I will be the pattern of all patience; I will say nothing.

KF bid farewell to his geek/gameboy haven Den Den Town today with one last visit before we headed for Kyoto.

Kyoto’s only a (bullet) train stop away, but it feels like another world. We checked into the comfy little inn we booked and then headed out with KF’s friend Jeffrey for a walk around Kyoto and dinner. It was a lovely night out, and it’s certainly much better seeing the city with a local. We walked around alleys which led to temples and/or restaurants, little streams which led to larger ones, the Kyoto we saw on tv – we walked through it.

Then as we headed back to the inn, we walked on to the main road and it was the large-city scape we’ve come to associate Japan, or rather Tokyo with.

Amazing. More photos in the day when the camera will behave better.

Love about Japan so far:

• No service: vending machine restaurant dinners take the guesswork out of things
• Something for anything: amazing array of toilettries, miscellany (like foot gel plasters for sore feet – lifesavers)
• Great weather: only rained once, but it’s cool and dry otherwise
• Efficient transportation: on time, every time
• Electronics shopping: throngs of it
• Fantastic use of space: they maximise space without sacrificing aesthetics
• Cute cars: they look like they got squished in little match boxes before they rolled off the production line
• Character: not many cities have this

Not so love about Japan so far:

• Smokey restaurants

Terribly tired. But it’s terrific to be here.