Kyoto

Since Kathryn has arrived in Japan we have been doing so much sightseeing I've haven't had much time to write.

The past four days we spent in Kyoto with one day trip to Nara. There were beautiful temples and shrines galore- some very much advertised and some so normal to be almost hidden away. It oftentimes seemed that there was some sort of ancient spiritual space down every little street.

One of the things that amazes me most about Japan is exactly this- that everything coexists one on top of one another. World heritage sites, temples, and emblems of thousands of years of history literally stand right next to love hotels, huge glittering shopping arcades, and the cutting edge.

Yesterday we saw Maiko (trainee geishas) do their spring dance performance in the gion district of Kyoto. The costumes were beautiful!

Other quick highlights- having real matcha at kiyomizu dera, going to hanami (Japanese tradition of going to a park area to enjoy the cherry blossoms and have a picnic) and joining in the local revelry, feeding sacred deer in Nara and getting our only map eaten by a mangy male deer, eating all different types of food- trying out the different regional ramen specialties, eating hot nabe at a soba restaurant that has been in business for over 300 years, eating okonomiyaki which was prepared on a hot plate before our eyes....