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We spent this morning strolling through the many little shrines and temple of Tenruji Temple, in Arashiyama, giggling at a particular little chipmunk statue who seemed very proud of showing off his GIANT balls - and wouldn't you be too?The gardens were, of course, beautiful, framed by Kyotos western mountains and as we wandered over the bridges and under the arches we passed many Japanese on their knees, heads down and hands clasped in prayer within the open verandahs. From the temple we walked directly into Arashiyamas famous bamboo grove, towering, swaying green-blue giants, like a scene from some kung-fu movie. I felt tiny staring up at the spots of sunlight struggling through the roof of delicate leaves; the bamboo looked as though they were conspiring to block all the light, leaning together like gossiping women. In the nearby park we heaved ourselves up to the summit point, overlooking Hozu River. It seems to me like all over Japan there are secret rivers and streams popping up wherever you leats expect them!
Last night we walked home by the wide, urban Kamo-gawa river, plesant even though on our other side was the bright strems of headlights and the city sounds of honking horns and screeching brakes. We walked through the park yesterday,. suddenly finding ourselves at another shrine (as well as sneaky rivers there are heaps of random shrines popping up all over the place). After searching at first desperately, then quite without anyhope at all, for a restaurant with reasonably cheap prices and something that could pass as vegetarian, we werejust about to give up and resort to our faithful 7-11 when we spotted a sign from heaven that read "Vegetarian Options Available". We were rushing back from the street we'd just been walking down, having suddenly wporked out thatwe'd been innocently stroklling down a seedy mizu-shobai street of prositution, bars etc. I guess its a sign of how tired we'd become of peering into restaurant windows that we did not notice the big fluruo posters of young japanese girls sporting skimpy costumes from maids to nurses to schoolgirls (the most disturbing, i think) each outfit with bursting buttons that revealed their lacy bras. These girls need new tailors. I retreated quickly, dragging John behind me lol.
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