Japan day 3

Today we ventured to the Philosopher's path. It is a path that follows a canal up and around some shrines and temples. There were lots of beautiful shops and cute restaurants as well as two beautiful temples. One was small with a serene garden and an art exhibition. We chatted to the artists about their art and its meaning and execution.. There are lots of funny looking bears( we later discovered they are raccoons,a mascot of the area it seems) outside the shops and restaurants. Along the walk there were three teddy bears propped on a seat. The larger bear was fishing. We saw this amazing paper place with the most interesting paper. I couldn't think of what to use it for but I am sure I will get some before I leave.

The last temple is called the Silver Temple  Ginkaku and it had the most interesting sand sculptures, and sand gardens( raked sand). There were a lot of children and it was quite crowded but still pleasant.  The Japanese know how to keep crowds moving- no seats or resting places for contemplation.

Bicycles  are everywhere in Kyoto and ridden by all ages. They use girl type shopping bikes without helmets and no Lycra in sight! There are lots of bike lanes as well as bikes riding the pavement. No one seems to be racing anywhere and no car friction. 

The pedestrian crossing lights are right outside our hotel window and they ding dong instead of clack like at home. When pedestrians cross they tweet like birds. i feel like Kyoto ( and Japan in general? )is a fairly quiet place compared to home. We hear sirens but generally people are very courteous and quiet in their demeanour. They are mostly very helpful and cheerful. We try to restrain our voices but it is hard.

After our days walking we decided to try a restaurant recommended by the hotel staff. The Sappoura, Kyoto is famous for vegetables and tofu so we tried both in particular. What beautiful presentation of all,the dishes. So Master Chef for every morsel. It certainly is a treat for the eye as well as the stomach. We get a lot of exquisite little dishes and think we won't be full but we are. The plum wine and sake is very good food.

Today we needed to go into the Kyoto station again and this time we found our way out. Finally we have our orientation. The Bermuda Triangle didn't win! We were going up to the 10 th floor for dinner and although we did lose David we eventually connected on the 10 th floor again. There is a huge auditorium / staircase that has lights which change colours in patterns. Very novel.

With our confidence boosted we decided to try the subway to get home. It is a whole new world of shops etc.absolutely massive. There are only 1.4 million people here but numerous shops.