Kyoto (part deux)

The next morning we caught the train out to another Shrine. It's at least all very convenient. The following photo was taken having walked across the pedestrian crossing outside the train station.

This particular Shrine is fox themed

Although in reality it's much more red gate themed.

There are over 10,000 torii 

After that we had a quick lunch and headed to Gion Corner where we had tickets to see Miyako Odori, an annual production put on by the Geiko.

As an option for the expensive tickets was participation in a tea cermony.

A Geiko and a Maiko.

She makes the tea.

She sits around looking shifty.
And serves the tea.

All up, it was like attending weirdo Japanese opera.

We then went to another shopping arcade.

One of the many photos I have of shoe stores.
For some reason I took zero on the last trip. I'm glad we're correcting that oversight in spades.

That evening we were booked in for a dinner with a Maiko providing entertainment. There was some dancing, and then she played fisty cuppy with some of the audience. After that she provided badly translated answers to badly translated questions she was asked, which was interesting.

Heading out the next morning it became apparent that Emma is, like, super racist.

While I was busy chuckling at the mistranslation that resulted in the "central prevention against center" (what ever that is)...

...she was rolling around on the floor laughing because the hotel lobby on the map is labelled "robby"

Anyway, after chastising her for laughing at cultures with a disabled alphabet, we went out to check out a nearby bamboo forest.

We got slightly lost and ended up at a Monkey farm, which we wanted to see because Monkeys!

Unfortunately, the Monkey farm is up the side of a mountain.

I thought catching the elevator up Kyoto tower was hard work...

We reached the top and were presented with Monkeys

There was an area where you could feed them without being mobbed to death.

Guess who needs to be quarantined?

And some Monkey chew toys that people who had no concern about getting rabies in their eyes could use to view the city below.

Having had our fill of Monkey, we decended again and found the bamboo forest.

We headed back to the main train station.

Each station has a fare adjustment machine where you can insert your ticket and pay extra if you initially didn't pay enough for the trip you ended up taking. I assumed it was in case you changed your mind mid journey and decided to go somewhere else instead, but apparently it's for when you insert your money and then clumsily hit the wrong button and get a ticket for an amount less than you need.

After lunch it was time for a tour to Nara.

They have deer

A salmon gate

And of course a shrine.
The largest wooden building in the world or something.

It houses this guy.

Outside the Shrine is a statue of Buddha Judas, who if you are inflicted with an ailment, you can rub that part of his body to receive healing (because he was a doctor)

I frankly can't think of a worse idea for trying to get better than
touching something that loads of sick people have been rubbing themselves
up against, but I guess I'm just not that spiritual...

Emma let the deer lick her

Now the poor deer will have monkey rabies.

And then fed them

After Nara we went to another temple.

Each temple seems to have had a monk that was way too into a certain thing. Torii gates for example.

With this one it was stone lanterns.

Otherwise, it was pretty templey

We had dinner at a Sushi restaurant inside the Theatre inside the Train Station.

And then the next morning caught the train to Osaka.

Such pretty country side.

Anyway, we arrived at Osaka-Shin station and Emma's racism reared it's ugly head again.

She's taken to pointing at things written in Japanese and making random noises, imitating what she thinks the language sounds like. (She actually sounds more Chinese)

For example, we arrived at the station and she pointed at some shops or something and excitedly shouted "Bu Fu Wu!".
I said, "What?", and she repeated "Bu Fu Wu!" gesturing wildly.
I said that I had had enough of her racist nonsense, but pointed out that we were standing in front of a lovely looking sake/wine bar that we should come back and try later on in the day.
She agreed and suitably chastened we went on our way.

The wine bar

Unfortunately I got a smoking room, which smelled a fair bit.

Although it did have a fire pail, which was a novelty

And a decent view

Special addendum: we're currently out for dinner on Emma's second last night.
The waiter keeps asking Emma questions in Japanese and she keeps answering "si".
I guess if you speak one of those bongo bongo languages you speak them all...