Konichiwa from Japan

I arrived in the land of the rising sun without incident. I had a short layover in Chicago where I was greeted with the usual American charm as they yell at service workers and bark as you ask simple questions. I honestly believe that everyone who comes to Japan should fly through the US to experience the sharp contrast between the extreme Japanese politeness and formality with the abrasiveness of the land of the free.

Osaka is just as I remember it from my last visit: full, colourful, hectic, with all the fixings of a large city and the charm of Japan. Food is everywhere, and you can easily spend most of your day trying different dishes and wondering why there is mayonnaise in everything.

I am reminded too of how dependent I am on Mike while here. There is little to no English anywhere, and the Kanji is completely indiscernible to me. I can't imagine doing what he did: moving here with the clothing on your back, without any formal training in the language.....Two years ago when he visited Canada I asked what the best and worse parts of living in Japan were...the worse being how much of a struggle doing simple things was, like buying cough syrup when you can't tell the difference between bottles and even when you get it home, you're still not quite sure of what you bought. As I watch him now, effortlessly navigate through train changes, conversations with store clerks and reading through menus, I notice he takes this ease for granted, and is reminded of the difficulties as he sees how lost I am....

We have spent the first few days in Osaka, visiting the local market (which is underground...imagine the hustle and bustle of a market underground!), shopping in the shotengai (arcades of shops throughout the streets) and eating upon around the corner.　The jet lag hasn't been too bad this time around, so yesterday I had the energy to visit Kyoto, a city about an hour and a half away from Osaka. Mike took me there last year, but you could never cover all the sites and experiences in a day, and so, we ventured there again. My Lonely Planet says that Kyoto, more than any other city in the country, "offers what a great many Westerners long for in Japan: raked pebble gardens, the sensuous contours of a temple roof, the tripping step of a latter day Geisha in pursuit of a taxi".....this is all so true! Instead of writing about it, I'll let some of my pictures do the talking for me....



This is a river cutting through Kyoto named Kamo...just 1 minute away from the hustle and bustle of the streets, you find locals fishing and enjoying the sun.


Anyone who's seen the famous movie Memoirs of a Geisha may recognize these streets in Gion. I spent the morning wondering through them, hoping to see some real life Geisha when out of nowhere....


Maiko, who are young girls training to be geisha, were walking the streets of Gion....a friend is seen adjusting the kimono. The contrast between the traditional make-up, formal dress and the friend's blue jeans is a small example of the dichotomies present in modern day Japan.

Choin Shrine

This is a traditional Japanese garden....


Walking through the streets you get these wonderful surprises when you look up and see a stunning Pagoda in the background. This one is Iasaka Pagoda.

These streets were lined with shops, a true dream for someone like me, who loves to look at trinkets and eat sweets. Mike and I ate so many free samples that dinner had to be postponed for a few hours. This climb up to Kiyomizudera is steep and a bit long, but the shops along the way distract you from it, and before you know it, you're before a World Heritage Site....

Kiyomizudera


This is Ryozen Kwannon, a large Buddha in commemoration of Japanese soldiers from WWII and for the establishment of a peaceful Japan. This is for Cam, a true WWII buff.

More pictures soon to come....Sayounara!