京都

Thanks to the elderly of Japan (9/18: Respect for the Aged Day), I enjoyed a wonderful three-day weekend of traveling, which began with a long Friday night train ride to Chris's home in Tanba-shi, located in northern Hyogo-ken.

This ostrich is the superstar of Hikami Senior High School. She looks a bit sad; maybe she'd like to live with me in Miki. I would name her Olivia, and we'd go walking together. I wish that I could have taken a better picture, but Chris cautioned me against getting too close to the dangerous beasties, a danger that I understand after having watched Dude, Where's My Car? ("Llamas!").

On Saturday morning, Chris and I visited the bunkasai (cultural festival) of the school of our friend Dylan, where we enjoyed time with him and his girlfriend Heather eating yummy takoyaki and yakisoba and watching student skits.

In the afternoon, we caught a train into Kyoto . . .

Here I am in front of beautiful Kyoto Station, happily holding a grande mocha frappuccino. Whenever in a major Japanese city, I make Starbucks a necessary stop.

Since even traveling through Kansai takes some time, we didn't have the chance to do much sightseeing on Saturday. We did, however, find a pretty great ramen shop (I ate the tonkotsu ramen set.) with all-you-can-eat complimentary kim chi. After dinner, I directed Chris into the Avanti building, where I shopped my heart out at Uniqlo. While in the fitting rooms, we ran into two fellow Hawaii JETs visiting from Shikoku, and we spent the rest of the evening chatting over coffees. Japan may be a bustling country, but gaijin somehow always flock together.

On Sunday morning, we had pancakes and milkshakes at McDonalds before heading off to Kinkakuji. This gorgeous gilded temple is now the background on my cell phone.

We met Dylan and Heather in the late afternoon at Kiyomizu-dera, where the stormclouds overhead finally let loose. With all of the rain, we walked more quickly through the temple grounds than we would have preferred, but I'm sure that we'll have a chance to return. I bought an omikuji that supposedly reads as good fortune. If I'm feeling ambitious, I'll read it later.

Along the tiny street shops leading up to Kiyomizu, we bought tender cream puffs filled with the most delicious, eggy custard. I'm convinced that the best way to eat these treats is to forget all dining etiquette and stuff the little buggers into your face, with custard flying everywhere. I also purchased special special matcha au lait that now begs to be brewed in special special tea ware.

Even though I'd stuffed myself on sweets throughout the day, I had plenty of room for enormous and essentially perfect okonomiyaki for dinner. We met up with friends of Dylan's at a favorite dig of theirs called Jumbo, famous for the savory, eggy Japanese pancake.

On Monday morning, Chris and I took the subway to Nijou-jou (Nijou Castle), a beautifully decorated complex with quaint gardens that I might have enjoyed more had it not been for the heat and my aching feet.

For dinner, we met up with Dylan, Heather, and crew for sukiyaki and drinks at Gyuuzen, another amazing dining experience! We left the restaurant around 8:30 pm, and I didn't make it back to Miki until 12 am. I was just a bit tired the next day.


After all that we saw, heard, and tasted this weekend, my favorite picture is still this one of me and my best friend Habatan (Hyogo Prefectural Mascot), taken at the Kaibara bunkasai.

ピース！