Dorothy-chan, We are Not in Roppongi Anymore

Roppongi is known as the seedy foreigner’s spot – even one of my forum members, who has been in Japan for 15 years, says that he would rather not go there. I have been to Itaewon in Korea, which is the seedy foreigner spot, and I have to say Itaewon is a lot dirtier. Why? There is no such thing as Roppongi Hills in Itaewon.

But before I get to Roppongi Hills – I finally met up with Maki after about a year! It was a lot of fun and we spent the whole day together, most of it spent in Roppongi Hills. Before I met up with Maki, I figured I would get some time to go to Shibuya and witness/take part in the infamous “sukoranburu kossaten” – “scramble traffic crossing.” It is a Barnes Dance and in order for the pedestrians to cross in all 5 directions, vehicular traffic literally stops. Music plays too so that people know when and when not to cross – pretty much the same in Kyoto but more important here.

Right across the street from the main part of the kossaten is Starbucks, in the Tsutaya building. That building is famous for its electronic billboard – in “Lost In Translation,” the billboard above Charlotte’s shoulder had a dinosaur, which is the same billboard that I saw. I have come to the conclusion that Tokyo is damn noisy. You are being bombarded with information, lights, and media, right and left and to the –nth power, much worse than in New York. I felt it right there in Shibuya with all the noise, the digital billboards and the neon. While I sat on Starbucks – which has its seating area on the 2nd floor – I snapped some pics of people crossing the kossaten, as I had a great view. The Shibuya kossaten literally defines “rat race.”

Rather, the whole Tokyo rush hour defines “rat race.” I left early in the midst of rush hour mainly for one reason – to get on the “Women Only” train cars. Not that it is really that important for me to ride it but the fact that the train systems in Japan (mostly subway) have designated cars for women during rush hour so that they feel safer is something else. (Side note: during my whole trip, I was never grabbed by a chikan, a “groper.” Thank god).

At 12, Maki and I met up at the Hachiko Statue, a famous meeting spot in Tokyo. Then off to Roppongi for Greek food. I found this place called Spyro’s doing a random Google search and I am glad I found it; according to some sources and Deena’s own experience, the other Greek restaurant in Shibuya called Aegean is not that great and is expensive. Maki and I headed off in the wrong direction at first, but we finally reached it. The lunch set was great, though I wished the salad had feta in it – in lieu of a Frappe, I had Greek wine. Our waitress was Greek and while she was hearing Maki and I talk in Japanese, she asked me if I was Greek too. Real good fun.

But the fun REALLY began in Roppongi Hills . It is like the Time Warner Center but on bloody steroids. It’s almost 3 times as big and has way more stuff – for example, the Mori Art Museum and Tokyo City View. These two are on the 53rd and 52nd floors of the Mori Building (a guy named Mori made Roppongi Hills) and let me tell you, even though it was cloudy that day, the view was amazing. Imagine at night or on a clear day, when you can actually see Mt. Fuji in the distance. It’s actually a popular spot for marriage proposals. Cue in the collective, “Aww…”

Mori Art Museum doesn’t have a permanent collection; however, the current exhibition “Le Courbusier” (spelling? Link!) was actually good. It was funny though, the audio guides were free, provided by Bloomberg.

After the museum, Maki and I were a bit tired so we wanted to go to a café or something. Luckily, we both had the floor guide and I remembered Babbi, this new gelato place. It was amazing – I had pistachio and caffe, which are my favorite gelato flavors. The view was nice too; we were in the part of Roppongi Hills that faced the residential area and right across the street from the apartment buildings, so it was actually new, quiet and really clean. I totally felt that I was not in seedy, gross Roppongi, it was as if I was in another world.

I actually got my Birkenstocks in Roppongi Hills – I have been thinking about getting a pair and with the yen weak against the dollar (123yen to a dollar, bad for me when I convert dammit) I did the conversion of what $110 Birkenstocks be in Japan at 9975yen…$81 WITH tax. Of course I am going to get a pair here! (Just like how I will get my new Herve bag here too). I got the Kairo in black patent leather; I saw a girl this morning in Shibuya with them and thought they were cool. That, and the store didn’t have the Gizeh in the mango color in my size. I am a 40 in European size; Japan being Japan, it is next to impossible to find shoes in my size. They don’t even do shoe sizes unless they are shoes in department stores/foreign designers/sneakers or just damn expensive – they are just SS, S, M, L and L is ONLY 24.5cm. I am 26-26.5cm. Discrimination! I can’t get cute shoes here.

I was seesawing a bit on getting them now, but I realized that yes, while Kyoto does have Birkenstock in Fuji Daimaru, the question is, and will they have them in my size? Tokyo has more foreigners, so I figured it is more likely for me to get stuff in terms of clothes here than Tokyo. I am not in the mood to spend $15 to schlep to Osaka and run like a chicken with my head cut off for shoes (although I would do it – I ran down to the Kate Spade store in SoHo the day of the Senior Cruise in May 2006 for a gold handbag. My aunt was totally aghast. But I got it.).

Conference SPLAT!

(Note: I do have access to internet. That doesn’t mean I want to pay for it. So unless I happen to get to the Apple Store in Ginza or Shinjuku, these posts are going to be uploaded when I get back to Kyoto, but will be dated on the day that I write them in Word.)

So, the conference is over and done with – now the REAL fun begins! To be quite honest, as much as I was happy to present my work and try to get some feedback, I had a lot of trepidation. I am still getting used to the whole “present your work at a conference, be prepared to be chewed up and spitten out in a good way.” The only constructive criticism that I got? That I should not use the word “abate” because it is an intransitive (or was it transitive? I forgot) verb. The one that I should really use is “mitigate.” Constructive, that.

Granted, I was terrified. I was nervous. It was my first time at this particular conference, and my first time at a conference that was run by THE professional association for my field. So, in effect to be all Japanese and use onomatopeia: SPLAT. Literally. It was even worse than the time I presented the EXACT SAME THING (albeit with some updates this time around) last December.

There is the main conference that is held in the States, but each country/region has their own English-language confernece, and the one I presented at was the largest one in Japan. So it’s pretty big. But not as big as the main one – at the main one, graduate students are not even allowed to present.

In spite of my morning splat in terms of speaking I did learn a few things about presenting:

1) Until you are very well established in your field and you really, truly know your stuff to be comfortable talking about it in front of 20+ people, then prepare a speech and read from it. Notes won’t cut it.
2) Prepare. Prepare. Prepare. Seriously.

Nonetheless, I got some mega conference-ing under my belt and am slowly getting more used to it. It was a lot of fun in that I actually met people – two girls to be specific: Kukhee and Jessica. They are both in a similar field, but good fun – one is actually on the Monbusho like me, but doing her Ph.D at Tokyo Uni. In fact, I am going to meet up with them for dinner this Tuesday in Shinjuku and one reason why meeting them was so much fun was because as Jessica put it – “It is GREAT to finally meet a fellow academic who cares about fashion!” I actually sat next to Jessica during a panel and left early, but ran into each other for lunch. Then we sat and talked for about 2-3 hours. I met Kukhee through Jessica, as the two of us (Jessica and I) split up for different panels. And let me say this – the food at the reception was killer. So yeah, in spite of my severe stage fright, cofnerneces are fun. Especially when you get to meet people like Kukhee and Jessica – you have really good conversations and you have fun ones as well.

It was quite all geeky but in the academic geeky sort of way. Given that I was the newbie and one of the youngest people there I just listened and watched a lot. I also asked a lot of questions – but not at the panels. Through Kukhee I met one professor who recently got his Ph.D at a particular uni that I am seriously eyeing for grad school; although he was not say a first or second year student who is still on campus most of the time, he told me he had a good experience and it is a good atmosphere. It’s not like one school which is out in the middle of nowhere, leading everyone to be all chummy, but rather a chummy-not-chummy sort of atmosphere. Meaning, everyone knows everyone and works together but it doesn’t mean that they are all up in everyone’s lives. There is more to life than just what is on campus; but in the case of the city school it is precisely because it is in the city.

But I digress. Back to Tokyo. I forgot to mention yesterday, that while I was huffing and puffing during my first foray into the Tokyo train system(s – there are three major train system,s all of which share stations at some points but you have to get out then back in if you want to transfer from one line to another. It’s messy but I think the NYC system is crazier), I passed by a sumo wrestler. He was wearing kimono and doing something with his cell phone. He wasn’t that big but you could tell that he was a sumo wrestler. I actually did a double take.

After the conference today, I went over to a neighborhood a little west of Ikebukuro, where one of the members of my forum, Mark lives with his family. I had asked him about changing my tragus earring to something that I can take out myself for when I have to (say, wedding – I don’t think a tragus piercing would go well in wedding photos). He invited me for dinner and I had a really good time. His son is so adorable!

I got back to my hotel at about 11pm – at first I was a bit nervous on going around Tokyo at night by myself, but Mark pointed out that the Kansai area is a bit more dangerous, especially with the yakuza presence (the Japanese mob) which is really well established in Kobe. There are girls in the miniskirts with over $1000 in their bags who come home piss-drunk at 3 in the morning and it’s totally safe, he said. I just have some trepidation because I don’t know Tokyo; at first, I didn’t know Kyoto, but now I am totally fine with it. Add to the fact that I am by myself and just meh. But I am getting more used to it.

From the Big Apple to the Big Mikan

In the final scene of "My Big Fat Greek Wedding," Toula's dad makes a speech:

"You know, 'Portakalos' - my family name - means "orange" and 'Miller' [Ian's last name] comes from the Greek word for 'milo' which is 'apple.' So, we are apples and oranges, but at the end, we are all fruit."

Same thing goes for Tokyo and NYC. NYC is the Big Apple. Tokyo is the Big Mikan (a Japanese orange). Different countries, but BIG cities. To be quite honest, when people ask me about my opinion on Tokyo, I say the same thing, "I guess it's sorta like NYC - but it's NYC on LSD." My opinion drawn from the endless photos of neon-lit streets and seeing "Lost in Translation." I do very well with crowds and hustle and bustle (heck, I have been on crowded subways since before I could even pronounce my first gurgle practically) but man, I think Tokyo just takes it to another level.

Or maybe not. I have been here for about 7 hours, and it is not that bad. I was a bit apprehensive at first, to be quite honest, but Tokyo is not that bad. On the other hand, I can only imagine what it would be like for someone who can`t speak the language - I at least have that advantage.

Right now I am at the Apple Store in Ginza (think 5th Avenue) and get THIS:

Apple Ginza is FOUR floors. It`s even cooler than BOTH the ones in Manhattan - SoHo is quite small and 5th Avenue is overrated and a bloody tourist attraction. I would take a picture right now with my cell phone, email it to myself and upload it to Blogger because I can do that but there is a security guard, so I kinda feel a bit wierd taking pictures with my cell phone. So, just as I leave, I will play silly little tourist and take photos of the cool elevators. I love this store. They have an INTERNET bar - two whole rows of Macs with FREE INTERNET. FREE INTERNET!!! Nuff said. I am here right now, waiting for my mom to come on AIM so that we can chat a bit. This saves me a trip to Shibuya, and about 2000yen in internet fees/food at that internet cafe that I was going to go to. Plus I am totally justified in chilling here - its not crowded, there is no line here and is IS a designated internet cafe. Apple rocks. I love Apple. Besides, I need to get my VGA Adapter for the Macbook so I can do powerpoint presentations. That`s why I was here originally.

But back to Tokyo. I really do not think it is that crazy as everyone purports it to be. Then again, maybe it`s because I am in Ginza where it`s just rich people - but I was in Harajuku earlier, and come on, it`s not that crazy in terms of the fashion. Maybe my senses are a bit dulled because I have seen some wierd stuff in Kyoto already, so it`s not like `OMG, I cannot beleive she is wearing that!` It`s more like, `Hmm...interesting...`

Then again, I haven`t been in Shibuya or Shinjuku yet. And because I came so late into Tokyo, I didn`t get the chance to ride the `Women Only` cars and thank god, no one has tried to grab my bum yet. Yet.

But I need to backtrack a bit. My trip was HELL of a mild sort. Mild because I had no problem sleeping - I brought my blindfold and my Miffy inflatable neck pillow, the sort that is sold at airports - so I wasn`t that uncomfortable. What happened was early in the morning ,we had stopped. I thought it was another rest stop - turned out to be a 4 hour rest stop. There was a traffic accident on the highway to Tokyo and traffic literally stopped to a halt. Like NYC-gridlock-worthy `shut-Midtown-down-because-the-president-is here` traffic. But much, much worse. There wasn`t even any creeping along. I started to midly panic - I had an appointment to get my eyebrows done at 11:30am and was worried that I wasn`t going to make it; I was also about check in at my (budget) hotel so I made some phone calls, sent some emails via my cell and voila, got the appointment postponed till 4pm, and the hotel knew that I was going to be late. Huff, puff, lug suitcase up and down stairs, get some blissfully welcome Starbucks coffee (tall regular in a Venti cup, Starbucks on the cheap!), try to figure out the Tokyo Subway system on the cheap, and finally get to Hotel New Koyo over in Ueno.

Budget hotel for sure. It`s spartan, but not like it really matters - I am just going to use that place to sleep and shower since there is no breakfast there. I`ll just get breakfast from combini. I even had a mega budget lunch - I needed something filling and fast before my appointment for the yebrows in Harajuku so I went into McDonald`s. Now those meal sets are an arm and a leg, and I really don`t like fries; so what I did was I ordered two small cheeseburgers and a small soda off the dollar menu. Total? 300yen.

In short, I really feel like I am back home. This city is highly navigable - I only needed to pull out my fat Lonely Planet Japan guidebook to just confirm my direction so that I really didn`t get lost and I didn`t lose my way getting to the salon - which was actually a bit complicated to get too. My eyebrowist was actually a Greek Australian so she was fun to talk to. If I come back to Tokyo and in need of a waxing, I will go back.

I know that if I lived here for the duration of my scholarship, I would be flatbroke - the cost of living IS expensive here, and I don`t think I would be able to save enough money. For one thing, I would definitely have to commute and the trains here are expensive - I am getting by with the one day 1000yen pass and avoinding the JR Yamanote Loop line as much as possible - or if I have to use it (like I did today to get to Harajuku) I just take the Metro subway to the station closten, so that whay I don`t have to pay so much for the JR Line, just the minimum 130yen.

However, it is a good place to visit. Highly recommend. Would LOVE to stay at the Park Hyatt like Charlotte in `Lost in Translation` but that sucker is $300 a night. Maybe one day. It`s raining here like in the movie, but I haven`t had a `Lost in Translation` moment yet. I think my perspective is different than from that of the average tourist - I don`t live in Tokyo, but I live in Japan. So it`s sorta wierd, and I feel sorta wierd, plopping my camera and taking photos, even though I am a tourist here. The sentiments are mixed, but being here did show me one thing - I miss the buzz of a big city. I miss that `go-go-go` sorta feeling, which can be exhausting but let me tell you, having that feeling again, pounding the city pavement, riding the subways, it felt exhilirating.

I miss the Big Apple. But the Big Mikan ain`t that bad, for the time being.

The Blogger on the Bus is Going to Tokyo...

...going to Tokyo, going to Tokyo!!!

It is the night of my trip and I am excited. "I'm so excited...I just can't hide it..."

Well, I am hiding it. Walking around Japan with a big grin on your face might look strange to many people.

Laundry is done, apartment is scrubbed, bag is packed, iPods are charged (bringing my crappy one for audiobook use so that the shuffle doesn't lose space) have my tickets on the Dream Bus...

Dream Bus you ask? It's an overnight bus. The Shinkansen is so damn expensive that the only people who use it are tourists on the JR Pass (think Eurail but for Japan), business men, if you are indulging yourself or if you need to get somewhere fast, like a funeral. Regular people never use the Shinkansen. And I am a student. You think I have $250 to spare? I would rather use that money for shopping.

So it's an 8 hour bus ride, overnight. I leave at 10:40pm which is 9:30am EST. I arrive at Tokyo Station at 6:30am the next day - just a right time to experience the early morning buzz of Tokyo and the relative quiet. Colleen told me that it won't be quiet possibly even at that time, but I am thinking that early morning hum that a large city has before the rat-race of rush hour. For me, that is my favorite time of day - things are open or just opening and people are about but it's still peaceful. And in the summertime, it's cooler at about 6 am.

OoOoO...I can have the chance to ride the women's only cars! Yes, I know it's a stupid thing to be exited about, but I have not ridden on a proper subway for awhile. In the course of making my itinerary (yes I make itineraries so I am just organized and that I don't look like a chicken with my head cut off int he middle of Tokyo), I pretty much got the gist of the Tokyo Subway system - personally, the NYC subway system is more complicated I think.

They have the women only cars on the Kyoto subway too (which is just two lines and I never have occasion or reason to use it) but those are designated during rush hour so that women don't have to worry about chikan ("gropers") groping their butt. Plus it will be a nice reprieve from the crazy crowded cars that the regular people ride - hopefully. Will report as much as possible - there is internet at my hotel (public computer, staying at a budget place) and I am bringing my laptop so I will definitely blog on this as much as possible.

The blogger on the bus is going to Tokyo...

Ooo, La La! Le Food C'est Magnifique!

I never took a French class in my life, hence the lack of the French word for "food" in the title and my possible mispelling.

As I have said before, Kyoto is overrun with bakeries that try to liken themselves as boulangeries and patissieries. With French names to boot. I frequent one enough to get a points card. But let me tell you, Kyotoites know how to make a good pastry, dessert and coffee. Why else do I worship Rue-Ergo?

Today, I went to "Le Institute Francais Japonaise du Kansai" - The French Institute of Japan in Kansai, if my translation is correct with Colleen and Charlie (I might have to take German or French in grad school and even my German and French classmates said that French is more useful). Le mission? To eat French food. Colleen said that there is a really good lunch set for only 700yen there so I was totally game. Even better, it is right across the street from Kyodai, so it's in le 'hood.

(I took that picture with my cell phone, since I forgot to bring my regular camera, but all the more reason to go back!)

In the end it was 1000yen because I had the cake. I felt like I was in that restaurant in the final episode of SATC where Carrie meets Aleksandr's ex-wife - all white, clean and modern, sans rain and being up high in a building. Tres chic. And the chocolate mousse cake was delicious. The coffee? Excellent. I have figured out that the coffee in Japan (at least the really good stuff and from Ogawa) does not have that processed taste like that in the US - it still tastes a bit oily, but thats from the natural coffee bean (which just adds to the flavor) and it isn't overpowering, but very strong. Delicious. Now I have to find a way to bring about several kilos of Ogawa coffee back home, or find a really good equivalent in the States (and get a coffee grinder too).

Cue in the Techno Music and the Overpriced Art

Check this out - a graphic designer redid the flags of the world and put it in a slideshow, complete with techno music, comments and all white background. I feel like I am in a chic gallery party at the MoMA. However, some of the comments are a bit too snarky and "smart" for my taste; it was funny in the pretentious sort of way. The flags, if they were actually in hard print or actually made is something that people would scratch their heads at in an art gallery a la MoMA but cost thousands of dollars and people will pay for, that sort of ludicrous thing.

Personally, Britain, Somalia, France and Brazil were the best. The rest were a little under-redesigned or the comments were too snarky. Although the Japan one, with it's comment "Red is too agressive!" (it's the red sun disc) has SO many meanings that someone with a bit of Japanese history under their belt can read into - that or I am over-analyzing. Didn't get the last part though...

(Props to Daily Frappe, one of my daily reads for all things in Greece and the Greek diaspora.)

I Don't Wanna Grow Up, I'm a Toys'R'Us Kid...

...there's a million toys at Toys'R'Us that I can play with!

Well now that I am 22, the toys are a bit different. iPods. Cell phones. Laptops. Kate Spade bags. Nintendo DS Lite. Shoes. My Kate Spade business card case and my new business cards.

You really can't say that business cards are a toy, but I ogled them like a toy at Toys'R'Us. Add to the fact that they are in my nice chocolate brown Kate Spade leather business card case (albeit year old, but never used; got it on sale as a college graduation gift to me), it's quite nifty. I feel all "PROFESSIONAL" now! Big girl moment. I have cause to not only make business cards but hand them out - at the conference in Tokyo next week.

I actually made the cards myself, using a template, stealing some graphics off the Ritsumeikan and Crane's websites (the paper company). Why Crane's? I got a Kate Spade graphic (the one for the Airmail calling cards) off the site and edited it to fit the cards. I love the Kate Spade look but alas, I cannot afford it. So, I pick and choose and get crafty where I can. So I have two designs - one with the Rits logo, and one with the Kate Spade airmail border. Unfortunately, when I printed the Airmail, due to the fact that it's a border, it sort of turned out bad with the edges running into the next card. So I guess I will do it again (with the font that I wanted) with the special cards that allow to print to the border that Avery has. They also have doubled-sided, which is necessary for English-Japanese cards. So for now, they are regaled to the "future projects" section - and maybe one day can get them for real.

I printed them at Prof. S's office at KCJS; I told him that I needed to find a place to make business cards during a dinner at his house last month (where I met other cool, famous professors) and he offered to let me use the printer at his office, provided I get the paper for it. After making a panicked call to Mel, ordering him to get a particular Avery business card set, I actually found business card paper (and "clean edge" to boot) at the Kyoto Uni Co-op. Thank god. In the end, Mel returned the paper to Staples and got his $16 bucks back.

For 100 clean-edge cards here, I paid about 5 dollars. Pity though - I can't do double sided in both English and Japanese due to the fact that the cards peel off instead of tear off from one another. But frankly, having more professional looking cards without that perforated edge is more important. Instead, I made some in Japanese, most in English. Behold! My first business cards:

My First Manicure*

*Warning: Mega girl alert. Those with testosterone might want to skip (although if you're interested in more Japan commentary, you are more than welcome to read).

My first real ever manicure was at my local hair salon when I was 15. It was about March, and I remember it being really cold, and because of that, I had to put on my jacket before the nail polish was applied because my mom and I had to get home, so we couldn't wait for the polish to dry. It was for my senior high school pictures and the color was Opi's Empire State Red - a deep plummy sort of red, though I go for Essie's Capri (orangey-red, great for summer) these days.

In Japan, a BASIC manicure will set you back about $30-$40. That's with filing, buffing and cuticle shaping - if you just get the color package, they just file your nails and put the polish on. Back home, I can go across the street anytime during business hours, fork over $25 (that's with tip) and get a whole on mani-pedi. With the bubble foot bath and a massage chair.

Since I am going to Tokyo, I was going to just say screw it, treat myself and fork over $100 for the mani-pedi. You heard me: ONE HUNDRED DOLLARS. Then I changed my mind - a real waste, since it would only last about a week, and I would be going home in a month regardless. For a mani-pedi. Oh, and it gets better (or worse, depending if you can't determine the sarcasm): the trend amongst "hip" and young Japanese women about my age is to festoon jewels, layers of polish in different designs AND 3D flowers per nail. On a fake nail of course. Takes acrylics to a WHOLE new level. That can run more than 100 dollars - and that's just a manicure.

I miss my semi-quasi bi-weekly mani-pedis ESPECIALLY in the summer, since its sandal season. I am still wearing shoes, but today I finally got nail polish. The nude-pink sort that is popular these days - in the States. In Japan, glitter and shimmer is more popular. I went to two combinis, a 100yen shop until I finally went to one of those chain Shiseido make-up stores that you see in local neighborhoods. The lady there practically pounced on me, trying to determine a nail polish. She (was pretty elderly) kept directing me to the shimmery stuff until I found one. The price? Twenty-five hundred yen.

I will NEVER pay that much for nail polish - I can get Essie at my local Bed Bath and Beyond for under $10, for crying out loud. Then I FINALLY found a nude-pink gloss and it was only 355yen. I picked up some nail polish remover at QQ (because I know I will make a mistake, and lo and behold, I did) and went to business. My first SUCCESSFUL self-manicure (I already put the clear base, filed and did the lotion thing last night, thinking that just clear would do, but dammit I wanted my nude-pink).

I feel complete (well almost - before I go to Tokyo, I will attempt to give myself a pedicure, since I either want to make sure this manicure is really dry or I will re-do it). Bring on summer! I have my manicure. And I didn't mess up either! Good way to cut down on the cost of manicures, though once in awhile to keep things in order is still necessary. You can bet where my first stop will be when I get home in August - my local nail salon (and haircut, hmm, pizza place, oh! the Greek food store, my favorite cafe...)

Public Service Announcement

With Google taking over Blogger, there is now a 1GB limit on the number of photos you can store. Which sucks, because I can't put up all my photos here; for every photo I post, there are another 50 that I want to put up. My Koya-San trip resulted in about 130 photos. When I was in Korea, I ended up with over 300 photos. So do the math - 300 Korea photos and about 700 Japan photos according to iPhoto, that's about 1000 photos. DAMN! I need to print out a lot of photos when I go back home and get a lot of Japanese photo albums.

I tried using Flickr once, but since I email my photos to family and friends en masse and like to keep them somewhat private (and not to have to ask about 60 people to sign up for Flickr, Flickr is a bit complicated for me; I use Kodak Photo Gallery instead (I have been since 2004).

However, if anyone can tell me how to use Flickr like Kodak Photo Gallery (in terms of sending photos en masse to about 60 people without having them sign up), please let me know. I want one of those photo badges in my blog!

So! If anyone is interested in getting the unedited version of my photos in Japan (along with a crapload of photos from my stay in London and the events of graduation last May as an added bonus) drop a line in my email or comments. There is a hitch - no strangers allowed; meaning I have to know who it is on the other end either in real life or in my blogger life. You know who you are - the non-strangers that is!

Up On a Mountain, Praying in a Temple

This past weekend, Colleen and I went to Koya-San, which is in Wakayama Prefecture. Koya-san ("Mt. Koya") is about 1KM above sea level and the center of Shingon Buddhism which was founded by Kukai/Kobo Daishi in 819 (they say that he is the guy who created hiragana, now THAT is a person to sing praises to!).

In order to get to Koya-San via public transportation (twisting up a mountain in a car? I have done that twice and both times I feared for my life), Colleen and I did the following:

1) Keihan Line Rapid Express Train from Demachiyanagi Station in Kyoto to Yodoyabashi Station in Osaka (literally end to end): 1 hour
2) Transfer to Osaka Subway Midosuji Line to Namba: 15 minutes
3) Take the Nankai Dentetsu Rapid Express train from Namba to Gokurakubashi Station: 90 minutes
4) Cable car from Gokurakubashi Station to Koya Station all the way at the top of the mountain: 5 minutes.

But wait! There is more. When Colleen and I got to Namba Station, we just missed the 11am train to Hashimoto Station (which is on the Nankai Line) which connects to a train that goes further down the line to Gokurakubashi Station, so we had to wait an hour. All in all it took us about 4 hours to get there (and even the same amount of time coming back for some reason even though the train from Gokurakubashi was direct to Namba and we made all the connections with less than 5 minutes in between). The great thing is that to promote tourism, there is a special "Koya-San Free Pass" that includes round-trip train tickets, 2 day bus pass, discounts on some temples and souveneir shops for only 2780yen. Killer.

So all in all, 5 connections, 4 trains, 3 cities, 2 prefectures and a cable-car near a mountain tree.

The scenery was very nice. Like my trip to Shirahama, I got the chance to see the countryside, or the inaka. And it was downright proper inaka, especially after Hashimoto Station; the train began to snake its way up the mountain and since it was so precarious, there is only one line of track for a two way train system. How does that work? Well, the track divides into two at the stations so I guess they station masters and all other parties involved just keep an eye out so that opposing trains pass by each other at the stations and not play chicken on the mountainside. But that is only really between Hashimoto and Gokurakubashi.

The coolest part was the cable car ride. If you suffer from a fear of heights or vertigo, even taking the train up the mountain gives you some interesting sights (such as very steep drops). The mountain is so steep that the design of the cable car is actually slanted; imagine something like a moving staircase, and that was how the cable car was designed. Literally. I felt like I was on a theme park ride.

To my surprise, Koya-san isn't just a complex of Buddhist monasteries with some things to cater to the tourists here and there; it's a right proper town. "Holy crap," I thought, "I am REALLY in the inaka. Cooooool!" When you live in the city, especially in a foreign country, you learn to appreciate the chances that you have to actually get outside of it. Another awesome thing is, Koya-san is so inaka (at least for me) that I got to FINALLY see this for real: the old-school Japanese mailbox.There wasn't even a 100yen shop to be found!
Because Koya-san is so high, the weather is a bit different; it's cooler. In the summer, people come here in droves because down below is so damn hot. It's sorta like my dad's hometown in Greece. No mosquitoes, but a lot of bugs. Also, because of the nature of the town - Buddhist friendly - everything shuts down around 6pm. Colleen and I learned that the hard way when we went out to get some dinner, luckily there was a small cafe open.

Our check-in was at 4pm so we had some time to kill. We both packed light, but it is annoying to lug stuff about but we trudged on, making reservations for Buddhist vegetarian cuisine at the tourist office for one of the smaller temples the next day. Lay people can actually stay at the temples (its called "shukubo" or "temple lodgings") but it was really expensive. Koya-san can be done in a day but with the 4 hour trip, that's alot of stress. So, we made reservations at the Koya-San Youth Hostel.

Before we could go to the hostel, we went to Kongobu-ji (which has the CLEANEST bathroom I have ever seen at a temple in Japan), which was constructed in 1593 by Toyotomi Hideyoshi, and the main temple at Koya-San. It's also the location of the largest rock garden in Japan. We had to take our shoes off, which was a common theme for the weekend and quite annoying for me because I wore my sneakers, thinking that because of the weather (it was going to rain) and the fact that we would be doing alot of walking, while my suede loafers were pretty decent, sneakers would do the job better. I forgot that like Himeji, really really old places (and even the new Treasure Museum in Koya-San) make you take your shoes off. No contest.

When we finished with Kongobu-ji and the time to check in came, we headed over to the youth hostel. Youth hostel it is NOT. More like a mom-and-pop run budget ryokan (traditional Japanese inn); maybe the association with the YHA helps bring the prices down, maybe the Japanese idea of a youth hostel (especially in this neck of the woods) is different, but Colleen and I lucked out from here to kingdom come. First, while it had that settled in look and the bathing room/bathrooms were not private it was clean and very well-maintained. Second, our room had a view of the garden AND had painted screens (it was called the "Tea Room" - walking around the house before we finally checked in, I saw that the room was open and prayed that we would have that room and we did) and third, it gave us a really good breakfast. Cost? About 4400yen for the night. That was less than 40USD. After dinner, Colleen and I settled in our room and chilled out and read, though the ladies in the room next door to us were bloody insomniacs and acted like over-caffeinated junior high school students.

The next day, it was raining. No matter really; we were both prepared and it was a good chance to check out the umbrella-worthiness of my parasol, without doing too much damage to it. Result? I think I will use as an umbrella when it doesn't rain that hard, given the fabric of it. There are more umbrella-like parasols (at OPA!) that I intend to get. We had breakfast in the main room, checked out (more like telling the owner, "Thank you for having us, we are leaving!" and the owner responding, "Take care!"), put our stuff in a locker at the tourist office and trekked off. Even though it was about 8:30am, the town was up and running. First stop was the Treasure Museum, which had on display a ton of Buddhist art dating all the way back to the Heian period (started in 794, if I remember correctly) till about the mid-twentieth century. At one point, the place was so quiet, so empty and so filled with Buddhist statues that I felt like any minute they would come alive a la Tomb Raider.

To continue with the creepy aura of the day, the fog was rolling in. Good thing it was in the morning and not in the evening; fog + Buddhist temples = mega creepy aura. Colleen, ever the stout San Franciscan, exclaimed that the weather reminded her of home; me the somewhat wary New Yorker, just tried to keep an eye of my surroundings. As you can see, I wasn't amused. Luckily - and rather strangely - the sun came out but the weather was like a light switch: on-off, on-off. At one point, the weather was still cool, but the sun was blaring; so, I re-opened my parasol and commissioned it once again to sun-blocking duty. It also had to dry, since I was paranoid about ruining it.

We hit the Garan, which is a series of temples and stupas - one of which Kobo Daishi lived in and saw a lot of tourists and pilgrims, many of which were praying to the empty buildings. What was interesting was that unlike the circuses of students and tourists that I see at Buddhist temples in Kyoto, while Koya-San is a bit touristy, it's very hardcore Buddhist. No circuses (of the hokey sort that you see at Kin- and Ginkaku-ji's) of any kind here. Even at the museum, there were boxes for monetary offerings in front of the statues; if there wasn't there was a small group of coins in its stead. We also went to the Daimon (literally "Great Gate") which is on the opposite end of Koya-San, near the highway that runs into the town. We wanted to check out the Tokugawa Mausoleum, but it was cutting close to 12 and we had to make time to get to lunch.

Lunch was Buddhist vegetarian at Muryoko-in, one of the smaller temples. Colleen and I both got the cheapest one and were amazed at the amount of food - we thought it would be like regular Japanese fare: alot of money, but barely nothing or freaky stuff. It was delicious. While at Muryoko-in, we both agreed that where we stayed was much better.

After lunch, we headed to Okuno-in, a big draw at Koya-san for tourists, pilgrims and mourners alike. Mourners? Okuno-in is the largest Buddhist graveyard in Japan. Thank god there was no fog, just alot of sun when we went. It was so crowded! The graveyard went into the woods, and the much older graves were further inside; I'm guessing that over time, the graveyeard spread closer to the road, obviously. The kicker were some of the company graves. One was mistranslated as "White Ant Memorial" - while the kanji literally mean "white ant," it's actually "Termite Memorial." The exterminating company built it to apologize for killing the termites. My favorite one was UCC - UCC is a coffee company, so part of their grave (for former employees) was a big stone coffee cup. Even Nissan had one, completely festooned with the logo, just like the ones on the cars.

Walking through the graveyard was a bit sad though; here and there (and at times everywhere) there were small statues with bibs and knit caps. They were "jizo" - statues built in honor of a dead child. Jizo is actually a Buddhist deity who protects children, especially those who died before their parents. I saw some statues with chocolate bars and other toys and things that were pretty new, so I could sense the relative closeness of the jizo statue - it wasn't just something that took place in the past. (Side note - they can also be for aborted children; I won't go into politics here, but I will just say what I read once in this book called "Being A Broad In Japan" (which is a book for foreign women in Japan): according to the account of one foreign woman, putting up a "jizo" helped her with coping with the decision that she made.The values system is just different here, as compared to the US.)

You could get a sense of how old the place was with the moss growing on most of the older graves which were closer to the main temple. It spite of the robustness and the din emanating from the throngs of people, you could still sense the tinge of melancholy.

After Okuno-in, Colleen and I headed back to Kyoto. Four hours later, we were back in the 'hood and proceeded to have falafel, kebab and pita at Falafel Garden, a local Israeli restaurant. Given that Greek/Turkish/Israeli/Mediterranean/Middle Eastern food is pretty similar, it's the closest to Greek food that I can get in Kyoto (without me having to make it). The kebab that evening tasted particularly delicious; with summer around the corner, the backyard garden was open. I felt like I was back in Astoria.

A Sight for City Eyes

I have never really seen right proper clumps of stars - so many that it looks like as if the inky sky isn't really pitch black, but a deep navy blue. Maybe once or twice, out in Greenport, Long Island. My godmother has a house there and as a kid (before she bought the house) my family (and family friends, relatives, etc. etc.) would all go out there for weekends. It was the Hamptons for Greek-Astorians. That's when I would really see the sky.

One time, my dad's cousins and their parents were out at this motel called the Blue Dolphin. The parents were off bbq-ing and the kids were playing in the playground that was on the motel grounds. There were a lot of us (as there always is; think my block full o'kids just transplanting to Greenport on the weekends). One memory that I always cherish is that on that evening, the sky was perfectly clear. Sure, you had the streetlights, but unlike NYC they didn't block and drown out the stars. One guy - I guess he was in his late teens - who was either also staying at the motel with family that we all knew or a local that we knew or worked at the motel rounded us all up when it got really dark had us lie on the grass, look up at the sky and just talk about the different constellations, with the mosquitoes buzzing by us.

Tonight, I did not see a starry sky. I see more stars in Kyoto than I usually do because while Kyoto is a big city, it's not that big and the residential areas get quite dark with the lone streetlight here and there. Instead, before I went to Colleen's dorm for the house dinner and while I was just outside the combini in my neighborhood, I saw an amazing sight:
I have never seen clouds like this before - sort of reminds me of the movie "Twister." Indeed, rainy season is upon us. It was gray all day and there was even a downpour earlier in the afternoon, but this was nothing compared to a gray-before-rain that I have experienced before.


It was just one of those things that you just had to step back, take a moment and just look at. The wind was kicking up, so I actually saw the shapes of the clouds shift; all of those photos were pretty much taken from the same spot. Goes to show how much of a city slicker I am; I have never seen clouds of that intensity before ever in my life. So although I was going to be a few minutes late at Colleen's (who just lives down the road, 2-minute bike ride) I just stood next to my bike, felt the wind on my face and looked up at the sky.

Must. Stop. Shopping. MUST. STOP. SHOPPING.

Last week it was the pottery and the cool cups with Justine. This week...

I was closing my wallet today when the button popped off. It was a cheap one that I got at a cute little store on Sanjo that I got for about 1000yen, that had a 70s vibe to it. Bugger, I thought. Then I realized: WOO-HOO! I have a VERY legitimate reason to get that new wallet (or one of the new wallets) that I was eyeing over at OPA this past weekend when Justine was here and got her jumper-dress thing.

Then I began to debate - do I get that cute short-sleeved eyelet sweatshirt? It's 4000yen for sure but mega cute and one of those things that make a good layer so it will last a good 4-5 years or so (just in time for a return trip!). Also, when I tried it on, it was LONG. Like mega long - mega long for petite Japanese girls, just right for me. Hmm...

First, I went to Inobun to check out if there were any wallets to be had - since I knew what the ones at OPA looked. I went basically because I had a points card. Points cards (or "pointo kaado") are really big in Japan, especially when you go shopping. I have a points card for Inobun, Random Walk (foreign bookshop) and a bakery by Rits called Boulangerie Briant. I guess it's to foster loyalty amongst customers - I went to Inobun first basically because I had a points card and I wanted to use it so I can reap some rewards. Unfortunately, there weren't any wallets that I really liked.

Then I saw this bag. It was a small basket on a long strap, sorta like those proper purses from the early 90s that women in power suits would wear on one shoulder. These days, however, girls are wearing them messenger style. Hmm, I thought, not a bad idea really - I do sort of need a medium sized bag. To tell you the truth, the only bags I have are shoulder and the one messenger that I have is my Jack Spade one, so that is really too big especially for just excursions or small trips. I need a bag that I can just toss around. But the basket was a little too small for my taste (I have a big organizer to carry!) and the price was too high for my liking. So, on to OPA - getting a wallet for sure, debating on sweatshirt and maybe a bag.

In the end, I got all three. The way Japanese shopping works - as far as I have seen - is just a bit short of "blink or miss." There aren't a lot of the same item on the floor, and if there is just one, then that's it. Which was my rationale for the sweatshirt. I liked it A LOT. It was very versatile. And damn cute and unique. There were a good bunch out on the floor, but all in different colors - alot of gray, one in beige, one in army green and one in chocolate brown.

There was a sign that said "10% OFF One Piece." The sweatshirt didn't have a sticker for it, so I asked a girl who explained that "One Piece" was a shirt. There was a shirt that I liked so I tried it on - I have been in engouh dressing rooms at this point (unfortunately in vain) to know to take my shoes off before going inside the dressing room, even if the dressing room isn't raised off the main ground. The shirt looked horrible on me.

So I began to think about the sweatshirt. I asked the same girl if I could try it on, and proceeded to try on the gray and army green ones. Japanese salespeople really pamper you and I do not mind at all - it is a part of the job, and not do to it for commission. It's not as cutthorat in the States where at J.Crew they ask at the register if anyone helped you today and the sales people drop their names left and right.

The salesgirl was really cute and helpful and I really enjoyed myself! We ended up discussing the merits of the three different colors - for I also asked if I can try on the brown one - and when she pointed out that light colored jeans look great with the brown one (by putting up a pair of Lee jeans next to me) I was sold. I have this par of Sevens that I like very much except for the fact that htey are a light denim. I just have some qualms; the great feature is that instead of the 7 logo on the back they have velvet ribbons that tie at the top in a bow criss-crossing on the back pockets in light blue and brown. Now then, I have a good top (of a sort) to wear with my 7's.

We kept on chatting and she remarked on how good my Japanese is. I get this all the time, but she seemed really genuine about it - and in reality, I held my own for about 15 minutes talking about clothes. I told her that I was a grad student at Ritsumeikan and (since she asked) I got here last October and have only 8 months left (HOLY CRAP! THAT'S IT! Bring on the shopping!). What was really sweet was when she asked me when I was from, I told her that I was from the U.S.-NYC. Her face turned bright pink as she said that she wants to go, and I said "Zehhi, itte kudasi," which roughly translates as "Please go, with all earnestness." She even offered to set up a points card for that little shop within the OPA mall after asking if I had one or not. I know I will come back there again - so long as the clothes fit me.

Afterwards, I went to the section where I was with Justine last time, walking around OPA to see if there were more accesories sections like that. Turns out that was the only one - and I found my bag. It looks like it belongs at Inobun; however, the price is totally differnt! A bag like this one could go for like 8000-9000yen at Inobun, I got it at OPA for 2600yen. A total steal and it holds all my crap. Even better for Tokyo, it will hold my big Lonely Planet Japan guidebook and my camera which get a bit clunky on their own and would totally take up a lot of space in both my KS bags and my Herve is too big really for something like your regular excursions. And then there is my wallet - it goes really nicely with my new bag, huh? It thought it had a bit of a Polo-Ralph Lauren prep vibe to it.

Shopping. Is. BAD.

BAD. BAD. BAD.

But dangit, there is so much cute stuff in Japan (Hell-O! Bento boxes and umbrellas, anyone? Kick-ass handmade pottery cups?)

Kyoto Hotspots - Of a Sort, Part Ni

Sunday morning, I took Justine to my favorite cafe, Rue-Ergo. Oh, heaven. No justice can be done to this place in any shape or form - its close to my apartment, I can park my bike and not worry about it being impounded, it opens at 10:30 am which is quite early for Kyoto cafes, its quiet, it has cute outdoor seating, its right on the river and although it is a bit expensive the food and coffee is totally worth it.

THEY HAVE SMOKED SALMON AND CREAM CHEESE. Seriously? 'Nuff said. That is now my desktop wallpaper. I LOVE that photo. And you can bet it's on my new digital photo frame.

We had come to Rue-Ergo via bicycle; I borrowed one of Chen's (she has three) and decided that while on Saturday we would use the bus pass to get the out of the way thing known as Kinkakuji (it's over by Rits and very unbikeable because it's damn hot) and use the bike today since most of the stuff was in the same area, Northern Higashiyama bordered by Nazenji Temple in the south and Ginkakuji Temple in the north. Funny - I orient myself sometimes around here by the temple locations. I wasn;t so sure if the inner parts of the area were bikeable, but I told Justine lets give it a shot. Chen's spare bike is a three-gear 27 inch bike and I kept having to life my leg very high to get it over since my bike is 24 inches. My bike is also singe gear so riding it was a bit difficult.

Our first stop was Nazenji Temple and the Lake Biwa Aqueduct. I was really happy to see the aqueduct - yes, I am a geek - because I did research on it. Even better, it still works. According to Lonely Planet Kyoto, there was a small Shinto shrine "on a trail in the woods" in the Nazenji grounds called Oku-no-in. Something like that. So we left the main complex at Nazenji and saw a path ahead of us leading into the woods and the mountains.

You could totally tell that at least on foot this was as far east as you can get in Kyoto; the city is surrounded by three sides by mountains and we were practically in them. So much green! And you could tell that the air was fresh.At first, the path was very deserted and I had some misgivings and wanting to find something that would tell us that we were going in the right direction. There were some people ahead of us so I was relieved. Then I saw the characters for Oku-no-in. It was a very small shrine with a trickling waterfall; there were steps ahead that indicated that there was probably more to see, but they were very narrow. Given my fear of stairs, I passed on going further up.

After Nazenji Temple, Justine and I headed for Tetsugaku no Michi, or the Path of Philosophy. It's off the main road and elevated, but we were able to ride our bikes along the path. While on the path, we dropped by a teahouse/cafe place where we experienced a short but simple tea ceremony. Because of where I sat - in the first position, I was actually served the tea that the hostess made, while the others received pre-made tea. It was cool, and way better than my first tea ceremony experience which was the assembly line back at the
Miyako Odori, geisha or no geisha. The sweet was good too - green mochi filled with anko, or red bean paste.

Then we got a bit off the beaten path so to say. Along Testugaku no Michi, I found an antique kimono shop/cafe. You could tell that the place had alot of histoy because there were photos of the proprietress with geisha, celebrities, and family - it was that sort of place. There, I noticed a silver clutch sort of like my Taisho green one; I wasn't all that interested in it since I had my green one, but Justine liked it alot. I asked the owner how much it was; it was 800yen, about 8 bucks, so Justine bought it.

The area that we went through was pretty much done; in my opinion, Ginkakuji, the Silver Pavilion is a bit overrated. I went there when my Aunt Stella and Uncle George was here and I was totally in disbelief that a famous place was a simple wooden building. I understand that it was very Zen, but there is alot of hype about it. Justine wanted to do some shopping so we headed back to Sanjo. We checked out this one store (more like a mini mall) called Opa - I had passed it numerous times but sort of brushed it off thinking that the sorts of girls who shop there are the ones that are the female peacocks. To my surprise, there were some sections that I really liked; man, my bank account is going to HATE me, there were even cooler umbrellas at Opa. Justine got a khaki jumber dress thing; I tried it on as well and was a bit undure about it, but I really liked this one hoodie with short sleeves and eyelet lining in the hood and eyelet trim at the pockets. And it was long. Really cute, it would look great with a simple white tee, since I liked the army green one. Maybe I'll get it next week or something.

Justine finally got her Japanese umbrella at Inobun. It was a mint green with either white stripes or polka dots of various sizes on each panel. We were practically done with the sightseeing stuff (and everything touristy except for the shops were closing regardless) so we went to Holly's Cafe for a break since I was really thirsty. At lunch, I took Justine to the old school sushi-on-a-conveyor-belt place (and even placed a special order for eel so yeah! I can do that now!); we pigged out at had a late lunch so we really weren't that hungry for a big dinner like the previous night. I suggested that we pick something from the Takashimaya food floor, then go to Starbucks to try the Azuki ("Red Bean") frappucino.

We also walked around Takashimaya and tried on Tiffany & Co. watches; in Japan, the salespeople are really nice and since you know it's a part of the culture, Justine and I agreed that we feel less guilty and "more freer" if you will to try on the expensive stuff even if we can't afford it. Case in point: at Thanksgiving with Colleen, I had no qualms whatsoever in going to the Hermes store even in my grungy jeans and simple cashmere sweater. You feel like you aren't being judged which is totally different in NYC. I tried on a watch that I had my eyes on for a real long time; I also like this one too (which was my original choice but the Tiffany shop at Takashimaya didn't have it, maybe I'll check it out when I go to Tokyo).

I KNOW that it costs a freaking arm and a leg, but if I am going to have one watch that will be a classic and last me almost forever, might as well either save my money and get it myself, or skip a lot of birthdays, Christmases, and anniversaries to get it maybe as a gift. Or wait till I graduate from grad school, become a "doctor" and request it as a gift from multiple parties. Like I would really ask for that for just one birthday, or from one person. Plus, Tiffany has good warranty and repair services in-shop especially at 5th Avenue (You can take your Tiffany jewelry and get it cleaned there, for example).

After Takashimaya - where I got a sandwich and Justine a muffin - we headed up to Starbucks on Sanjo. In the summer, this particular STarbucks has a veranda overlooking the Kamogawa called a "noryoyuka" or "patio over water." THere are some pretty strict rules, two of which being no eating of outside food and no studying. I learned the former the hard way; as I was opening my sandwich, one of the baristas who actually manned the platform came to get my garbage (so it wouldn't fly int othe river" and apologized telling me that I couldn't eat my sandwich. Oh well. I enjoyed my frappucino instead. Luckily for us, we didn;t have to wait (yes there is sometimes a wait to uss the yuka) and we got tables right at the edge overlooking the river.

After Starbucks, we sat along the river and just chilled, just like how my friends and I do. Eventually, a big group of drunk and rowdy studetns came so we left. The next morning, we woke up early and I helped Justine get a taxi, telling the driver "Kyoto Eki ni itte kudasai" - "Please go to Kyoto Station." Then she zipped off and I headed back to prepare for my week.

Kyoto Hotspots - Of a Sort, Part Ichi

This past weekend, my friend Justine from college came to visit. She was in Tokyo with some family friends and since she knew that I was in Kyoto she dropped in for the weekend. So began a whirlwind tour of Kyoto, with some dashes of "What the locals - i.e. Maria do." Best be done list form, since I do not have that much time for blogging as of late with all my research, and its damn hot. The temperature on my digital clock reads 78.5 degrees, there is no air and I don't want to turn on my AC, though I really should since my electric bill was only 1131 yen - about ten bucks - last month. AC on!

Saturday (I guess I won't do list):

Met up with Justine at Kyoto Station at around 11am; she called me from a pay phone, and was actually less than 10 feet from where I was standing in the central exit, I guess she missed me and I missed seeing her. Good thing I gave her both my cell and my address in Japan just in case. We dropped off her stuff in a locker at the train station and zipped off to Fushimi Inari Taisha. I had been there twice before, so I didn't take any photos but got a new charm for my bike. I realized since my bike accident and the subsequent replacing of basket/throwing away old charm, it takes me a minute longer to recognize my bike and even then I am not so sure until I put my key in. Then again, one guy almost made off with my bike at the combini, thinking it was his and I was SURE that I had it locked because I had my keys (which are also my apartment keys on the same keychain) in my hand. So much for the different keys, I caught him just in time.

I explained to Justine that to go through Fushimi is a 5km hike and I tried it; not really worth it when you see the same orange torii again and again, plus we were So it was "Fushimi Lite" - the first set of orange torii until you reach what I call the "first level" with a small area that sells the charms and has a small shrine, took some photos, oohed and aahhed and bounced back to Kyoto Station for lunch at the tonkastu restaurant on the 11th floor that I went to my first week here. Love that place. Good tonkatsu and you get refills on barley rice, cabbage and miso soup, though the soup was bad and tasted like vomit that day. Seems like I am zipping through this quickly? Well, thats how the two days were.

We then went back to my place to drop off Justine's stuff which was really two shopping bags, and she told me her train was actually Monday morning which was totally fine by me. One of the shopping bags turned out to be actually for me - a "wedding gift" of a sort, since she has seen me post tons of photos on Facebook, Justine got the idea that I like to take photos so she got me a digital photo frame. Unfortunately, its not compatible with Macs so the only way that I can get photos onto it is via the camera memory card so that means some of my older stuff can't be put on it unless I put it back on the camera; however, my Mac doesn't read the Canon as a external hard drive like my old Sony did so I have to put the pics on USB/CD load them to a pc then transfer them to camera. Bah. However, that photo frame is MEGA nifty!

After my apartment - with Justine exclaiming "So cute!" - we took the bus to Kinkakuji, the Golden Pavilion and mega tourist trap. However, it is a must-see. One does NOT live in Kyoto or Japan/visit Kyoto without seeing Kinkakuji. It was burnt down in the 50s and is a replica but it's a travesty to do otherwise. It's the basic "Kyoto thing to do." See gold temple, ooh, ahh. Then down to Kiyomizu-dera and the surrounding area.

This part I was really looking forward to; unlike Kinkakuji which was my second visit and Fushimi Inari Taisha, which was my third visit, I have not been to Kiyomizu-Dera. "Kiyo-mizu" means "clear water" and in fact, the temple is up for being part of the "New 7 Wonders of the World" campaign (though the slogan: "Vote for Kiyomizu Temple as a symbol of clarity and serenity" in my opinion is rather lame.)It's really old - and the buildings date from the 1600s if I remember correctly so yeah! No current replicas trying to duplicate history (I was extremely disappointed to hear that Kinkakuji was a duplicate, and don't get me started on Osaka and Nijo Castles, and I know my statement opens many cans of worms about preservation/duplication that belong in another post far, far off in the future and not even in this blog).

One thing about Kiyomizu Dera that I really wanted to check out was Jishu Jinja, which enshrines Okuninushino-Mikoto, god of love and "good matches." Although I am very happily with Mel, I still wanted to try out the two love stones - placed 18m apart, if you can go in a straight line from one to the other then you will have good luck in love; I figured it would be good luck for marriage, in my case. Unfortunately, since we came later in the day, the shrine was closed. No matter; Kiyomizu-Dera is known for its autumn leaves, so I will go back again and battle the crowds in November. The view from Kiyomizu-Dera was amazing, since we had to climb steps and hills to get to it.

After, we walked around the area that was featured in the March Spring Light-Up (Ohmygod, I never blogged about that! Dammit! Will do this week, along with Shirahama, must must blog - good thing I have my photos to jar my memory, I have a visual memory that apparently surprised Justine as we walked around the city with me muttering, "Ok we are getting closer to (insert place here), because I remember this shop." and there we were, right at the place we were heading), but unfortunately, the shops began to close, since it was around 6pm. During the Spring Light-Up they closed at 9pm.

We checked out this little shop along Higashi-oji Dori that I noticed opened recently: a pottery shop, with three pieces for 1050yen. It had amazing coffee cups, very organic looking and modern in design at the same time. I guess my sense of location was pretty good because we got back on the main road and the grid of the city without having to double back to get to the shop. I picked out some pieces for my own "Japanese coffee set" (which still needs to be completed) and asked the shop owner who was actually a really young guy (in Japanese) if the shop opened recently. Yes, he said, not even 6 months. I told him that I liked everything a lot and would come back since I lived in the city; he gave me a flier for a pottery class that was 1050yen and I would make one piece myself to take home. Chen and I are thinking of doing it maybe next month, since all my weekends in June are full from here to kingdom come. When I get the chance, I'll take a picture of the one mug that I did unwrap; since this stuff is really fragile, I want to leave the cups and such as they are and wait till I get back home this August to use them. I am even going to bring them on the plane, not pack them in my suitcase. They are great because they are all handmade and its something really unique and different from the regular tourist fare (another reason why I would rather spend my money on pretty and useful umbrellas that you can't find anywhere else as opposed to another t-shirt with Hello Kitty on it).

Dinner was at Ganko Zushi, where I went with Professor Marme and his wife on Sanjo-Dori next to Starbucks. Although I couldn't find the crab dinner set that I wanted, I ended up with what I had last time - sushi, tempura and noodles, though since it was summer, I got zaru-soba, or cold soba. Ended up spilling soy sauce and soba sauce on my shorts on two separate occasions, but luckily, I acted fast and my shorts dried quickly with no stains. Justine and I also had lime chu-hi which is a flavored alcohol drink with soda in it and comes in other flavors. Very lime-y, but we were both full and happy (which is really rare at a full-on Japanese restaurant, given our "American" appetites. I didn't even finish my noodles.) On our way up Kawaramachi to Sanjo-dori, we ran into Chen, a good example of how Kyoto is quite small and that you run into people that you know almost every time your are in the Shijo-Sanjo-Kawaramachi-Karasuma shopping grid.

We then ended our night in Gion. I took a look through my guidebook, and deduced that given only two days, the walking tours were the best bet to cram everything with the "Maria footnotes" such as Fushimi and Kinkakuji and the places to eat/shop added on, of course. Before, however, I told Justine that there was this matcha shop in Gion that I learned about from Chen and had really good matcha ice cream. I was only thinking of the soft serve from the dispenser, but Justine noticed the displays of ice cream sundaes and parfaits in the glass cases next to the main shop; turns out this was also the place that had the really famous matcha cafe that is ALWAYS crowded during the day that Chen mentioned (my inner source of information on Kyoto if you haven't guess already is Chen. I still have much to learn). There was NO LINE! Woo-hoo! So we headed right upstairs and proceeded to gorge on a really big matcha flavored shaved ice and matcha ice cream sundae, with two types of matcha ice cream and a scoop of vanilla and red beans.

Off to the depths of Gion. Right on the corner of Shijo-dori and Hanamikoji is the Ichiriki Teahouse, the one mentioned in "Memoirs of a Geisha." In order to enter a right proper teahouse you need to know someone, so the chances of me ever sitting there are 1 on a trillion. Seriously. We walked a bit and headed back to Shijo; just as we passed the Ichiriki, I saw a flash of color flitting between the flaps of the noren, or the main entry curtain. It was blue, with a white circle on top. A geisha.

I remembered that Justine really wanted to see a geisha and pointed it out - "Look between the flaps, do you see anything!?!" There was a group of men in front of the teahouse apparently departing; the noren was flipping back and forth in their wake and right in the main entry area that faced the garden were three geisha kneeling, their white faces a stark contrast against the blue, cream and black kimono. I realized later that I had seen geisha - 2 of them in fact - out of their normal makeup and evening get-up at Starbucks once; they ordered cake and coffee and sat downstairs in their kimono and crazy hair-dos. As we walked in the inner depths of Gion, near Tatsumi Shrine, I heard something - clip, clop, clip, clop - like the horse and buggys at Central Park.

She just walked right by us, both nonchalantly and looking like a deer in headlights at the same time. It was the geisha in the blue kimono - or rather in the Kyoto dialect a maiko, apprentice geisha. You could tell that she was a maiko by two things: 1) her obi was freaking long, the ends trailed down to her feet and 2) the shoes that she was wearing were what I think are called okobo, which are 6 inch platforms. She briskly walked by us in the whole getup; I sort of felt a little sympathy for her, with me and Justine sort of bug-eyed, it was the typical reaction that she probably gets from everyone that sees her, even in everyday get-up.So, she probably feels like an animal in a zoo, especially since geiko and maiko are not that common these days.

However, it was an interesting experience - not that many "regular" people who go trekking into Gion to walk around get to have a maiko walk right by them. With that, since it was 10pm and the buses were about to end soon, Justine and I schlepped back up to my place and promptly collapsed.

My Inner Self, Revealed!

Got this idea off Libby. Apparently, I am a worldly Brooklynite who is a grad student that grew up in the 90s and hasn't forgotten my roots in spite of the yuppie-ness, a die-hard New Yorker who is a Life Blogger, has similar qualities to that of a beagle, will get killed if I set foot in the state of Massachusetts, and needs to live in Milan.

You Belong in Brooklyn

Down to earth and hard working, you're a true New Yorker. And although you may be turning into a yuppie, you never forget your roots.

Where Should Your Inner New Yorker Live?

PERFECT! PERFECT! PERFECT! Seriously, the whole quote describes me perfectly. I am so happy! I was really looking forward to the results of this one in particular since I am from NYC - question 1 was actually quite hard for me!

You Are a Beagle Puppy

Cheerful, energetic, and happy go lucky. And you're sense of smell is absolutely amazing!

What Breed of Puppy Are You?

You Are 12% Massachusetts

You Yankees loving homo! You probably think Starbucks coffee tastes better than Dunkin Donuts.

How Massachusetts Are You?

HA HA HA HA HA!!! Seriously, 'nuff said. (Though the Yankees SUCK this season, how in hell can they have the highest payroll in the MLB and be in LAST PLACE in their division?!?! Yes, even the disappointing news reaches this end of the globe, though the Japanese people I meet think it's really awesome that I have actually met "Gojira" - Hideki Matsui.)

You Belong in Milan

Stylish and sophisticated, you want to enjoy a truly European life - away from tourists! Milan fits you perfectly. Great shopping, high quality food, lots of culture... with very little hype.

What European City Do You Belong In?

And a couple of others that I thought were fun:

You Are Quite Worldly

You've done a good bit of worldly exploring, and you have an international perspective. And you're definitely looking forward to your future adventures abroad. You've got the passport, the desire to travel, and maybe even the language skills. Now all you need are the means!

How Worldly Are You?

Oh this one is perfect - all the grad school bloggers should do this one!

You Should Go to Grad School

Grad school definitely isn't for everyone, but it looks like it's for you. You have a pretty good idea of what you want to study - and how it will further your career. So go ahead and go for it! You're ready to be a PhD.

Should You Go To Grad School?

You Are 68% A Child of the 90s

Wassup!?! You remember the 90s like they were yesterday. And you're ready to open up a can of whoop-ass on any other decade.

Are You a Child of an 90s?

You Are 88% NYC

Congratulations, you are truly a New Yorker. You've seen it all, and you're more than a little cynical.

How NYC Are You?

and finally, the most relevant of them all:

You Are a Life Blogger!

Your blog is the story of your life - a living diary. If it happens, you blog it. And make it as entertaining as possible.

What Kind of Blogger Are You?

I Want to Hide in the Greek Islands

I wanna go to GREECE this summer...

:::sniff sniff:::

...to sit at a cafe on an island by the marina, sipping a tall frappe and either reading a book or just doing nothing. Rent a house. Go grocery shopping at the local market and get calamari fresh off the docks or after they dried in the sun on the bits of rope draped around the marina like laundry lines. Pet the local donkey.

Maybe I'll propose that to Mel for a honeymoon - two weeks of island hopping in Greece (do the relaxed touristy thing because I haven't been to the islands yet), or just picking an island and staying put. For a month. Just get away from the world and leave the cell phones behind. Literally fall off the face of the earth (or at least our families and friends radar). Heck, I won't even tell my relatives in Greece that would go - or else incur the wrath of the "You have to visit us, we need to the the yambro!" ("Yambro" means groom in Greek. "Nifi" is bride.) Meaning they all want to see Mel. And me too "the new married couple." My uncle - mom's brother - went with my aunt (who is Irish) to Greece and she got to meet THE FAMILY.

I once told my dad that my dream vacation is to leisurely go around the Greek islands and not tell my relatives that I am coming. My paternal grandmother and my uncle live ALL THE WAY UP in northern Greece where my dad had to ski to school, and I have maternal relatives in Athens and the Sparta area. So its a long haul all over the mainland. Seriously, except for the people whose parents came from Athens, I do not know ANYONE else besides my sister and I who have parents from the mainland on both sides. Everyone else that we know is from one island or another, and has a million cousins their age to take them around too (my sister and I have one, but now she is married - and is in Thessaloniki). Dammit. Nonetheless, it is cool to say that "Yeah I have been to the Albanian-Greek border" and everyone I know hasn't been to Thessaloniki (no real reason for them to go up there). But I want to GO TO AN ISLAND...cue the begging. Seriously. My mother's cousin even has a hotel in SANTORINI of all places!!!

So what did my dad do in response to my statement?

He just laughed his big laugh - the one where he thinks its something REALLY funny, one for the books - and said "Prepeis na theis ti yiayia sou."

"You have to go see your grandmother.

I know it would never happen regardless - the relatives not finding out. There is the network called THE FAMILY. Seriously, sometimes I think I am living the movie. Sans 27 first cousins.

P.S. That photo is an actual building in Kefalonia, one of the islands, and the impetus for this post. I got it off Flickr, so to cover my butt in terms of copyright, that is not my photo. But I love it.