Day 24 - 22nd of September

10:44am　湯元館
天気：曇り

Just attempted to straighten Alex's hair... After our very traditional Japanese breakfast, I went to the baths, while Alex went to sleep. It was really cool; they had like an obstacle course of baths. Lol, you know what I mean. There was one for your feet where you walked over ridges and jets; one where you lie down with jets on you back, a cold bath, a sauna, and of course the electric bath! I tried them all. After that, I got into one of those massage chairs. It was great... Now we're going out to explore the area.

1:44pm　京都

We're walking through the underground plaza connected to Kyoto station, having just witnessed a parade of dancers and musicians. They're walking past again now. They have floats and everything. We got an all day bus pass for only 500円! We're going to go sight-seeing everywhere now.

11:56pm　湯元館

Just came back from the onsen's. Yes that's right, I went to two! First I went to the open-air bath on the 11th floor. The view of the lake, and all the lights. It was spectacular. There was a curved bench-type thing with a foot bath. It was raining, and lying there was such a great feeling. After spending about 15 minutes in the baths, I decided to seek out another one. I went down to the 8th floor and found it. This one had a small bath outside and two indoors, and a cold water bath, and a sauna. I went in the sauna for a while; it was 89oC!!! That was much better; I've found that the baths aren't that hot. They are very relaxing though, especially after such a long day...

So, we ended up going to Kyoto for the day, after walking around Ogoto for a while and visiting a local shrine. Once we got the all day bus ticket we sussed out the system. They are so well organised seriously; the map we got was amazing. All the bus routes throughout the entire city were clearly marked, with places of interest labelled, and referred back to the particular bus route that best suited the destination. I really wanted to see 金閣寺 (kinkakuji - "the golden pavillion"), so we went there first. Going on the bus was an adventure in itself; there was so much to see along the way. It took a while to get there actually, cause it's right up the other end of the city. But when we finally got there we were met by a chaotic scene of cars struggling to enter the parking lot, shepherded by the ever diligent traffic cops. After a 400円 admission fee we entered the the main complex. The leaves on are just starting to change; I seriously want to come back again in the next few months. There are maple trees everywhere and I could imagine how beautiful will look.

The first glimpse of gold through the green leaves stirred excitement through the seething mass of the crowd. The temple lies at the edge of a lake, and from where we first viewed it, it's reflection cast gold into the still waters below. Pine trees have been sculptured into works of art, scattered about the buildings occupying the ancient complex. Drifting along the tide of people around the lake, with its many islands topped with delicate trees, we spotted a gathering of koi carp. Grey, white, red, black, yellow; all the colours surged through the water as open mouths gasped at the surface. Further along the path, through the dense forest, we found a stall selling お守り (omamori - good luck charms). I was really happy about the find and bought one for success in study, and another for longevity and health. Study, health, wealth, and dreams were Alex's omamori of choice. After walking around for a while, and trying our luck at tossing our coins into a small dish, we exited out onto the main road, and plunged into chaos once more.

At a corner shop, Alex bought a kimono and yukata set. I bought some post cards and collected a badge out of a slot machine. It was already pretty late, almost 5, so we decided to take another bus, this one to 銀閣寺 (ginkakuji - "the silver pavillion"). We ended up being on the bus for almost an hour, coming to the realisation that we might not make it back to dinner at 7. So after getting off the bus, I rang the inn. After a long exchange they finally managed to get across to me that we would have to pay for the dinner whether we ate it or not. Luckily, I was able to change reschedule dinner for 8. So, we walked over to ginkakuji. Alex, staring in awe upon seeing a rickshaw, realised she had been here before. As we got closer we were notified that the gates would be closing at 5, so I rushed up the sloping road, leaving Alex, behind, hoping to catch a glimpse of the temple before it closed. It was in vain though. When I got to the entrance, I saw the 500円 admission fee, and though, it's not worth it for a minute of viewing. Also, it was under renovation until March. I might come back to see it then.

Slightly disheartened, I walked back down to met Alex, and browsed the few stops that were still open. We found this one shop that sold yukata and I immediately searched for one to buy for myself. With Alex's help, I decided on a blue one. I found a matching 帯 (obi - belt) and went to pay. After the transaction, I received a complimentary gift which at first glance looked like a DVD case but turned out to be a personal hygiene pack, with an assortment of items including scissors, nail clippers, razor, mirror, and a brush for getting fluff of clothes!!! So cool.

After a soft serve (mango for me and lemonade for Alex) we got back on the bus. Oh my gosh, it was absolutely packed. We barely fit in, and as we continued en route, more and more people crammed in. The small number of people getting off was agonisingly disproportionate to the huge number getting on. Eventually we were pushed to the back, and got to sit down at least. We went past the zoo and the art gallery and decided to come to Kyoto again tomorrow. I also suggested that we hit the huge shopping district I'd gone to previously; we past it a bit later. People everywhere, crossing streets in the 100's, taxis barging in with no respect for the rest of the traffic; this is Japan. So many times a thought a collision would occur. We spent well over an hour on that bus.

Finally reaching the station, we caught the local train back. It was almost 7:30 when we arrived back at Ogoto, so in order to make it back to the inn in time, we made use of the pick-up service. Getting back to the room, I decided to put my new yukata on, while Alex opted to wear the one provided. Dinner was, again, so amazing. We had a fish head (Alex had fun playing with the eyeball), rice, pork in a broth with vegetables and noodles, scallop and prawns (raw), soup, and this dish containing yam, kinda mashed up in a ball. It was so yummy. And for dessert 黒ごま (kurogoma - black sesame seed ice cream)!!! it was actually really, really nice. We ended up staying in the restaurant for over an hour, before being respectfully told to leave as it closes at 9.

Back in the room, Alex tried on her yukata and kimono. We took photos of each other out in the hall. Then I went to the onsen. And now I'm back to where I started, and it's almost 1:30 so we'd better get some sleep. Gotta get out of this amazing place come morning...