Walk and Shop

My day started very early today. For whatever reason, my eyes flew open at 7:30 AM and refused to go back down. I tried to close them and get more sleep, but my body refused. I'm a bit irritated with myself. I can wake up at 7:30 when I'm on vacation and relaxing, but I cant wake up at 8:00 to make my classes, which are far more important?! Although I suppose it's better than being late, I still cant believe it. I got ready and headed downstairs and tried out Seattle's Best. I should have gotten coffee, but I felt like having hot chocolate, and bought a pastrami sandwhich too. It was a bit expensive, but it was very delicious, so I'm okay with it. I headed to the station and promptly got lost trying to find an ATM. I was looking for the ゆちょう銀行 ATM I saw last night, but I couldnt find it; I ended up heading to the 7-11 that's next to my hotel, and withdrew money there. After wandering around a little bit more, I bought my ticket for the subway and headed to the station where I would meet my friend. I was a bit early to the meeting place, so I walked around some more at 四条通り until twelve o'clock rolled around. Outside of the Krispy Kreme store, I finally saw my friend. I hadnt seen here in such a long time, I didnt notice her until she was waving me in the face.

My friend is studying here in Kyoto, at Doshisha University. Although she's with a mainland college, UHM also has a trading relationship with the school. Unfortunately, this semester, I didnt know any of the UHM kids studying there, so there is no one else here in this city I want to hang out. On the other hand, a friend of mine in Hawaii is going to be up here next semester. Although they'll be in different programs (and apparently different campuses), I want to introduce them to each other. It's always nice to see a friendly face, and rely on the experiences of another person that knows what it's like. In other words, I think I'll be making another trip to Kyoto either at the end of March, or perhaps the beginning of April. ^_^

Although I've been to Kyoto before, I've never been to 銀閣寺 and the Philosopher's Walk before. They're both in the northern part of the city, and this is where my friend decided to take me today. Ginkakuji is not actually covered in silver, as its name would have you believe. Apparently it was never finished, which made me remark that maybe it should be called 未銀閣寺, or Unfinished Ginkakuji. But the garden which surrounds it is quite beautiful, and I did enjoy walking around it. After that, we walked around, and went into another shrine complex nearby. I have no idea what it's called, but apparently, one of the 神 enshrined there is one of the older kami, who came before Izanagi and Izanami. In any case, we entered the complex and made it up to the shrine. After giving my offering and praying a bit, I decided to play omikuji. I think it was a good one, so I kept it.

Because my friend doesnt spend a lot of time in that section of the city, she didnt fullly understand the bus system there. After getting frustrated, we decided to walk down 今出川通り, which is a HUGE stretch of road. But it was fun to walk there, because we passed by many interesting buildings, like a shrine to Hachimangu (I think) and Kyoto University. When we got to the 加茂川, we stopped a bit because of the turtle stones. To cross the river, you can either walk across a regular bridge, or you can walk over the stones that cross the river. A few of the stones are shaped into turtles! I thought it was the cutest thing. We didnt cross the river, but it was such a site to see. My friend told me that it must look pretty during the spring, and that she hoped to have a picnic near the river. I hope she can! 景色が綺麗なはずなんだよ。

Another trip on the subway (different line) brought us to our next destination, which was another part of 四条. I dont know what it's called in Japanese, but one of the English maps I have called it a shopping arcade, and the similar location in 広島市 is called 本通. In any case, it's a covered set of streets, lined with hundreds of different shops with various things for sale. Today, I mostly did window shopping, just to see what was for sale. My interest was picqued by the many clothing stores, some of which had some really interesting things for sale. I especially was taken by a pair of jeans, that had two family crests on the pockets. However, it was about $240, which is FAR too much for a pair of jeans in my opinion. Part of this area also links up to the Nishiki Market, which the Internet said is a good place to go shopping. They sell mostly food there, so at first I wasnt too keen on buying things there, but I soon changed my mind. While there were many foods there that need to be refriderated and/or eaten very soon, there was also a lot of dried foods and others that can be stored for a long time. I think I will buy some omiyage there, because it'll last if I hold it on me until I go back, or mail it before then.

My friend also wanted to show me another department store that she absolutely loves. I had heard about Loft from one of the girls in my program at Hiroshima, but I have never been in it. But it is another interesting store, with a lot of products I've never seen before. My friend has a thing for elephants, and really wanted to buy the elephant shaped clock in the lobby. I was interested in the many items they had in the housewares department. The many greeting cards they had there too was huge too. There were small cards and big cards, and even little books that had a birthday greeting within them. I wonder if I will go there again, because there are several birthdays next month, and I dont think I can buy those cards in Hiroshima.

I'm sure you're wondering what I bought, right? Like I said, I was mostly interested in looking around, so I didnt buy a lot of things I wanted. However, I have been looking for a small messenger bag for the longest time. I dont like stuffing my pockets full of things, and sometimes I need to carry slightly bulky items. But my school bag is a little too big, and gets in the way of things. But I found a small messenger bag that holds just enough, and looks pretty nondescript. I also did プリクラ for the first time since I've been here. I thought all of our pictures came out really cute, and it was so much fun. I really want to do プリクラ again with more friends!

I bet you're also wondering what I ate today too? For lunch, we went to a 回転すし, which I havent been able to eat at yet. In fact, since coming to Japan, I havent had ANY sushi, which is both ironic and also a bit pathetic. So as you can imagine, I enjoyed this lunch VERY much. I had うなぎ, エビフライ, and also から揚げ. Okay, maybe that last one isnt sushi, but I get it any time I can. =P For dinner, we went to a Korean restaurant near the shopping area. My friend said it's the best Korean restaurant she's been to, and I am inclined to agree. I had the bibimbap, which my second favorite Korean food (the first being mandoo). While I got the normal bibimbap, my friend got hers served in a stone bowl, which made the rice all browned and crunchy. It was a bit on the expensive side, but this was definitely worth it. I dont have a lot of experience eating Korean food, but I definitely think that this restaurant was pretty flippin good. Because this filled us up, we didnt have any dessert type foods. Next to the Korean place was a store selling Hawaiian yogurt. Not sure what makes yogurt Hawaiian, but the music they played there definitely made me think of home. Also, a churro shop has recently opened, and because I've never had a churro, my friend wanted to take me there. Oh well, there will definitely be a next time, so I will eventually try these two places.

Today was definitely a good day. First of all, I got to catch up with a friend, and I really enjoyed hearing how her homestay is going. I also saw parts of Kyoto that I've never really been to, and saw tons of shopping places I absolutely must see before I leave here. And finally, I had so much delicious food, and found out other places that I need to try before I leave. I've been invited to hang out with her friends tomorrow, and I have to meet them at 11:30 AM. I dont want to be late, so I should go to sleep soon. And so ends the second day of my Kyoto vacation.