Belated December 16th

Today we explored Takayama on foot. After a reasonably boring breakfast at the hotel we walked to a little market that happens every morning next to the river. We saw a few nice things which we bought as presents and had a nice time watching the ducks and fish coexisting in parallel dimensions. It was really cold.
We started to walk around town and found that Takayama has a few streets of very old buildings preserved in the Edo period style. It was nice to walk around this area but only a few of the shops were interesting. We started walking uphill and headed towards some trees. It turned out that we’d hit the edge of town and that we were walking up a small mountain to some castle ruins. The walk was a little bit tricky but we had some nice views. We started to see out of the valley which Takayama sits in and out to the high snowy mountains beyond. The "castle" turned out to be a flat area and a sign, but the walk was really nice. We headed down the hill by a different route and followed a walking trail on our map. This took us past a mysterious temple, a little spring and shrine with a mossy and icy fountain shaped like a frog, some strange playground equipment in a frosty park and other interesting views.
Eventually we arrived back in a remote corner of town and found a convenience store where we had lunch. The rest of the walk followed a different edge of town but was mostly on normal roads. We walked through a couple more temples and shrines before we got sick of the walk and headed back in the direction of the hotel to rest.
On this last leg of the walk we saw 3 Buddhist temples, each with a huge bell out the front. Why so many bells so close? Do they ring them all at once or alternatively? Are they competitive about their bells? We didn’t even see most of the temples in town, the map had many more marked.
After a rest at the hotel, we walked out to find a post office and some internet. The post office was easy to find but the internet was a bit lame and strange. We asked at the information desk at the station and the man invited us in to use a laptop which is apparently set up for this purpose. It was really slow and crap but we got to check emails and the trains for tomorrow.
We felt like dinner even though it was early so we tried another LP recommendation called Origin, yakitori restaurant. They weren’t really ready for customers but they accommodated us and the food was really, really nice.

Sunday, 14th December!

Chrissy: Today was our full day in Nara. We got up fairly early to eat the Japanese breakfast here, which was miso soup, rice, a strange tofu dish over a FIRE, pickles, lotus root, other veggies, and some other veggies, as well as a baked fish and eggplant. Only little dishes, but it added up to a humungous meal.
We went out with an Australian friend we met last night. The lady at the front desk told us about some deer event happening at 9:30, so we rushed over to Nara Park (it's gigantic) to where it was happening. There were a bunch of people milling around, and then one guy with a french horn (or some other kind of horn?) got up and said something, and then started to play his horn. About 20 seconds later, a herd of deer came pelting out of the woods 50 metres behind him and ran towards him. It wasn't dangerous or anything. It was a really cool spectacle. Chucky thinks that they let them out of an enclosure in the forest, but I think that they were called from afar. We were handed out senbei which is a kind of cracker, to feed the deer. They were really pushy and some tried to eat my coat and bag. One jumped up on Chucky, so it looked like a kangaroo. There were all these little children with the senbei, who were shorter than the deer and were terrified!
Then we went for a walk in the park, which includes many interesting sights. First, we walked to Todai-ji temple, which is the biggest wooden building in the world and contains a really huge Buddha. I don't know if it's the biggest buddha, but it is certainly huge. In the same building, behind the Buddha, there is a huge wooden column with a hold through the base. I have been informed that this hole is the same size as the great Buddha's nostril, and that whomsoever shall pass through it shall be blessed with enlightenment. So we did. We are enlightened.
Continuing the walk, we went to another Buddhist hall where there were monks chanting and praying. I felt weird about watching so I walked away. There were some interesting water features around.
Chucky and our new friend had lunch at a place that sold souveniers and lunches. I watched and drank coke because I was still so full from breakfast. Then we went further into the park to a Shinto shrine area which was really pretty. The Shinto shrine was in a rainforest-type place, still with deer everywhere. They were really tame, and were quite happy to let you walk close to them and take photos.
We walked back to town and got some lunch for me from the Circle K (where strange things were afoot). Yum.
Then Chucky MADE me go out immediately to find a doughnut shop he read about. We walked some arcades and things and found some really amazing secondhand clothes shops. The best one had a cafe at the front, and then a tiny tiny selection of secondhand kimonos and a display case full of retro jewellery, then there was this stage area/display area, and then there were tables where young women in kimonos and colourful sneakers were crocheting things. I felt so left out, I really wanted to join in.
There were a host of other rad second hand clothes shops around too. I bought a ... vest ... which is awesome.
Found our doughnut shop, where Chucky got something. A doughnut. Then we met up with our friend and got Okonomiyaki. Yay! I want my dessert.

Wednesday, 10th of December

Chrissy: Today we moved into a different room within this Hotel. It's a bigger room and has an ensuite bathroom, which means we don't have to use the communal toilet and shower or go to the public baths. They were scary. Everything about this room is nicer: nicer curtains, nicer cups, nicer saucers, nicer kettle, nicer futons, nicer table, nicer cupboard, nicer light. However, Chucky noted with disappointment that the toilet is not heated and doesn't have a bidet. He says he's going to use the communal toilet anyway. I think he should start a blog about Bidets of Japan.
We took a bus around 9:30 to get to Kinkakuji, the Golden Pavillion. It's woderful to enter this temple's grounds to see such a visage. Up close it was beautiful too. It has a rooster weather vein on top of the roof, and the thatched roof was steaming in the sun.
The gardens were not as amazing as Ginkakuji, but I really enjoyed looking at the pond and the little islands in it. It was a clear still morning, just perfect for viewing reflections in the water.
Next we thought we'd go to Ryoanji, which is supposed to be famous for its Zen garden. We walked about 500m in A Direction when we realised it was also the Wrong Direction. Then we decided to go somewhere else instead.
We went to a bakery and got some Meron bread and a pastry called a Curry France. I liked it mostly because it sounds more like our percussion teacher than a food. It was curry. The meron bread was delicious. It is a bun-shaped bread with a crisp layer of sugar on the outside.
We took the bus to Nijo-jo (Nijo Castle). At the bus stop, some schoolgirls wanted photos with us for some reason, and they had to take one with each of their 3 cameras. They could only say "Excuse me! Camera!" and gesticulate. So we posed with them in our usual punch pose which they enjoyed a lot.
Nijo Castle is most famous for its Nightingale squeaking floors. These were made so that ninjas couldn't creep up on the Shogun. I tried sneaking and I ended up squeaking. It's amazing! It's done by putting metal wedges under the floorboards so that they rub together. Then we walked the grournds of the castle. It has two moats! And a garden with 300 Special Rocks from All Over Japan!
We were pretty tired then. So we took the bus back to our hotel, bought some foods from the 7-11 and ate and rested.
Later, we went out again and I finally got to see my shop, Metamorphose. The first and second nights we couldn't find it, and then yesterday we found it but it was closed. It was a great shop! Pretty big for a Lolita shop. It had a couple of beautiful dresses and some lovely accessories and socks and things. The petticoats were... 10,100 yen... so I didn't buy one. I didn't buy anything actually, but I had a great time looking.
Then we went down a road with lots of electronics shops for Charles. We found a shop with lots of cool headphones so he was happy for a while.

Charles: The electronics shop was great, but they had the most headphones I've ever seen ANYWHERE. Sony, Sennheiser, Audio-Technica, Denon, Bose and even Stax. They had some Stax electrostatic earspeakers on display which I tried out. Ridiculously cool.

Chrissy: We ate dinner at an Okonomiyaki shop which was amazingly delicious. We walked all the way home, which was quite a way. At a convenience store I bought a dessert which was creamy and cakey and chocolatey yum.
Tomorrow we're going to go to the Kyoto Costume institute, despite its website saying that it has 3 dresses and 4 undergarments on display. I'm hoping that it's more like 400 dresses and it was lost in translation.