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Run run run! Go go go! Why can't I just settle down for awhile? Perhaps this is the problem with my whole life, but at least I get to see a lot! I've really struggled with which photos to add to this entry as I have taken so many. I hope I can give the Kansai area of Japan justice! I've taken the night bus from Tokyo, arriving in Kyoto at 5am. The bus ride wasn't too bad. Apart from the fact that the guy sitting next to me snored his way onto my shoulder, and then both of the reading lights were directed onto his side. When I arrived in Kyoto, I was slightly overwhelmed by the magnitude of the station. I hadn't envisioned the cutting edge granite and glass towers in a city known mostly for its' temples and peace agreements. Nonetheless, I found the lockers and the washrooms and made myself respectable for an early start on the temple tourist track.

Historic Temples and Futuristic Expo

Coffeecat
2005-12-24 19:27:10

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a waste of time. I found it incredibly useful to be able to navigate from above. And I was then able to see the wooden pagoda that I had come so close to just an hour earlier. I laughed at the sight of an amusement park on some of the building rooftops. And seeing the birdseye of a Japanese crosswalk was interesting. The

Even the floor here was sooooooo clean!
Japanese are very clever with their crosswalks. Not just from A to B and B to C, but a diagonal straight through the middle. Saves so much time! And rather then the chirp or the beep to tell you that you can now walk, you have a melody that will stick in your head for the rest of the day. After I took in the sights from above, I had a chance to fulfill my caffeine needs at the base of the tower. Have no fear Starbucks is f***ing everywhere.

I had seen a garden (just 1 of 250 in Kyoto) from the tower so it became time to chill out and plan the rest of the day. As I approached the pond I thought Japanese Jaws was coming my way. The Koi fish were so quick to pick up on a human presence, somebody might be feeding them! The water rippled in every direction and I finally had to give in. I should be eating Japanese noodles for lunch, not the sandwich a had stuffed into my bag anyway!! Around the corner I saw elegant white cranes fishing for their lunch. The dragonflys nearly swarmed me and the mosquitos ate

me alive. Being in this garden I felt like I had seen so many symbols of Japan, apart from the mosquitos. I think Winnipeg Canada might win the prize there!

Looking on the map I thought it might be a half hour walk to the another temple. My problem with tourist maps surfaced yet again, as they don't seem to find it necessary to put in all the roads. As I couldn't read the street signs I counted the number of roads to the point of turning, thus skipping roads on a map can make things ...