.....

I think I've eaten McDonalds about twice in the past 10 years but someone said you have to try the Teriyaki Fillet-o. You don't. McDonalds is disgusting, even in Japan.

MISTAKE

There are many birds of prey here.

I don't really have many digital pictures from here.... also we spent a lot of the time just walking and walking and walking which was nice but I can't show you. I spent a lot of time walking in circles while Rowan did Proper Photography.

Then we went here:

Manga Museum!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Starbucks' Sakura range for the cherry blossom season, made with cherry blossom. Sickly sweet and girly pink.

Gion, we MIGHT have seen a couple of Geishas... but not sure.

This is in the equivalent of Chicken Cottage. Mine is a pork curry with soup rice and an egg. Much nicer than it looks/sounds!

'Studenty'

Our hostel in Kyoto. If I knew what it was called I would not recommend it. For £25 a night we basically slept on the floor of a student's house (I know that's a picture of a bunk bed but there was mold and pubes.) It was right next to Kyoto University though, so it was cool seeing my Japanese counterparts.

I bought a Kimono!

The lady tried to teach me how to tie it... I forgot.

I've been surprised how many women do walk around in kimonos and the sandals with toe-socks. Mostly it seems to be elegant middle-aged and older ladies who look absolutely stunning and have the most intricate hairstyles. Also quite a few 20somethings, perhaps just for special occasions and they have equally fancy hairstyles but always with a section that is backcombed and fluffed like a catwalk style.

We were only in Kyoto for a few days before moving on to visit Osaka. I think I will need to do a follow-up to this when I get my films back since it seems a bit bare without the MILLIONS of pictures of cherry blossom and cats... But for now, it was time for one last coffee before we went to the station...

Iced Coffee

Rowan had crazy curry with rice, beef, egg AND cheese!?!

I was craving cheesiness so I had 'pizza-toast'

We spent at least two hours running around the station before we went to buy our tickets. The building is Amazing. On the roof there is a garden with a plaque explaining how it represents the bridge between Old and New Kyoto and how it symbolizes going down a mountain into a valley but it was a but pretentious and badly translated so I can't really explain! It is like having a valley between two mountains though, and going across the top like a rope bridge is....

The SKYWAY!

Descending from the Skyway

Oh and you may be wondering where Jiji comes into this. While we were in Kyoto it was our 2 year anniversary so Row bought me a kitten-sized Jiji, because I am obviously Kiki (I had a black cat until recently and she has the same hair as me) and he got a dust sprite which I guess makes him.... Totoro?

We went for dinner at a sushi restaurant and ate until we got eat no more and got tipsy on sake. Very fun!

Bye Bye Kyoto!

幸せな猫を持っている希望

=^..^=
xxx