kyoto

Wow don't know where to begin. I LOVE Japan already. Or at least I love Kyoto. Have had one day so far. Arrived last night after being strangely disorganised despite my masterplanning of the trip. Turns out I had no idea how I was going to get from Osaka to Kyoto at 9.30pm when i landed. That was fine as there was express train but envountered bad taxi at 11.30 pm when finally arrived in Kyoto. Was trying to save time becasue I was pretty sure the hostel was closing before midnight. I show him the map and I know it's not far but he has no idea. Then keeps stopping and yelling at me in Japanese using his hands as trumpets to make me understand him! Then eventually he roars all the way back to the station and the auto door opens at the intersection. So i drag my bag out and walk back to the taxi stand and start all over again. Anyway, cut a long story short, same thing happened again and I was resigned to sleeping in the station last night but the second driver drove to the polive and three cops came out and helped him look at the map. Anywho, so i made it. Everything here though, so far, is difficult. Even buying milk for my b'fast. I bought this lemon flavoured milk accidentally, it was the only one with a picture of a cow. So had yuk sour muesli.

But today was amazing and exhausting. It is so so hot and muggy here i hardly slept and even when i set out at the beginning of the Philosopher's walk at the Gingkakuji temple i was already ready to faint. By the time i wandered off all the sides lanes and took way too many photos of wierd and cool little houses i finally got back out to the main road. Intended to come back for a rest but got distracted by the main city area, so got off the bus at Shijo-Kawaramachi and walked the Teramachi arcade then the very fishy but fascinating Nishiki Food Market. Got lost along more side lanes. Tried to find the right bus for ages. Foudn it then got distracted again becasue i could see the Lantern Festival I'd been looking for that is on now for three days. It was dusk so they were just lighting all the lanterns, it was beautiful. Also saw on estall where they selling the tiniest little turtles in tiny plastci containers. They were all squirming and trying to get out.

This sounds wierd but so far, at least Kyoto, is more Asian than i thought it would be. If that makes sense. From what I'd heard i thought it would seem very western. Also, another cliche (but true) the mix of new and technological and fast-paced is interesting mix with the also obvious oldness and tradition and also extreme politeness. The train ticket man in the express last night, for example, bowed and said a little 'speech' to the carriage, and removed his hat, every time he left the carriage or came in, and that was many many times in the hour and a half trip. I looked and no one was looking at him. And he was pretty old. So (assuming he may have been doing his job a while) despite people probably not usually noticing he sincerely bowing and thanking everyone he still keeps doing it.

The other cool thing (and possibly also cliche) is the smallness and bigness of things. Small houses, buildings, cars and small laneways and attention to detail with every aspect of life from every possible thing you might need...And then the big things - massive train station in Kyoto, huge transport network, huge shopping malls, i mean HUGE...