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The adventures of Feather
Well i escaped the market of all things fishy and the bright lights and singing crossings of Tokyo and got the bullet train to Kyoto. Making the mistake of leaving Tokyo in rush hour i was crammed in cheek to jowel with some rather grumpy looking business men, i also didnt queue up nicely in a line like everyone else so got scowled at for that! Was really excited about getting the Shinkansen the fast train! the efficiency is incredible, you buy a ticket and they send you to the exit which takes you to where your carriage will be- amazing! No trekking down platforms here! I hopped on all excited and was a little disappointed.. firstly i was sat between 2 japanese business men so couldnt see out the window and look for Mt Fuji and they had the blind down anyway, how mean, and secondly when it got going it didnt seem so fast... until i saw a white blur go by on the other side for about 4 seconds,one going past- these trains are very long indeed so for it to be that quick passing- pretty fast then ! Arrived in Kyoto expecting beautiful quaint Japanese town with geisha everywhere and japanese gardens,hmmm, was huge sprawling metropolis, was boiling hot, my bag suddenly became so heavy i could hardly stand up, i was starving and couldnt work out which bus to take... lets just say there was nearly a tantrum but a nice man with an umbrella- because its sunny!? helped me. Everyone is very helpful if you look useless and lost which i do , a lot! The guesthouse i stayed in was beautiful a traditional japanese inn so all tatami mats on the floor and wooden panelling and a little robe and slippers for me to wear when i go to bed! i loved it! So the last 2 days i have been looking at beautiful temples and shrines, there are so many and they are all stunning but dare i say i got a bit bored by day 2! My attempt to go see something else- ie a monkey park failed miserable with me on wrong bus, going wrong way and ending up last on the bus in a bus station! ha ha...pretended it was all fine as the driver looked at me quizzically! anyway other than temple hopping and seeing coy carp in all water everywhere, i have become a local celebrity! there are hoards of school children and with them come the brave few who like to talk to you, and interview you and make you sign their books. Its hilarious, 4 separate groups approached me in one day , i was a little annoyed at the last lot as i had just worked out how to buy an icecream and it melted- however it was more than worth it to see the look of wonderment and awe on their faces when i said i was from London! ahhhh rondon,,you are very good. i am in many japanese school childrens photos now doing the customary v sign of course... look that rucy from rondon. So the other famous thing about Kyoto apart from numerous temples and shrines and shrines and temples is geisha. I went on a hunt for geisha last nite but sadly was unsuccessful. the area where all the tea houses and restaraunts they entertain in is beautiful. Tiny alleyways with little teahouses with wooden shutters and red lanterns outside- is this because they are actually high class prostitutes? i saw lots of businessmen going in and out it was all very mysterious and intriguing. I was a bit disappointed i didnt see an actual geisha altho i saw lots of meiko who are geisha in training walking down the street in beautiful kimonos texting on their mobiles! Left Kyoto this morning via another incredible shrine all orange alleyways running up the side of the moutain, so stunning and quite spooky as there are statues of foxes everwhere offering protection- or raiding your bin bags! waiting for the train a geisha walked past me! was so excited just stared! immaculately dressed stunning make up and enormous wooded platform flip flops! she looked breathtaking.. So i am now back in Tokyo taking a last few sights before i fly to Bankgok on Saturday. I saw a sign in a window today which said- the eye speak so more than the lip...i think my eye this last week has mostly been saying- Argggh i have no idea where i am again, argggh its too busy and i confused and arggh my bag why he so heavy?!! but my lip he say nothing- because he cant - no one understand me :(
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