All the same

Kyoto

Does Japan make me zen? Looks like I took a break from writing in the last few days.

I would blame the Golden Week, which made me spend a lot of time in transportation.

Like I planned, since there is no available room in Kyoto or Nara (40 minutes away from Kyoto), I needed to go back to Osaka to sleep.

In the end, it was a good thing. Only 15 minutes away with the shinkansen (fast train). The hostel was average, but since there was almost nobody sleeping there, it was fine. The woman working there spent each and every day in a small room with her dog. We would never see her. And all the beds were in the only room on the second floor, with minimal lighting. Nothing fancy. But very good to meet people.

It was even easier to get in Kyoto in the morning, with the fast train, than trying to use the transportation in the city itself.

I spent one day in Nara, known for its huge wooden temple... and its deers. Like everywhere else, the sky was on the verge of tearing itself apart. But only a few drops fell. Japan is almost as bipolar as New Zealand...

That said, Nara, Kyoto, Osaka... one ends up visiting so many temples. And they are all looking similar. Unless you really know the story behind each one. The problem is, Kyoto is THE temple city.

How many, Mam? 1600 buddhist temples. And yes, Sir, you're right when you're adding 400 shinto sites. 17 are listed as Unesco world heritage. And I, who is there, I'm thinking that 10 or 12 temples are enough for me. Enough! Especially when you pay 500 JPY each time to visit.

In most cases, you can't even geet IN the temple. The Golden Pavillon, one of Kyoto's symbols, is supposed to house relics from Buddha. But you can only see it from a distance, stuck in between hundreds of Japanese who are trying to take some pictures. Eight minutes later, your 500 JPY are gone.

Sushis

Japan is the perfect place to eat sushis. Fresh ones. With a conveyor on which the sushis are going around. In the end, you pay for the number of plates you have taken. There is a line at the door to eat in those restaurants. It's not too expensive and it's worth it. Better than eating at home.

Seduction

My theory about white men in Asia is confirming itself. One doesn't need to be good looking to seduce a Japanese girl. That's what a woman confirmed : they all want an eurasian baby, half-white, half-asian. That woman was sorry she married a japanese guy because their children will be totally asian. But be careful. I was told the north-american techniques to seduce are perceived as agressive here.

Anecdotes

Funny anecdote. In the bathroom of my hostel in Osaka, there was a big "Toilet.cam" poster, a poster you can buy on Amazon for example. It shows a lot of things that can happen in a bathroom... Strangely, when I saw it, I had the reflex of looking around to make sure there was no camera in that bathroom...

Still in the anecdotes area, I tried to recharge my new razor, the one that saved my life in Hong Kong, but it looks like the adaptor I bought there isn't working here in Japan. For now, I have two electric razors I can't use. As soon as I get in Tokyo, I'll try to find a new cable which will work for both. Let's see if I can. Japan is the place where all technologies are after all.


Soon the be three months

Times goes by very fast. Soon, half of my trip will be behind me. Still so much to see. But already a lot has gone by. I'm heading to Nagano tomorrow morning (May 7th in Japan). Indeniable sign of time, I'm now ready to use my South-East Asia guidebook. The one as thick as a dictionnary that makes my bag heavy from the start.