Tuesday, October 26th
Today was a full day free or there was an optional trip - we chose to explore on our own. So off we went with a map that Lucy drew for us and a few key phrases written out. We took a taxi to Nanzenji Temple which was a very nice place to go and relax, but we had things to see and do so we didn’t stay long enough to get calm!
From the temple we took off walking and with all of our maps just roamed around for several hours. At the main shopping area we stopped at a huge departm
ent store and had a good lunch. I found a “Thank you” card for Lucy.
Next we headed to Nishiki-Koji, a covered fish and produce market. It has been Kyoto’s food market for more than 4 centuries. It was really fun to roam down and see all of the stalls.
By the time we finished at the market we had been roaming and walking for about 5 hours and mentally I was thinking I am done!!!
Tonig
ht is our farewell dinner at a local restaurant. It has been such a great trip and it is always sad to have to say “goodbye” to many new friends. Lucy has been a gem of a guide. We have had many good ones, but she is at the top!
We heard the following phrase several times – from our home/hosted visit and the Zen Buddhist yesterday – “One life – one encounter” from the visit and then “one life – one meeting” from yesterday. I guess that this is one of our reasons we like to travel is for those “encounters and meetings.” We know that we have a totally different feeling about Japan. We never really wanted to visit here and we would have missed so much if we hadn’t decided to take this trip.
Oh, can I tell you – it has been wonderful not having to overhear everyone's cell phone conversations. There is cell phone courtesy here – we have not heard people’s phones ringing and we have only seen a couple of people talking quietly on their phones. We sure could take a lesson from Japan on that – myself included, I admit. Can you imagine how delightful it would be to enjoy a restaurant without annoying cell phones!
Tomorrow we fly from Osaka to Tokyo and we will stay by the airport. Then on Thursday we fly to Seoul.
We're enjoying Japan through your comments and pictures. Beautiful gardens and flowers, Charlie bonding with a deer, Mary looking at her meal of raw fish...., clean pristine buildings and streets, adorable children. Definitely a 'must see' country!
ReplyDeleteNancy M
Nancy, we would have loved to have had you and Jim along also the Grays! The meals have been interesting for me - but I have never seen such beautiful presentation! Maybe that makes the food slide down better as it is still alive! Charlie says I am silly!
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