Japan - Day 9 - Kyoto

     Today we are off to Geek Mecca - the Manga Museum in Kyoto.  After a hearty breakfast  by Ian of (those orange) eggs and various breads, we head out to catch Bus 17 downtown.  This bus stop is really close -  just around the corner and down a few stairs.  James has worked out where to get off and takes us unerringly to the museum, where he is immediately lost to all human contact.  Shelves of manga from countries all over the world line the walls and people are spread out reading in chairs and outside in a fake grass area and against walls everywhere.
     There is original artwork all over - some things you are allowed to photograph, others not.  I go and watch the precursor to Manga, a children's picture book type show done by a professional storyteller with many games and voices expressive enough to make up for my lack of Japanese.  (I win a cheap child's ring for my answer: "Tamago"- eggs- one of the few Japanese words I know - to one of the questions.  I put it on my little finger, forget it's there, and cut my lip rubbing it a half hour later and have to staunch the flow of blood in the restroom.  Am I living or what?)
     By around 3 pm I am starving and have to drag James bodily away from the books.  Once out, he decides he's hungry too and we end up with another of those ubiquitous and inexpensive rice bowls with a little meat on top.
     There is a famous Japanese castle down the road a bit, so we go there, pay our admission, and realize that it is 4:00 and they are starting to close down.  We have a hurried self tour - more lovely gardens, a large building with a "Nightingale Floor" which squeaks musically with each step to give warning, lots of other buildings, and a nice big moat - no crocodiles though.  We are not allowed to take any photographs inside.  The cafe sells the elusive Ramune but, again, bottles must be finished and returned immediately.  It's like these things are a National Treasure, or something.
     Afterward, James realizes the Manga museum is open until 6, so he rushes us back (it's actually a warm, sunny day today) and I arrive red-faced and gasping.  I rest on the fake grass lawn, while he attempts to read the entire museum contents in the 90 minutes he has left.
     On our way back to the bus, we detour into a covered shopping area and spend a pleasant few hours shopping.  While looking for James in a geeky looking shop, I find the Holy Grail, 4 different flavors of Ramune in small plastic bottles.  He buys 3 in red, white, and blue, and indulges in the  white one- which tastes just like Juicyfruit gum. He is getting a bit more comfortable with his Japanese now, and tries to talk me into taking the bus back  while he goes on to another anime store he has been told of.  I'm no dummy though.  We have no way of contacting each other and I know, given my directional sense, I'd soon end up wandering the streets of Kyoto at night or accidentally take the bus to Okinawa.  (The bus stop where we get off is different and utterly unfamiliar, so even he admits I was right.)  He drops me off at the door - exhausted and ready for a shower (no baths here, alas) while he expends his 18 year old night owl energy wandering around town at night.
     Tomorrow we're off to Osaka.

The outside of B and B Juno in Kyoto

James is always bumping his head coming out of the Japanese rooms, and you can see why!

Figuring out how to take Bus 17 to the Manga Museum.  James is an awesome navigator!

The Center of all Geekdom.

Manga from all countries- plenty in English to enthrall James.

The pre-manga picture show- very fun

James and I by the museum Phoenix

Umm- James- can we get lunch now- please?

More of those orange-yolked eggs at a convenience store.

At Nijo Castle in Kyoto

No photography was allowed inside, but here we see some Samurai figures from the outside.

More photos of the castle and grounds

It even has a moat!

All week long I've been standing in long lines to avoid these traditional Japanese squat toilets.  You're supposed to squat or kneel facing forward.  At the restaurant, this is the only game in town and, besides, I've seen old women in full skirts use them- how hard can it be?  (Guess who gets to spend the rest of the day with a sweater tied around her waist...)

Back to the Manga museum.

Link to: B&B Juno

Japan - Day 8

     Last night, after our scary gourmet dinner at the Ryokan, I begged James to let us chicken out and get the Western Style breakfast.  I'm so glad we did.  Breakfast was great with fresh fruit and melt-in-your-mouth croissants.  The yolks of the eggs here are bright orange.  (Keiko told us that eggs are more desirable the oranger they are.)  Our chickens that free-range with plenty of green grass lay eggs with bright yellow yolks tending toward orange, but this color is unnatural.  Purina, of course, puts marigold in their layer mix so that confined chickens will lay eggs with bright yellow yolks.  The Japanese have to be putting something in the feed to get this color.  Grated carrots, perhaps?
     I am told that the Kyoto vegetables are very different  and carrots are very large and blood red.  I am overcome with curiosity, but think it fairly unlikely that I will run into a chicken farmer who will tell me.  An internet search leads to speculation that orange peels or safflowers are the source.  Where is Sherlock when you need him?
     Anyway, after our spectacular breakfast, we packed up and our Ryokan proprietress called a taxi to take us to our next place - the B and B Juno.  Run by  Austrians Ian and Sybilla and named after their 9 year old daughter Juno, the place has received many good reviews.  We have a nice upstairs room with 2 futons and there is one other guest down the hall.  The price is very reasonable at 5,000 yen per night per person - or about $120 dollars a night total.
     Ian immediately sits us down with a map of Kyoto and goes over how to use the buses and where the attractions are.  This looks like a great location, there are several temples, including the famous Silver Pavilion, within walking distance.  After a rest, we walk around town, shopping for souvenirs and snacks and end up with an examination of the lovely temple grounds and shrines - very quiet, in spite of all the school kid tour groups being ushered through.
     We find a Japanese restaurant without an English menu so we point at our selections and have a couple of inexpensive bowls of rice with beef for me and shrimp for James.  James finally finds the Japanese soft drink he has been searching for - a kind of sparkling cider in glass bottles which are sealed by a marble.  You push the marble down into the bottle to open it.  Evidently, this drink (Ramune) was discussed by his Japanese teacher and also featured in some of the Manga he reads.  He is thrilled to find it, but crushed that he cannot keep the bottle, even by paying the deposit.  Bottles must be finished and returned at once for recycling.  Rats!  He is still searching for a plastic version.

Our hostess at breakfast at the Shiraume.  An English paper too!

Breakfast is really great!!

Look at that fruit cup made from an orange- and those lovely eggs!

You can buy anything in this world from a vending machine....

James' first Ramune

But they won't let us keep the bottle!

The Silver Pavillion and associated shrines and gardens.

Don't order a taco in Japan.  Taco means octopus!

James decides to try the the taco balls.

He says octopus is good as long as you can't see the suckers.

Japan - Day 7

     Today we need to pack up all our stuff nice and tight because we're off to ride the bullet train!  The bags are getting a bit tighter with all the little souvenirs we are acquiring- hope the zippers hold!  We take the monorail one last time to the Miahama station, then we catch a train to Tokyo (James is navigating here, I am standing around saying helpful things like, "Is this the one?" and "Oooh, look at that  bakery!" or, "Tell me when you see another restroom.")
     Once we get to Tokyo Station,  it takes a while to find the office where we turn in our Japan Rail Pass vouchers that my amazing and too-wonderful-for-words Craig had to FedEx to us.  Then we find a different office to buy the tickets. Then James has to figure the system out again since there are different gates and different signs for the shinkansen (bullet trains.)  James misses having Katsuo there to show him the ropes as he did for the local trains, but we finally manage it.  (Mind you, being male, he still doesn't ask for directions nearly enough, if you ask me....)
     We go up and down a lot of stairs but make it at 11:00 for our 11:03 train to Kyoto.  My guide book advised that we buy First Class rail passes (Green Car) as they have wider seats, are less crowded, and only about 20% more expensive.  I did and the car is certainly uncrowded. We have reserved seats but there are only 2 other people in the whole car.  The seats recline (and, since there's nobody behind me, I don't feel guilty about doing that) and have nice foot rests.  The whole trip takes about 2 hours.  We bought some food to go at a deli in Tokyo and have our breakfast on the train.  The train is FAST.  The record speed for one of these trains is supposed to be 361 miles per hour, but this is one of the slower ones- only 200 mph or so.  It doesn't really go that fast most of the time- only when there's enough time between stops to build up speed, but when it does- oooooh- James and I both felt a little ill and I quickly learned I wouldn't be typing on the train.
     At Kyoto we grab a bun for lunch- the bakeries here are really good with rolls filled with cheese, or ham, or custard or chocolate and everything super fresh and warm. I hit the McDonalds for a drink and somewhere to sit.  The Japanese seem to do a lot of standing and eating, but I want to rest my feet.
    From there we take a taxi to the Shiraume- our Ryokan for the night. This is our big splurge- our one really expensive night on the trip.  The driver's eyes widen slightly as we tell him our destination.  He drives us about 15 minutes (1300 yen- or about  $16) to a river canal lined by mostly restaurants and a few houses.  A fabric drape stamped with their symbol is the only sign.  We step through the curtain into a world of bamboo and aromatic woods and soft voices.  There is a rock garden, then the entrance where we are welcomed.  We remove our shoes and are led to our pretty room with tatami mats and a low table. The room opens on a pretty garden and has a private sink and toilet.  There are bamboo screens which slide, rather than doors, and the floor in the wash area is some sort of carved dark wood that is soft and wavy.  I love the smell of the wood- sandalwood? a type of cedar?
     We are invited to refresh ourselves with a gelatin type sweet and fruit juice.  We have already told them we are Mormon in our communications, so they don't offer us tea or sake. We schedule a time for our baths, dinner, and a massage afterward, then go for a walk around the Gion district.  We stumble into at least one "red light" district with ladies beckoning in doorways but mostly look at the river and historical plaques.  Then it is time to return for our baths.  We take our yukata (cotton dressing gowns) with us to the bath area.  James goes down the hall to a different bath.  I leave my clothes in a basket in an area with a sink and grooming products and step over the threshold onto the stone floor of the bath room.  There are small stools where one is to shower and wash oneself.  You are supposed to be completely clean and soap-free when you actually get into the bath.  The tap is running with hot water and the huge tub is overflowing on to the floor, which drains the water away.  After I wash and rinse, I climb into the huge stone tub- big enough for two and - for me- just the right muscle relaxing steaming hotness.  I turn off the tap and float happily for 15 minutes or so- I know we're supposed to have the bath reserved for 30 minutes- so I reluctantly climb bonelessly out and dry off on the thick brown towels waiting nearby. The sink room has a fan to cool you as you dry off, but I leave the door open to enjoy the sauna warmth.  Even with a brush and blow dryer, my hair reacts to this warm heat by curling Medusa-like into kinky strands.  I'm on vacation, I don't care.  There are all kinds of lotions and cremes, so I try a few.  I hope James notices that there is shaving stuff as well ( he doesn't.)  I put on my yukata, heave a sigh, and head to our room.
     I am quickly informed that my yukata is backwards, and I am shown the correct way to wear it.  Still feeling a Western need for a little more clothing, I decide that underwear will make me feel a bit more comfortable and won't really show...  The low table in our room has been raised to accommodate James'  height and now we have low chairs on which to sit instead of trying our best to kneel or sit cross-legged- much more comfortable for the barbarians.  James' yukata is too small, so he is in his polo shirt and shorts.  We rest for a while, then dinner begins.  The proprietress of the ryokan introduces herself.  She speaks excellent English and says the 160 year old house has always been in her family.  It can only be run by a woman, as is their tradition.  She has a 16 year old son who likes the same manga James likes, so they chat about that off and on.  Each course is described in detail.  James is very brave and eats most things.  I hear things like "octopus eggs with sea cucumber" and my stomach does a back flip.
     One dish has a filamentous layer on top which is actually waving gently in the air.  This is too much even for James, who has heard the tales of live octopus being served.  He pushes back his chair a little and says, in a tremulous voice, "It's moving!"  It turns out this is only dried strips of fish which are waving as they rehydrate, so he relaxes and eats it happily.
     There was choice of Traditional or Kobe beef, so I ordered the beef, but there are still many fishy courses before and after.  The beef course is quite small- 4 squares each about the size of 2 bites ( and James steals one!) but it is fabulous! (Of course, this might be partially because I'm so thrilled to see something recognizable.)  Our hostess says the cattle used for Kobe beef are very specially cared for.  They listen to classical music, are fed beer every day, and massaged every afternoon.  These stressless cows are supposed to produce the most tender beef in the world.  All in all, it is a memorable meal and I took many pictures.
     Now we are invited to rest in the library, where there is sake and internet access, while our room is prepared for sleep.  When we return, there are 2 comfortable futons and soft pink and blue pajamas laid out.  I like my pink ones, and also the flowered socks with a separate place for the big toe. (James is out of luck again.)
     Then it is time for the massage.  There is a big strong-looking man for James (wearing a mask- wouldn't want to get any barbarian germs) and a little old lady for me.  I think to myself, "Oh, give me the man, I don't want a wimpy massage," but this woman has thumbs of steel.  She does a great job- getting into the sore muscles but never quite so deep as to make me scream and unsettle the calm of the ryokan.  James is utterly silent as he receives his first massage.  When I asked how it was, he is noncommital- "Umm, OK, I guess.  It's weird being touched by a dude."  Then we are off to sleep in our nice thick futons.   It has certainly been a memorable day!

Picking out lunch at one of the many Tokyo Station delis.

Comfy seats on the bullet train.

Our pretty room at the Shiraume.

Garden view out of our room.

Pretty private wash area.

Outside the Shiraume

All sugar should come like this...

Futons never looked so comfortable!

Bathed, fed, and massaged, (like the cows) I am ready for sleep.