I apologize for the unelegantness of this post. However, I don:t have that much time...
(oh, and the colon key : is where the single quite should be)
(Oh, and my spelling of Japanese names for places is probably wrong. I:m going by pronounciantion, without referring to the guides I have).


My first trip was to

Another


Right next to the castle, they had a park, Koko-en.



After Himeji, I took a bus up to visit engyoji temple complex. Oh, man. I have several stories of this place, all too long to type in the halfhour I have remaining. Anyway, parts of *The Last Samurai* were filmed here (ie, the parts showing the Samurai dude:s main hom). There are 37

You have to take a

I went to Horyju temple. This is the oldest wooden structure in Japan. I don:t have many pictures of it, and I didn:t prepare any for going online. This might be my favorite place having visited, though. I ended up getting a personal tour guide accidently, and received several hours worth of instruction on Buddhism. It was quite cool and informative.
After that, I made my way to Nara. Nara has the largest bronze statue in the world, a Great Buddha located in Todaji temple. There are also a lot of other cool sculptures. Nara also has

I don:t have the image tools available to lighten up


To finish the second day, I finally climbed the Umeda City tower, and watched night descend over Osaka. I missed the sunset, unfortunately, but still..

I have loads of other pictures that I didn:t choose to post. Overall, the trip has been fun. The only suckiness has been my lack of planning. I got lost on the trains leaving Horyju, and ended up losing about an hour of time I would rather have spent exploring nara. I also ended up missing the sunset from the Umeda Sky Tower by about half an hour. And then, etting to Kyoto today, I wanted to get here early. So, i got here at around 8 ish... the English Tourist Center opened at 10, and i needed to get a hotel. Argh. Anyway.
Story Time*
People are extremely nice here, for the most part. UNLESS you are watching them on the train. Oh, man. Children learn from birth to rush for train seats once those doors open a crack. So, I was riding a train back from nara, and we stopped at the *Universal Studios Japan* connection. Well, the train was pretty empty until then. I noticed a lot of peopel waiting outside, and thought "this will be pretty interesting". So, the doors open, and there:s a mad dash for the seats. Mothers go and guard open sections, herding their children in with frantic hand motions. Only the fastest and most organized got them. It was definitely very "survival of the fittest". If they gave people weapons, I shudder what would happen. This only annoyed me when I first got there after landing, and some man beat me to a seat when I was held up by letting people out. It was clear that I wanted that seat, but...
Anyway, outside of the train? These are the nicest people you:ll meet. When i first landed and got to Osaka station, I was looking around trying to find the exit. Hotel Kinki had provided a rather nice map, so I don:t think I looked too lost. But, within a few seconds of looking at the station map, a nice man walked up and guided me to the tourist center, and pointed me in the right direction. This was cool, cause I wouldn:t have thought to go to the tourist center, but they provided me a useful map of the city.
Also, when I was at Engyoji, I ran into this Japanese family. I only saw a cuple other Westerners on the mountain. Not very many people at all, really, so it was nice. Anyway, the family smiled, so I smiled at them. There was an older couple, a mother, and two children, aged 6 and younger. So, the mother points at me and then says something to her daughter, the older of the chilredn. The daughter looks at me, and then hides behind her mother:s legs. The mother smiles apologeticaly, and explains how her daughter just started English classes. I smile and look at the daughter, peeking out from the safety of her mother:s legs. I say *Hello. My name is Charlie. Whats yours?* Her answer is muffled, as she refuses to look at me (she:s smiling the whole time, though). We kinda laugh, and the family heads off. The daughter waves a nervous *Goodbye* to me, and the mother thanks me for being nice. So, i:m taking off my shoes to enter this temple, and the family walks back. The mother explains how her mother would like to meet with me if I ever go to Nara or come back to Japan, and gives me their business card. I:m sorry I won:t really be able to accept, but... I thought that was really nice. I really don:t have the time to try to do anything, and would feel awkward, but still. It was a cool journey.
Engyoji was also :fun: for another reason... Let:s just say,

1 comment:
Charlie, it's good to know that you're alive. Pictures of deer are nice, but your audience won't be satisfied until there's pictures of monkeys.
Next time someone gives your their business card and says they want to meet you, take them up on it. Talking with locals is probably the most unforgettable kind of experience you can have.
Anyway, someone needs to use my computer, too (I think it's Jay), so I've gotta run. It sounds like you're having an awesome time. Make the most of it.
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