geisha up close, originally uploaded by docfranxusc.

So we've finally taken a few days of actual leave to explore more of Japan...

Started with a few days with my Uncle Pete and Aunt Deb who were on their way to China and stopped off in Tokyo, for an action-packed day of sightseeing...Ueno park, the markets below the Ueno station, Ginza, the Sony Building, Hermes (ok our credit cards were practically charged walking through the door), and then halfway across the city to Shibuya to witness the mass of humanity crossing the street. A Fabulous tempura dinner and some fantastic sake...and they were off and so were we the next day...

kyoto is lovely. Really, as they all say, a jewel. There is some city to it. It's not all just old buildings. But there are a lot of old buildings, a lot of history and it is definitely oozing with charm.

Justin and I hoofed it all over the place in the 3 days we've been here...seen all the major sites and some not so major (more details in some of the pictures)....quite literally I think we've walked well over 15miles of the city alone. For those who know the place, we've been to kyoto station (duh), nishi and higashi hogan-ji temples, Nijo castle, the imperial palace,Pontocho alley, the gion district (and everywhere within), the yasaka shrine, the Kiyomizu temple, down the Philosopher's walk, including stops at the Silver Pavilion, the Nanzenji temple, Honen-ji temple, the Golden pavilion, the Nishiki fish market and everywhere in between those spots that has a little bit of shipping....

We took an organized tour of the city on Sunday because, while we could have toured some of the sights ourselves, you never really get a good story about the whole thing without a) reading an entire book or b) taking a guide with you. in the interest of time, we chose the latter.

We also saw Nara, Japan's first capital, where the biggest buddha in Japan lives and deer roam freely throughout the park. We could even feed them deer cookies!

That is not to say, though, that I haven't seemed like a navigator on a ship for most of this trip. I feel like i'm back in chemistry class...looking at a chart, cross-referencing a text....we were working off of 3 good maps and 2 guidebooks, trying to hit places of interest, good eateries and finding the right train. About every 20min, I had to stop and check where we were, so we weren't missing anything! (or lost for that matter)

Of course, if you've ever been to Japan - and even when you live here - navigating is like, well, putting your thumb up to the wind and hoping it leads you in the right direction. Today we spent the day looking for some sought-after "shopping" places in one of my guidebooks...yeah. East of Teramachi, North of Rokkuku...okay. we circled that series of blocks for an hour. No freakin' sign that matched the name in my book...then, after 2 hrs of wandering around, we got on the subway and when we surfaced... Which way did we come out of the station? Couldn't orient b/c the MAPS ARE BACKWARDS! (no seriously -- the maps at the station were situated with south at the top!)...AAGH! By 2pm, with no food, without a single destination from my trusty guidebook (previously reliable), and heading north instead of south, I lost it. I mean, I AM A GOOD NAVIGATOR...WHY DON'T THESE ROADS WORK???

Thankfully, a little food always puts things in perspective.

We did find some very cool things...but mostly looked at a lot of them. Many many antiques...esp porcelain. So beautiful.

But it was more interesting to get lost in the crowd a bit.

These geisha were amazing. Very decorated. But they are geisha-in-training...the one in the foreground: if you look closely you'll see the cell phone in her hand AND she has braces (well, you can't see that in the picture, but we passed her up close)...she and her friend were on their way to the same temple we were looking at...

Ended the day appropriately at an organic buffet...organic for me, buffet for Justin. Works harmoniously

We are off to a Temple Sale tomorrow (held the 21st of each month) and then on to Hiroshima. More adventure to come...so tired now ....i'm going to need vacation from my vacation!!!