Alex Quinn's Japan Journal

8/21/2004, Trip to Kyoto to see Chika and Maki

I hadn't seen Chika in over a year.  We arranged to meet up in Kyoto and hang out.  We met at the station, and proceeded to some sightseeing.  We went to a temple and walked around the neighborhoods.  As usual, I was obsessed with my next opportunity to eat ice cream, so we got some tasty green tea soft serve ice cream.  Since I sometimes get overwhelmed with the crowds, I opted to just walk around the neighborhoods and maybe find some quieter places.  I always say I'd prefer to see the 3rd most famous temple rather than the most famous one.  They're both pretty and interesting, but you can actually enjoy the latter.  In other words, Kyoto tends to be crowded with tourists so you have to have some strategy for avoiding them.  So, Chika and I mosied around some very nice neighborhoods in Kyoto.

In the evening, we met up with Maki, Chika's sister.  We went out to an izakaya (a kind of Japanese bar with good food).  We ate hearty with all kinds of grilled meat and sashimi and homeade tofu.  (Chika/Maki, please tell me the specifics, if you remember.)

Here's Chika sideways.  (Sorry, Chika.  I'll fix it soon.)

Kyoto is a very big city, but still has some quaintness to it, even beyond the touristy things.

At one point, some high school students stopped us and asked me questions in English for an assignment.  I had to remind Chika not to give any hints in Japanese.  She was all too sympathetic of the kids' frustration with English.  These are the students.  Notice the Playboy t-shirt.  Playboy is a very popular clothing brand in Japan now, independent of the magazine.

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