11 March 2014
Kyoto is small
This evening I discovered that Kyoto is really quite small, something I suspected after seeing it from the top of a hill this morning.
I also found out that theres really not much to see South of the main station, something I also had read some place.
My hotel room has 0 English tv stations, this may be a first, not even NHK World is available. However there is a channel that shows infomercials for spray on hair thats pretty good, and another that shows a puny looking guy who takes some sort of magic pill to turn into an anorexic sickly looking skeleton in just 2 weeks.
This seems to make his parents happy.
The best channel however has a show where 2 babies are put in a room facing each other and a crowd watches through one way glass. Normally the babies just sit there or cry, which is HILARIOUS.
First I headed south to the main station, which has the rather small Kyoto tower on top of a rather enormous Yodabashi electronics store. Under and around the station is more shops than you can fathom.
This is apparently a festival wagon float that geishas are paraded in for sale once a year, according to the signs its being restored. According to me they built a new one out of plantation pine and Nylon rope. None the less, it has its own museum.
OK conspiracy theorists. This is a triangle with an eye in it on top of a building with some kind of crest on it. Ignore that it says Pachinko, thats just a front for a secret society of men who like to hang out nude and determine the outcome of future natural disasters.
Right on dusk and I walked over the river to the east of the city. Not one person was on the large bridge with me. Not many people around at all actually....
I think I have ventured into the non tourist area of town. Nice pipes though. I am going to create a posting on tripadvisor for things to see in Kyoto and call it magical pipe world.
After about 3 hours of walking and 3 stops at convenience stores to use their bathroom followed by buying a pepsi nex to thank them for their bathroom facility (This is a feedback loop), I arrived back at civilization. This is Gion, which is the part of the main street east of the river.
Apparently Gion is the old part of town, could have fooled me. Its more boutique stores rather than department stores, but its still very modern.
It does however have the greatest name ever.
Japanese girls are superior at most things, including birthday party. On a Tuesday night even.
A couple of the larger department stores.
This is a side street off Shinjo Dori, they really love their covered walkways. Rain here wouldnt really be a problem.
I have no issue holding up traffic to take stupid photos.
If you want to molest a cat, heres where you go. I didnt, as its $15 for an hour. Thats about 55 minutes and $14 too much.
Super mario is holding a genuine Gibson Flying V. This is just a trading card shop, which has nothing to do with Nintendo or $2500 guitars.
For dinner, the predictable ramen. I decided to be weak and only have Chasu rather than the ultra thick and fattening Tonkotsu. No English but I looked at pictures and asked which was Chasu or tonkotsu and she pointed them out so I could order the low fat variety.
My snack this evening, not that I need one, is a bottle of hot milk tea, mildly warm by the time I got it home, and a bowl of sand.
I didnt know what to expect with the bowl of sand, turns out it was green tea mochi balls hidden in the sand, but the sand is not brown sugar or anything really. Maybe its actual sand! Somewhat flavourless.
It was the most expensive snack in the circle K, thats all I know.