When Jo and Nate first arrived in Japan, they lived in Gunma province. Jo loves going back there and found out there was a cherry blossom festival on there at the weekend. So, we headed out of the big smoke to the little smoke.
Jo had arranged for us to stay in the old family home of one of her friend's. It is a traditional Japanese house with views of the mountains, a stream, and cherry blossom. The rural idyll. It came complete with a grumpy father in law, muttering what might have been "what are these foreigners doing in my house?". Photos to follow!
The cherry blossom festival was very serene. There was an alley of cherry blossom trees in full bloom, and food stalls selling loads of goodies. Beautiful. Plus, a gorgeous crisp, sunny spring day.
Then we went to a housewarming party, which Jo and Nate had been invited to. It was great. The host, Kaske (probably spelt wrong) was friendly and kind and laughing about his time spent learning English in that great town of Eastbourne. He had also just built the type of house that Grand Designs teams dream about until they realise the practicalities. We loved the toilet controlled by a remote and with an automatic sensor so the lid lifted up when you walked in and relaxing music played (Holst, The Planets, Jupiter, in case anyone is interested). The built in fireman pole in his living room was cool. We asked why he had it. He said "So people can have fun climbing it". A couple of glasses of wasabi wine later and Martin did.
Gaijin (foreigner)
So, we left the security of Jo and Nate and their amazing language ability and on Monday morning headed to Kyoto. Well, ok, Jo had left us a note with detailed instructions of how to get to the right station in Tokyo.
The bullet train (shinkansen). VERY fast. Very clean. Makes you feel like a 12 year old on your first train journey again.
We passed Mount Fuji (very quickly) and many other places. Quickly. Blurry photos to follow.
Geisha
Kyoto is the traditional heartland of Japan. When you imagine old Japanese cities, you are thinking of Kyoto. Beautiful cobbled streets with bamboo and wooden buildings. More temples than you could ever see in a visit. And Geisha. We have been fortunate to see a few of these elusive ladies, all made up, quickly scurrying away. To kill the romance a little, the ratio of geisha to tourists taking photos of geisha is approximately 1:20. Photos of tourists taking photos of geisha to follow.
We've spent our time in Kyoto doing what we love best - walking and eating. The place is divine. It is cultured, elegant, and beautiful, in a very Japanese calm, zen way. When the UK is no longer cut off from civilisation, we heartily recommend a trip out here. Japan is awesome.
We went to the Nishiki Food market. Everything from mini octopus on sticks ,to fat fish still alive, to fish heads on sticks, to various unidentifiable sloppy things. Great fun. Even Martin is afraid to say he eats anything out here.
We're ashamed to admit, we ended up in Starbucks today. We'd been looking for a cuppa for ages and it was raining. And cold. We feel dirty.
Two years of bliss
Yesterday was our 2 year wedding anniversary. It was great to be in such a romantic city. We treated ourselves and went out for a lovely meal.
Has marriage changed Martin? By Kara
Today Martin has done 3 very un-Martin things:
- When approached by an Australian woman in Starbucks who was chatting to us, Martin said "Would you like to join us?". Kara almost fell off her chair.
- In the food market we bought 3 sweets. We didn't like them. When we met a pair of fellow travellers and told them about our buys, Martin offered them the third one.
- Finally, we approached (probably a scam) by some Japanese woman collecting for an earthquake appeal. Martin gave her change (about 20p).
Kara is a bit perturbed. What has happened to the nice, reserved, suspicious man she married? Is he gone for good or will he return when we get home?
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