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Shouting into the Storm
Rantings, ramblings, observations and musings from the insipid to the sublime
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Japan - Day 2
Saturday, May 14, 2005 :::
Ah, this is more our style. None of this waking up early crap. After staggering out of bed around 10, I cooked up a batch of scrambled eggs and sausage for breakfast. We strolled a few blocks up the street to Mybudera Temple. Smaller and less ornate than many of the other places we've been, but still nice. The turtles sunbathing in the gardens were a favorite of mine. This was also about the same time I thought to myself "Hey, it's sorta warm today."
We strolled along the main drive where they are setting up for a big festival/parade today. Thus I got to have my first serving of tacoyaki of the trip. Tacoyaki is small pieces of octopus in balls of fried batter. While very tasty, these were pretty heavy on the batter, light on the octopus. We ate and chatter in the shade while watching a youth baseball team practice.
Such a nice day needed a nice outdoor event, and so it was we ended up at the Kyoto Botanical Gardens. Words would fail to do this justice. If you're into flowers, this is your place. If you have allergies, well, avoid it at all costs. The roses were the highlight, and the large open lawn was also nice. Lots of families out for an afternoon picnic. Also quite a few people with sketch pads sitting up close to flowers and sketching away. Alas, it was getting toasty out, and we were running low on food. Following the sounds of a wounded trombone player, we made our way to lunch. As far as I can tell, it was All Fried Stuff, All The Time. Rice, fried shrimp, fred chicken, a salad and half a gallon of water. Totally food coma type stuff.
Next up was a bus ride over to Kingaku-ji temple, better known as the Golden Pavilion. This is one of the most popular and most well known temples in the city if not the entire country. And with good reason. The pagoda in the middle of the lake is covered in gold leaf, and gorgeous. Chris and I both took turns trying to take arty pictures of it, and I believe we succeeded. The walk around the grounds was nice for a few reasons. There was plenty of running water to see and hear. It was getting on in the afternoon, and the temps had started to drop. And overall, it is just a pleasant area to stroll around.
Showing our age, it was decided to just meander back to the apartment and chil for the night. Pizza, beer, a movie and some reading wrapped things up. I'd say I'm pretty much acclimated to the time out here, and so we can start doing what we do best on these trips - drink sake and sing karaoke.
Off to the Suntory brewery today and then hang around Osaka. Othern that airport, I've never seen Osaka. Should be fun.
But, is it just me, or is warm out? *grin*
::: posted by Chris at 8:18 PM
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