Author: alsolouis

We started our first full day in Hiroshima right. We made a beeline for Obscura Coffee. This place was the real deal – right up there with your fancy Fitzroy facial hair festooned hipster cafe. They had about 7 different types of beans and they had no trouble at all making a couple of magnificent double shot soy cafe lattes. Lou was so impressed that he was forced to order an iced chocolate. Next stop was a kinda sorta decent bakery for some weird hybrid european/japanese bread based goods. Then we were ready to face what would turn out to be a pretty confronting morning.

First stop was the Hiroshima Peace Museum located at the south end of Peace Park – which is only a few hundred metres from ground zero for the atomic bomb. Essentially the museum documents Hiroshima before, during and after the bomb blast which occurred at 8:15 am on August 6, 1945 killing around 140,000 people. There are graphic first hand accounts, incredible photographs (many taken by Japanese survivors) and even fragments of clothing worn by those killed or maimed. I guess you know intellectually how awful an atomic bomb blast would be, but the museum was incredibly effective at prompting an emotional response. I found it pretty overwhelming and after we emerged blinking into the blinding heat a few hours later, I found it really hard to shift gears back into jolly happy snapping tourist mode again. As a result I was happy to be lead around by Lou as he continued to feed his current obsession with disposable cameras.

We finally located a few suitable cameras (including some with gel filters for the flash – so psychedelic) and headed over to the Fukuya Shopping Centre (cue lots of jokes about the name) for lunch, with a view of Hiroshima (from the 11 th floor). By the time that was all sorted we needed to stroll across to Hiroshima Stadium (or Mazda Zoom Zoom Stadium as it is currently and ridiculously branded).

We had some unreserved seating tickets for the game between the Hiroshima Carps and the Tokyo Swallows. You can’t visit Hiroshima without quickly realising how massively popular the Carps are in this town. Kinda like the All Blacks in New Zealand. Distinctively branded Carps merch is for sale absolutely everywhere – there are Carps caps, t-shirts, towels, sandals, pre-mixed cocktails, biscuits, beer, tea towels, shorts, skirts, baby clothes – we were amazed. Nothing prepared me for how rabid the Carps fans are in Hiroshima. Apparently for some time they had no official sponsors so the locals kind of crowd funded them for some years.

We arrived at the stadium about 2 hours before the game, hoping to get decent seats, but we underestimated the average Carp fan’s obsession. Most of the seats were already taken. One of the few non-Japanese people at the game that we spoke to said people turn up 3 hours before the game to get good seats. Anyway we found three seats together and settled in for beer, edamame and a bit of baseball. We are obviously bad luck for whatever home team game we turn up to, the Carps eventually lost (just as the Giants lost the game we attended a week or two ago in Tokyo). But it didn’t matter. The game was pretty close, the standard of play was great – and then there were the fans…sheesh. There were relentless, intricately choreographed cheering routines. Each player had their own special crowd chant, and then there were the elaborate standing up, sitting down things. Every person attending the game (including us) was also given a small red and white umbrella and some uninflated balloons as they entered the stadium. At the appointed time the umbrellas were opened, lifted up, dropped down, twirled – all in unison as if by telepathy. Near the end of the game, according to a signal that we missed, everyone blew up their balloons and then let them go. Thousands of red balloons flew up in the air – only to fall like slightly soggy rubbery red rain a few seconds later as the deflated. We were anything but delated though as we streamed out of the stadium with everyone else.

Just had time for some late night oknomyaki at a place across the road from our air bnb before sleep.

We were up and packed early – and for a change the sun was actually shining. Not that it has actually rained that much but it has been overcast most of the time we’ve been in Japan – so the sun was a nice change – until you actually step outside and experience the full brunt of it.

We dawdled over another great simple breakfast at Uno Port Inn and even went for a second excellent coffee. After having our photo taken outside (for their Facebook page or something) we walked over to the station and jumped on the local train for Chayamachi. The trip to Hiroshima required several train changes but eventually we boarded the crowded Shinkansen for Hiroshima. The trip was notable only for the return of Bento Box Boy – who consumed another beautifully packaged box of dubious looking brown stuff with rice.

Hiroshima station is brand new and shiny, but we only stayed long enough to find the correct “street car” – yep they still have trams in Hiroshima – and ride the 12 stops or so to our air bnb accommodation. Once again we were pleasantly surprised by the accommodation – it’s a second floor flat with at least 4 queen sized beds. It’s in pristine condition, everything’s shiny and new and it’s by far the largest space we have had since arriving in Japan. Of course our first priority was doing a shed load of washing, then it was out to go for a stroll around the city.

It turns out we are staying only about 300 metres from Peace Park and the so called “A-Bomb Dome” here in Hiroshima. The atomic bomb detonated a few hundred metres directly above the building and for reasons that I don’t quite understand (I guess you’d have to ask a physicist) the Dome building was one of the few buildings that wasn’t totally destroyed. It now stands as a ruined reminder of what happened back in 1945. It’s a grim site and a really effective symbol.

We decided to check out Peace Park and the associated Museum and monuments the next day and instead headed across the river into the city. The tourist information centre gave us a really good tip on how to acquire some tickets for the sold out baseball game between the Hiroshima Carps and the Tokyo Swallows scheduled for tomorrow night. Tickets in hand we wandered through the covered shopping streets (very similar to the shopping streets of Kyoto), but for me the highlight was making it to punk rock bar and record store Dumb Records. The bar/store was on the 4th floor, classic punk music was playing, the beer was super cold (a rarity in Japan) and the vinyl was cool. I bought a local 45 (limited edition – 200 only – yes!) and Lou and I chatted for a while with the owner and one of the other dudes hanging at the bar. They gave us a few tips for record shops to visit in Tokyo when we return – so friendly, so cool. We promised to give the vinyl a spin on air back in Hobart.

For dinner that night we were determined to try the local version of okonomyaki (a kind of Japanese savoury pancake). They call it Hiroshima-maki – and it’s made with noodles as a base instead of potato. We were told that Okononomi-Mura was the place to go for this. It was basically three separate floors, each with at least 10 separate shopfronts all making their own versions of okonomyaki. Selecting the “right” stall was difficult so we just chose the one that was the most crowded. It was a bit touristy but still lots of fun. Our stall was run by two women, an older women and her daughter – and we were more than happy with our choice. The okonomyaki is made in front of you on a large flat hotplate and the chef layers the ingredients up one on top of the other. First the “pancake” then sliced cabbage, thinly sliced pork, bamboo shoots, various spices etc. The noodles are steamed and then thrown onto the hotplate to grill along with a lightly beaten egg. This all goes crispy, it all piled up together and flipped a few times before being served with fresh spring onions and okonomyaki sauce – which is a little like bbq sauce. Then you just help your self straight from the grill. Soooo good!

Then a stroll through the quiet city streets, past the A-Bomb Dome lit up brightly in the drizzle and home to sleep.

So lovely to throw open the curtains of our room at Benesse House and take in the view of the Inland Sea first thing in the morning. I wondered idly what the poor people were doing. It had rained steadily all night and this morning there was a misty foggy haze everywhere. So beautiful.

We scrubbed up and headed down to the Museum restaurant for our Japanese breakfast, which was another kaiseki style thing – with sashimi, pickled vegetables, miso, rice, grilled fish, coffee – it was a lot (in every way). Lou’s enthusiasm for the new experience was waning ever so slightly.

Later we packed up, paid the bill (yikes) and as the rain fell we took the mini-bus back down to the port – but not before being stopped from boarding by the driver – “This bus is only for Hotel patrons.” I was starting to get paranoid – this was the third time this had happened and for the third time I had to show him my dicky little museum guest pass. Perhaps we looked shabbier than your average Benesse House guest (true), perhaps he just didn’t like the look of us (probably – tattoos are still very much frowned upon in Japan, and we were crinkled and a little soggy) – but we were the only people asked to show evidence – as I say I was getting paranoid. Totally not the Japanese way.

Anyway we waved a cheery goodbye to our buddy the bus driver and boarded the “fast boat” to the next art island – Teshima. The rain had stopped by the time we arrived at the port of Ieura, the clouds parted and the humidity and the temperature rose dramatically. We had one objective while we were on Teshima; and that was to visit the Teshima Art Museum and after a short wait we jumped on a bus bound for the museum on the other side of the island.

The “museum” is really just a single work of art – which of course we were not allowed to photograph – which was a great shame because it was without doubt one of the most astonishing, beautiful works I have ever seen. Definitely worth making the trip. The work is a collaboration between artist Rei Naito and architect Ryue Nishizawa and it is perched on a hill overlooking the inland sea. It is essentially a 40 by 60 metre concrete shell in the shape of a water droplet with two oval openings that allow wind, light and sound to enter the space. In the interior space – which you are allowed to walk around in (after taking off your shoes) – there are tiny holes in the floor which slowly feed water droplets into the space. These gradually trickle together forming pools around the space. Of course I inadvertently stepped in a few (soggy socks again) much to the dismay of the museum guides. Anyway as usual words are inadequate – amazeballs almost covers it.

We had lunch in the museum “cafe” which is a smaller but similarly water-droplet-shaped space where you can sit on the floor and munch bagels as your socks dry. After lunch we walked down the steep hill to the port of Karato for a shaved ice (mango flavoured) and jumped the bus back to the other side of the island to Ieura. From there it was another “fast boat” back to Uno port where our art odyssey began.

It was lovely to return the Uno Port Inn for the night – it almost felt like coming home. We had the same small room – in fact I think we were the only guests that night – and the staff were lovely as always. Dinner that night was Louis’ pick – so of course it had to be Ramen. We went to a local place called Saporo Ramen – there was a queue to get in – possibly because the ramen was killer bee, or possibly because it was Sunday night and not many places were open. Anyway it was a delicious salty treat – then sleep.

The big art discovery day had arrived! Today we were heading out to Naoshima the main “art island” on the inland sea. But first breakfast. We ate downstairs in the cafe attached to our guesthouse – the Uno Port Inn. Did I mention that the people running it were awesome? Well they are – and so was their breakfast – granola, fresh fruit, yoghurt and some bacon thing (for Lou of course). And the coffee – strong and delicious!

Suitably fortified we trundled our overstuffed bags across the road to the ferry port and boarded the massive passenger/car ferry for the 20 minute trip to Miyanoura – one of the two ports on Noashima. It was – as always – hot and humid so it was a relief to be met by the courtesy van from Benesse House which was our accommodation for the night. Benesse House is a super fancy hotel that is based within the Benesse House Museum. The Benesse Corporation are responsible for acquiring quite a lot of the art on the island and they don’t mind spending money. Not sure what business they’re in, but it must be profitable. We wound our way around the island to be delivered to a museum/hotel that looked a little like one of the villain’s lairs from The Incredibles – or the house they stayed in in Incredibles 2. And incredible it was. We were a bit anxious about spending the big bucks on the accommodation (and the Japanese Kaiseki style dinner – and the Japanese breakfast), but we figured this was a once in a lifetime thing so we tried to relax and let the staff do their thing. And their thing was being super helpful and bowing deeply – bowing a lot. We’re all getting a lot better at the whole bowing thing.

Anyway after dumping our bags at the hotel we headed out once more into the soggy furnace that is the Japanese summer to sample some art. So began a HUGE day checking out some amazing art, much of it installed outdoors so that it interacted with the surrounding (and very beautiful) environment. There was the iconic Pumpkin sculpture by Yayoi Kusama, some beautiful installations by Walter De Maria (concrete rooms featuring huge polished marble spheres (see how I avoided writing “huge marble balls?). There was the amazing Lee Ufan Museum featuring more granite boulders and glass and even some of his paintings. And then there were the other two museums – the Chichu Art Museum which featured more work by Walter De Maria, some water lilies by Monet (which seemed a little our of place to me) and a couple of great pieces (light sculptures) by James Turrell (we Hobartians are very familiar with the work of this quaker artist dude who features extensively at MONA back home). Then of course there was the Benesse House Museum itself which houses a small but impressive range of works from Japanese and international artists including Warhol. Every time you rounded a corner there was more amazing art – and also around every corner was a gallery attendant reminding you to take your shoes off, keep your voice down, don’t touch anything and NOT TAKE PHOTOGRAPHS. This was a bit weird I thought, most galleries these days (including MONA) are happy for you to take photos as long as you don’t use a flash – but not here. Fortunately the reminders are always so politely delivered they are only mildly annoying – but I really wish I had some images of the experience.

Footsore, sweaty and art overloaded, we finally checked into our fancy room around 3 pm. Yep it was fancy – minimalist, featuring beautifully designed furniture and a schmicko bathroom with all the latest Japanese buttock washing technology (which we made good use of). But for me it was the view that was worth the price of admission. A stunning view of the inland sea, other distant islands barely visible in the haze, beaches, lush greenery and a sculpture peeking out here and there. We spent most of the afternoon there on the verandah sipping beer and pretending we were rich and famous and that we were as slim and well dressed as the mainly Japanese clientele.

Soon it was time for a “complimentary sparkling wine” in the museum cafe and then, as the sun set, we were whisked away to the Chichu Art Museum (which we had visited earlier that day) for the Open Sky Night Program – which was a viewing of the light sculpture sunset sequence for the James Turrell work Open Sky. The work was very similar to the one installed at MONA by Turrell so we knew what to expect. It’s hard to describe and I’d love to show you some pics – but of course – photography was not permitted.

Directly afterwards we were transported back in the mini-bus through the rain to Benesse House where we had a booking in the Museum Restaurant called Issen. We were seated next to some Warhol prints with a view onto a large rainswept courtyard. And so began the whole Kaiseki experience which was basically a series of small intricately arranged courses (a steamed dish, a fried dish, some rice, some sashimi etc etc.). The whole thing was a bit of blur to be honest, but it’s safe to say that we ate a bunch of seafood that we had never tried before including sea urchin roe, unagi (eel) and something that I think may have been turtle (although I can’t be sure). Overwhelmed and overstimulated we strolled back to our room through the museum unaccompanied – but don’t worry we didn’t take any photos and our voices barely rose above a whisper.

A travel day today. So it was up early to jam too much stuff that we don’t and won’t need into our too small bags. That accomplished, we trundled off to the local subway station and headed for Kyoto station. Today the plan was to travel southwest to the small port town of Uno, which is the jumping off point for the so called “art islands” of the inland sea. It really feels like we’re getting better at this – we made it directly to Kyoto station, booked seats on the Shinkansen (Bullet Train), located the correct platform, boarded the correct train and efficiently stored our baggage – all with a minimum of fuss and a maximum amount of sweat (the humidity was around 90% as usual – and it was overcast). Lou of course can’t visit a major train station without purchasing some mysterious Bento Box for consumption on the train. This time it was some kind of crumbed meat on a bed of sticky rice with a garishly coloured curry “sauce.” Sooner him than me – I’ll stick to the soy crisp things they sell everywhere.

After an hour on the Shinkansen we changed trains at Okayama to a regional train (the Rapid Mariner train or something like that). Later we changed trains yet again to a local train that was only two carriages long (more like a light rail carriage really) and eventually made it to the end of the line (literally) at Uno Port. It was mid afternoon and scorchingly hot again. Luckily our accommodation at the Uno Port Inn was only a 3 minute walk away. We weren’t expecting much – this was really just a place to stay overnight before jumping on the ferry to the main art island of Naoshima – but we were very pleasantly surprised. Our room was basic – 3 futons on the tatami mat floor with a bathroom down the hall and very little other space – but the place was clean and cosy and the two women running the place were just lovely. They provided us with heaps of information about the art islands but also had some great suggestions for dinner options. They also ran a cafe which sold beer and they made pretty good coffee – so we arranged to have brekky there the next day.

Dinner was (as suggested by the Uno Port Inn staff) at Osaka-ya – a local down to earth restaurant serving combo meals – I had local teryaki fish, rice miso soup, pickled veggies and a super cold beer. The decor was v strange – little figurines everywhere and bunch of weird sketches of people eating. All in all, a cool meal at a cool place.

Later we wandered the streets of Uno. It’s a pretty run down place and not much appeared to be happening – although we occasionally glimpsed people coming and going from nondescript looking buildings that seemed to be full of people eating drinking and smoking – not something that appeared to be accessible to tourists. Then the usual Seven Eleven run and back to futon central.

The day started with some terrible news from home. And Kyoto was right in sync with our mood – it was grey and wet all day with intermittent (very) heavy downpours as a typhoon passed off the coast to the south.

We decided to make the most of it and headed out into the deluge. First stop was Kinkaku-Ji, famous for its Golden Pavillion set in the middle of a small lake. Even on a day like today the site was packed with tourists – every one of them armed with an umbrella open and set at around eye/shoulder height. It only took 5 minutes walking and we were all thoroughly soaked. Despite all this the temple was still an impressive sight – the gold leaf shining through the grey day, the texture of the lake beautiful in the rain. We even managed to light some incense and think of home and what everyone there must be going through.

Soggy and cold we boarded the bus for Nishiki Market, the huge food market in central Kyoto. We planned to grab a few snacks to warm us up but instead stumbled across an excellent Udon Noodle Restaurant called Fumiya. The starchy slightly gelatinous soup with shimeji mushrooms was amazing and the texture of the udon noodles was perfect.

The rest of the afternoon was spent wandering randomly from stall to stall, shop to shop, trying to stay out of the rain. Before we knew it, it was getting dark and we headed across to Spring Valley Brewery, a craft beer place we had passed a few times on our walks. We intended to stop in for a quick drink but ended up staying for more than that, filling up on beer and snacks and talking about home. The rain was still falling when we left.

Started the day right with a crappy long black from a local cafe. Won’t be going back there – but it did at least help us get through the epic bus trip (38 stops) from central Kyoto to the eastern edge of town to Arishyama. Arishyama was crawling with tourists so we changed buses there and went further up into the hills to visit the Otagi Nenbutsuji Temple. Jules had read about this place, which is quirky and strange and well off the main tourist trail. The site is covered with hundreds of strange carvings of Buddha engaged in activities ranging from the traditional (praying) to the (almost) contemporary (listening to his walkman). The experience was soured a little by that fact that we had to share the small site with a loud, overbearing, rude Buddhist “expert” who was dragging a couple of people along with him. His distinctive American twang rang out across the site the whole time we were there. At one point he physically pushed us out of the way to get closer to the shrine. On second thoughts maybe he wasn’t a buddhist.

From there we bussed it back down the hill to join the tourist hordes in Arishyama. The temperature was well into the high 30s by this point so it was a relief to wander through the famous Arishyama Bamboo Grove (was this maybe where they shot House of Flying Daggers?). We also visited the very beautiful Tenryui-Ji (Heavenly Dragon) Shrine. Again the gardens were very Zen and the lake by the main hall was exquisite – complete with a crane that stood before us, wings spread, drying out.

By far the best part of Arishyama was Okochi Sanso. A huge estate that was established by the famous Japanese Film Star of the 30s 40s and 50s Okochi Denjiro. The gardens and the view were probably among the most beautiful I have ever seen – not that I’m a garden fan or anything – but sheesh! At the end of our visit we sipped some matcha green tea (even Lou drank it) and a matcha based sweet. How Japanese are we?

Back once more into the tourist throngs at Arishyama station for a quick frozen beer cocktail before tramming and training it back to our accommodation for a little lie down.

From there the day/night just got better. Lou forced us to visit Hachi – a super cool record store/bar where we tried a bunch of local craft beers and sakes. We met a friendly English couple, one of whom worked as marketing manager for Lush and we chatted to Sentoko San behind the bar. Turns out she plays in a new wave band (Viva Sherry) and was able to make some suggestions about live music venues in Kyoto (Live House Taku Taku). It was cool to talk about music and play records – the beer was choice as well.

For dinner we tried a great sushi train place in central Kyoto recommended by Sentoko, then Lou peeled off and Julie and I headed over to Taku Taku with hopes of catching local band “Aux” who were playing that night. Sadly they had finished by the time we got there – apparently bands finish by 9 pm in the city owing to nearby apartments, noise complaints etc etc. Luckily the bar was cool and the people were friendly. I bought a copy of the Aux record for sale at the bar and before I knew it we were chatting to Yow – the guitarist and singer for the band. He was a little younger than us – with a mohawk and impressive dental work – and super friendly. We talked music and geography and I promised to play his stuff on the radio in Hobart. Now we’re even friends on Facebook – naaawwww.

We realised we have been away for a full week as at today – so much and all so fast – and yet not. Anyway this day was a cracker. Early breakfast, more awesome coffee and then straight out before the temperature climbed into the brain melting zone. 

Today we headed south. Kyoto is located in a kind of flat basin, but at least as far as I can tell it is surrounded by hills and mountains. And that’s where we headed today to the amazing Fushimi Inari Taisha. The guide book describes the site as “vast” and they ain’t kidding. It’s a 4 km circuit of vermillion (they looked orange to me – is that the same as vermillion) Tori – which are shrine gates. There are thousands of them and they snake up and around the hill. We made it around the full circuit – and it was so worth it. Little shrines dotted here and there and thousands of stone foxes everywhere. The fox is sacred to the Japanese and is the god of cereals – wheat etc – not Nutri Grain.

After that we braved the midday heat and visited the huge Tofuku Ji Shrine which is nearby. It really was way too hot to be doing anything but it was worth it. The complex features 24 subtemples and a huge main hall. We came across a group of buddhists chanting at the entry to the main hall and the sound was… well… eerie. This was our first experience of a Zen Temple and the beautiful raked gravel gardens and minimalist layout appealed to my inner (and outer) OCD.

After a thorough frying, we headed back to Kyoto station complex for a set meal lunch thing and a little more air conditioned shopping. We weren’t up for much that night so we visited an upstairs craft beer bar called Bakujun which was a little subdued, so we gave up on that and ducked downstairs to the hip and happening “standing bar” downstairs. It was packed with young Kyoto hipsters all standing and drinking (and eating) as the name suggests. There was no English menu so we took pot luck and ate a bunch of delicious stuff including raw pickled octopus with wasabi, edamame with wasabi, whole fried mackerel and a cheese omelette. Sleepy time!

Our first full day in beautiful Kyoto – and I managed to convince Jules to come for a morning run. It was still cool enough to move around, so we headed up to the Imperial Place grounds – which are vast. It was still closed up but the park surrounding it and the massive walls were impressive enough. Imagine making that part of your daily run routine – it seemed like quite a few locals already had. Found a great place for coffee and pastries on the way home – we had to walk so as not to spill the lattes.

The plan for the day was to head out to the Southern Higashiyama area of Kyoto to check out the Kiyomizu Dera temple. This time we were taking the bus – which turned out to be way more of an adventure than anticipated. After getting on the wrong bus, I think we also took the wrong path after getting off somewhere allegedly near the temple. Anyway it turned out to be an excellent mistake as we had to walk through a local cemetery to get to Kiyomizu Dera. Kinda cool. As was the temple itself – overrun with tourists but also beautiful. Located high above Kyoto with amazing views and surrounded by a massive verandah. By this time the heat and humidity was getting up there, but we pressed on doggedly washing our hands, bowing and clapping. Luckily there were numerous smoothie and takoyaki stalls on on the way down – and Lou bravely consumed a very sketchy looking hotdog.

We were dehydrated and hangry by the time we made it back to Kyoto station. Luckily there are 9 Ramen shops located on the 10th floor of the station and all of them sold beer. It was the usual deal (order and pay via a machine outside the shop and hand your slip to the dude inside) and the usual deliciousness. Our moods magically improved enough for a little shopping.

After a little time decompressing in our room we headed out again for bit more lookee lookee then decided to go back to Before 9 Sake and Craft Beer Bar again. This time we tried the snacks – all the snacks. Delicious chargrilled edamame, kara age chicken, omelette and some really excellent humous. Would love to go back but don’t want them to think we are creepy unadventurous losers.

A big day today – leaving Tokyo and heading to Kyoto. But first coffee – and sadly on our last day we found the best coffee ever just around the corner at the strangely named Innsomnia Hotel in Akasaka. Just like home – only more polite. Then it was time to pack up and head out to Tokyo Station via the subway to board the Shinkansen to Kyoto. Sounds like fun – and it was – except for the first part. We got lost headed to the wrong subway station to transfer – and our bags really are way too heavy – next time I’ll leave the beard trimmer at home.

Eventually boarded the Shinkansen (Bullet Train) for Kyoto and it ticked all the boxes – super fast (check), bento boxes for sale on board (check), obnoxious tourists (check). After a couple of hours of flashing past a bunch of slightly sad looking rural towns we were in Kyoto. And for once locating and accessing our accommodation (via Air BnB) was a dream. We’re staying in “one big room” – at least that’s how it was advertised on Air BnB and it’s fine – on the 11th floor of an apartment building in central Kyoto.

And Kyoto… well it’s lovely. Narrow streets, cool little shops and timber townhouses, flocks of Japanese school kids being led around by teachers waving flags – and quite a few “craft” beer bars. We strolled around for a while, stumbled upon the excellent Nishiki Market – all kinds of awesome snacks – including yet more Takoyaki (octopus balls) complete with delicious mayo and bonito flakes. A little shopping was also done – and a little gaming. Louis dragged us into a local gaming place – it was massive. 3 floors of weird games that ranged from old school Streetfighter arcade style games (which Louis played) right through to complex platformers and RPGs. There also seemed to be quite a lot of gambling going on. Old dudes gambling sitting next to school kids gaming – excellent.

After discovering the excellent Japanese dining guide site bento.com, we walked over to a Sake and Craft Beer Bar called Before 9 – it was excellent. Friendly staff, great sake and beer and a cool vibe. We were easily the biggest dorks there. Dinner was at Tskuada Nojo – a chicken sukyaki place down by the river. It was fine – a bit weird – we skipped the horse meat sashimi – but the enthusiasm of the staff made up for that. Plus the lift doors tried to eat Jules. Kyoto wants us to stay – and that’s OK.