05 April 2024 | We are in Kyoto, Japan: Tregoning is in Mersin Marina, Mersin, Türkiye
Alison Stocker | Photo: Cherry blossoms and tourists along the Philosopher’s Walk, Kyoto, Japan
As the "designated worrier" aboard Tregoning, it is my job to anticipate everything that can go wrong, a role at which I am quite skilled. As foreshadowed in my post from Toronto Airport, I was concerned that we might miss our connecting flight in Tokyo due to delays in Customs explaining that the strange collection of boat parts in our luggage was not going to remain in Japan. Well, I got the consequent correct but not the cause.
Our more than 13-hour daytime flight from Toronto to Tokyo gave us plenty of opportunities to enjoy the airline's movies (including happily watching Barbie for a second time). We also had some spectacular views as we flew over northern Canada and the North Slope Basin of Alaksa. Flying over the Bering Strait, we crossed the International Dateline, cutting short Tuesday (2nd April) and thrusting us well into Wednesday.
Flying over the North Slope Basin of Alaska
We landed about on time at Haneda Airport in Tokyo, but there was a significant delay before we could leave the plane. After a long walk we reached the Arrivals Hall to find absolute chaos, not what we had expected in Japan at all. Initially there was no apparent line to reach the immigration desks, but after following the slow shuffle of the crowd from several incoming flights, we found ourselves in a long, long, single-file line, weaving back and forth across the hall.
When we eventually reached the Immigration desk, we were checked in quickly and efficiently. However, we already knew that we had little chance of making our connection. Collecting our bags we approached the Customs officer and x-ray machine anticipating a long explanation. Instead, we were waved straight through. Thankful that the process was not as complicated as I had feared, it had taken us over two hours to get through the arrival procedures, and we still had to re-check our bags and take a bus to another terminal to get our 6 pm flight to Osaka.
We had plenty of company with other exhausted travelers as we queued at the "All Nippon Airways" re-check desk but amazingly, the ANA representative was able to find us seats on their 7:15 pm flight. The shuttle bus delivered us to the correct terminal, the line at security was surprisingly small, and we made it to the gate of our revised flight with a few minutes to spare. We both napped soundly on the 70-minute flight knowing that in the dark we would not get to see Mount Fuji as Jennie and her daughters had done on their train ride from Tokyo to Kyoto a few days earlier.
Jennie's photo of Mount Fuji seen from the train from Tokyo to Kyoto (alas, it was dark when we flew past)
Things were looking promising but by the time we got our luggage at Osaka Airport, the last bus to Kyoto had already left. We had no energy left to work out the train schedule or drag our luggage through the necessary changes. Talking to Kaoru, she suggested that we could take a taxi all the way from Osaka to her condo but it would have been expensive and tiring. Instead, we were able to get a tiny but neat room in the Osaka Airport hotel where we quickly showered and collapsed into bed. We were sorry to miss a night with our marvelous hosts Kaoru and Joe, but we were probably better company once we were rested than if we had arrived totally exhausted.
Our excellent and generous hosts, Joe and Kaoru
We caught the 8:20 am bus to Kyoto after a good breakfast in Le Pan café of the airport (complete with boiled eggs from which the top was neatly removed by a Eierschalensollbruchstellenverursacher (see
https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Eierschalensollbruchstellenverursacher where the lower ball is lifted up and dropped a couple of times...it sometimes does not take much to impress us). Kaoru kindly met us in her car and drove us through the city to her condo. Here, we were fascinated by the parking garage.
Kaoru backing her car into the parking garage below her condo
We were initially confused when Kaoru said that there were nine pens for eight cars (one space is empty to allow the eight pens to be moved around), but there are three pens below the ground level that cannot be seen in this photo. The driver requests which pen is to be vacated/filled and the machine finds the best way to shuffle the pens and the single space to get the required car to the exit/entry position shown at the left. This may not be unusual to big city residents but was new to us...as I said, it often does not take much to impress us. Land space is obviously of great value in most of Japan and public transportation is highly developed and well-used.
Spread over 3,000 km (almost 1,900 miles) along the Pacific coast of continental Asia, the five main islands of Japan, Hokkaido, Honshu, Kyushu, Shikoku, and Okinawa, plus another 14,120 "remote islands", form a total land area of 364,546 km2 (140,752 sq mi). This a about 1.5 times the land area of Great Britain and slightly smaller than California. With a population of just over 125 million, Japan is much more densely populated than Britain (67 million) and California (39 million).
Since most of the land is ruggedly mountainous and 66% is covered with forest, the population is concentrated around the coast, mostly in large cities. Only 20% of the land area is suitable for agriculture, which is highly intensive and fills most of the non-mountainous, non-urban areas. Agriculture only accounts for about 1% of the nation's gross domestic product. Industry contributes almost 30% of GPD while almost 70% is provided by the service sector including a large proportion related to international trade to provide natural resources to support industry. Kyoto is not highly industrialized, but does have the headquarters of the well-known video gaming company, Nintendo.
In urban areas, some intensively managed, small-scale farming or gardening plots remain
Located on the Pacific Ring of Fire, Japan is prone to frequent earthquakes, tsunamis, and volcanic activity as the Pacific tectonic plate subducts beneath the continental North American plate and the latter collides with the Eurasian plate. Although also prone to typhoons, the risk of earthquakes is probably why most utility wiring is kept above ground, rather than protected from wind in hard-to-repair underground ducts. Through-roads, in Kyoto are wide but most of the local streets seemed to be quite narrow and apartments blocks and houses were crowded together with minimal yards or gardens.
A very busy tourist road (leading to a popular temple) typical of narrow, local streets with a profusion of utility wires between poles overhead
Japanese life appears to be a fascinating mixture of traditional and highly modern practices. In a dense population, discretion and cleanliness are highly valued. Removal of shoes on entry to homes or anywhere with a raised floor, e.g., in traditional restaurants or hotels, is common. It does not take long to notice the high complexity of many Japanese toilets both public and private. Options for various types of bidets, some with driers, and water-sounds or music to cover "bodily noises", can make a trip to the bathroom quite an adventure. The fondness of many for electronics and gimmicks can result in some interesting experiences, such as a hotel with a self-check-in desk that is overseen by motion-activated dinosaur robot "hosts".
Guests are expected to check themselves in on computer terminals while these animatronic dinosaurs move and roar in the background
To aid visitors, most directions on streets, in airports, and in train stations are given in English versions as well as Japanese characters. Of course, Google Maps in the user's own language simplifies travel enormously. While Google Translate can be useful, especially for reading labels, many people in Kyoto speak some English. The occupation of Japan by Allied forces between 1945 and 1952, probably contributed to the integration of English into many Japanese activities. Of course, we were so well looked after by Kaoru, that Randall and I hardly needed to worry about trying to communicate in Japanese or understand signs. Traveling on their own in Tokyo and then getting to Kyoto and Osaka, Jennie and her daughters were much more adventurous in that regard than we were.
As mentioned before, the coincidence of their visit with ours was largely because we were all trying to catch the cherry blossom season in Kyoto. Given the warm winter, Kaoru had suggested that the season may have been over in Kyoto by early April and so had booked us for a night in a hotel in Yoshino. This small town is south of Kyoto but high enough in the Kii Mountains that its thousands of cherry trees bloom significantly later than in the city.
Cherry blossoms in Kyoto showing buds and variations in flower color
However, March was unusually cold, which delayed the cherry blossoms in Kyoto. So, to our great delight, the peak of blooming was exactly when we were there...we were SO LUCKY! We could see the blossoms thicken on the trees for the first few days of our visit, and peaking just before we left, some wind and rain scattered many of the petals in white carpets on the ground. Kyoto has many cherry trees planted along roads, waterways, around important buildings, and growing wild on the hillsides. As we looked at a cherry tree on the side of the wooded hill across the street from Kaoru and Joe's condo, it started a real obsession with the blossoms wherever we went.
A cherry tree densely covered in bright white blossoms
Unlike Jennie and her daughters, we did not spend any time visiting the nation's current capital city, Tokyo, but concentrated our short stay in Japan in Kyoto. Both near the coast of Japan's largest island of Honshu, Tokyo is east, but not much further north, than Kyoto. The city of Kyoto has a population of 1.46 million and the Greater Kyoto metro area had about 3.8 million inhabitants. This is considerably smaller than the metropolitan area of Tokyo with over 37 million residents.
Archeological evidence suggests that the area of Kyoto was settled in the Paleolithic period, prior to 12,000 years ago. However, little has been recorded of human activity in the region prior to the 6th century. The growing community had various names until it became the site of the imperial court, or capital of Japan in 794 AD when it became widely known as Kyoto or "capital city". When established as the capital the expanding city was planned on a grid system according to traditional Chinese feng shui principles, following the models of two ancient Chinese capitals. The seat of the emperor was moved to the city of Edo in 1868, at which time, that city became known as Tokyo "eastern capital". Given its importance from 794 to 1868, Kyoto is sometime referred to as the thousand-year capital.
Considered the cultural capital of Japan, Kyoto was spared from large-scale bombing and destruction during World War II. With more than 1,600 Buddhist temples, 400 Shinto shrines, palaces, and gardens, 14 of which are designated collectively as the Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto UNESCO World Heritage Site, Kyoto is a popular tourist destination. Like us, many tourists timed their visits to coincide with the cherry blossoms.
After dropping off our bags, viewing their condo, and meeting Pia the cat,
Kaoru and Joe took us into the city to the Nishiki Market. Cold groundwater in this area was used to keep fish and meats fresh in an area close to the Kyoto Imperial Palace, with the sale of fish starting as early as 782. An official market was established in 1615 and this has continued to the present day.
Inside the Nishiki Market with many small stalls specializing in particular kinds of food
Known as "Kyoto's kitchen" and popular with tourists, there are about 130 small shops in the Nishiki Market selling food items such as fish, fruit, vegetables, tofu, and dry foods, many of which are ready to eat. Most stores specialize in particular types of food and these include many items not commonly seen outside Japan. We were intrigued by the half-shell sea urchins and fish-on-a-stick, and slightly horrified by the sparrows-on-a-stick. Instead of trying any of these, we bought a bag of lovely roasted chestnuts.
Typical store in Nishiki market with fish on a stick (center front) and sparrows on a stick to their right
We had lunch at a small restaurant nearby, most of us selecting a boiled cod soup while Randall was more adventurous with a tray of small dishes, pickled vegetables, meats, etc., served with a bowl of rice, a very popular style of eating in Japan. Afterwards we stopped at the Konkai Komyo-ji Temple not very far south of Kaoru and Joe's condo. Founded in 1175, this Buddhist temple was destroyed by war or fire but subsequently rebuilt several times. The colossal two-story ceremonial gate at the entrance to the temple complex was built in 1860, and leads to many buildings, a cemetery, ponds, and gardens. We soon came to recognize that multiple, curved roofs are a common feature of Japanese temples.
The large, two story ceremonial gate at Konkai Komyo-ji Temple
Konkai Komyo-ji Temple is one of eight chief temples in Japan belonging to the Pure Land sect of Buddhism. Not referring to the sites of the temples, the Pure Land lies far beyond the sinking sun and adherents of the sect pray that they might reborn in the Pure Land. This is the largest sect of Japanese Buddhism with 22 million believers. There were not many visitors while we were at Konkai Komyo-ji as this temple is not on the typical tourist trail, but there were several young couples in traditional dress, having photographs taken under the cherry trees.
At this point, we needed to clarify the difference between shrines and temples. The former are generally Shinto and the latter are typically Buddhist but both are often located on the same site, usually starting as a Shinto shrine with a Buddhist temple added later. Shinto was the earlier, endemic religion of Japan with Buddhism gradually arriving from India, via the Silk Road through China and Korea. Officially Buddhism was introduced to Japan in the mid-sixth century (around 550) when King Seong of Baekje (now western South Korea) sent a mission to Emperor Kinmei that included an image of the Buddha, ritual banners, and sutras (writings).
Unlike Western religions which focus on exclusivity, in Japan it is considered acceptable to practice different religious traditions simultaneously. Thus, many people adopt both Shinto and Buddhist rituals and beliefs, these being the by far the most popular religions in Japan. While plenty of Japanese claim no religious affiliation, of those that do about 1% are Christians, 4 - 6% other religions, and at least 70% identify as Shintoists and 67% as Buddhists, with about 40% overlap of these two religions.
Part of the reason for that overlap is that Shinto is often regarded more as a way of life than a religion. Shinto has no single founder or canonical text (both present in Buddhism) and focuses on rituals and adapting to the pragmatic requirements of life rather than doctrine. The doctrine of Buddhism might be summarized as the belief that human life is a cycle of suffering and rebirth, but it is possible to escape this cycle forever, if a transcendent state of enlightenment (nirvana) is achieved.
One of many beautiful buildings in the Konkai Komyo-ji Temple complex
Kami are the objects of Shinto veneration which are spirits and deities that can be of mythological, spiritual, or natural phenomena, including the spirits of venerated dead people, forces of nature, and elements of the landscape, and which can have both good and evil characteristics. "Kannagara" is the way of the Kami, a law of natural order with "wa" being the benign harmony inherent in all things. Disruption of wa is bad whereas contributing to wa, such as subordination of the individual to the larger social unit, is regarded as good.
While humans are regarded in Shinto as fundamentally having purity or "harae", this has to be maintained by the avoidance of pollution by impurity or "kegare". Temporary states of impurity can be reversed by ritual purification and this is incorporated into many aspects of Japanese culture, including the emphasis on bathing. Flowing water is often available for ritual purification on approaching a shrine.
Once we left the Konkai Komyo-ji temple, Kaoru took me to visit her office. Part of the Kyoto University campus is literally just around the corner from her condo and her office is just a few hundred yards inside the campus boundary. Kyoto University is a national research university with law and medical schools, that was founded 1897, making it the second oldest university in Japan after Gakushūin University, a private college in Tokyo. Kyoto University has around 22,500 students and an 11% acceptance rate which compares with a total enrollment of almost 61,000 and 23% acceptance rate at the University of Florida.
That evening, we had dinner at a tiny local restaurant that Kaoru had booked for us. A reservation was essential as there were just two tables each with low stools for four, and some taller stools at a bar. We let Kaoru order the house special menu of tempura vegetables and shrimp, along with many small side dishes, including some very delicate and fancy carvings of vegetables.
Vegetable side-dish: sweet-potato on right is carved and stained to look like a pinnate leaf; items on the left were intricately carved potatoes as a lantern and a dragon - it seemed a shame to eat such works of art
After a good night's sleep on the comfortable futon in the condo, we were ready for our second day of Japanese culture...specifically more temples and interesting food. The starting point was a visit to Kyoto's temple that is most popular with tourists, Kiyomizu-dera Temple, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We tried to beat the crowds but it was already busy by the time we got there, as many people were attracted, like us, to the description that it appears to float in the cherry blossoms and trees.
The main hall of Kiyomizu-dera Temple, appearing to float above the trees with the city of Kyoto in the distance
Like many of the old temples in Kyoto, Kiyomizu-dera is on the edge of the city with wooded hillside owned by the Temple behind it. These steep hillsides are protected so that views of the temples with woodlands behind them are not spoiled.
Wooded hillside with blooming cherry trees, uphill from Kiyomizu-dera Temple
Belonging to the Buddhist Kita-Hosso sect, the Kiyomizu-dera temple is located on the foothills of Mount Otowa, in the Higashiyama Mountain range that borders eastern Kyoto. The temple was founded in 778 AD (16 years before the city became the capital of Japan) when a Buddhist priest from the nearby capital city, Nara, claimed to have a vision that directed him to the site of Otowa Spring. This spring gave rise to the temple's name which means "Pure Water Monastery".
The spring still flows and is divided into three streams, each of which is associated with a particular type of good fortune: health, longevity, and exam success. Many visitors choose to sample the water because of these supposed magical properties although it is considered greedy to sample more than one stream. Thus, the appropriate stream should be chosen for the desired type of good luck.
Visitors sampling water from the three branches of the spring at Kiyomizu-dera Temple
Many of the buildings and pagodas at Kiyomizu-dera Temple are painted orange, or more appropriately "saffron". This is a significant color in Buddhism indicating illumination or the highest state of perfection and many monks wear saffron robes.
Okunu-in Hall at Kiyomizu-dera Temple with statue of Buddha inside
The bright paintwork suggested recent renovations, and we found a few dougongs that had yet to be restored. Rather than effigies of the manatee-like marine mammal found around Australia and the Southwestern Pacific (dugongs), dougongs are a structural element in traditional, timber-framed Chinese architecture. With layers of interlocking wooden brackets, they form a stable connection and vertical transfer of weight between the larger surface of a horizontal beam and the top of a column. One of the earliest examples of modern mortise and tenon joints, using precisely cut notches and grooves to allow for a tight fit, dougongs reduce the strain on horizontal beams and provide elasticity which allows buildings to withstand earthquakes better. As seen here, many layers of blocks may be included along with highly ornate painting.
Example of restored and non-restored dougongs on Okunu-in Hall
The two most eye-catching saffron buildings in the temple complex are the three-story pagodas. Common to Southeast Asia, pagodas are tiered towers with multiple eaves. Typically Buddhist, they were derived from stupas, which were dome-shaped buildings used for meditation and to store relics in ancient India. Although the oldest and tallest pagodas were typically made of wood, they were susceptible to lightning strikes and other sources of fire, so many of the oldest surviving pagodas are made of brick or stone.
Koyasunoto Pagoda, one of the three-story pagodas at Kiyomizu-dera Temple
While often used to protect and preserve Buddhist relics and artifacts, pagodas are auspicious symbols of the path to heightened awareness and perception. According to one source, the Koyasunoto Pagoda which is separated from the main temple complex, is dedicated to Koyasu Kannon, a goddess who grants safe delivery of children, so it is often visited by pregnant women.
Randall's picture of the Koyasunoto pagoda with cherry blossoms
The temple's other pagoda, Sanjunoto Pagoda, is part of the main complex of buildings and at 31 m (102 feet) is one of the tallest of such structures in Japan. It was added to the site in 1633, during the Kiyomizu-dera reconstruction three years after a massive fire destroyed the temples and main hall.
Looking north from the Koyasunoto pagoda to the main Kiyomizu-dera Temple complex with the Sanjunoto Pagoda on the left and the main hall and stage (Butai) on the right
The original main hall, which was reassembled from an emperor's palace, was added to the temple in 798, a few years after Emperor Kammu moved the nation's capital from Nara. Rebuilt in 1633, the main hall and its wide veranda, or Butai, is perched over a steep cliff. Huge tree trunks were used as support posts and not a single nail was used in the construction of the entire structure. Such large halls and verandas were added to many popular sites during the Edo period (1606 to 1868) to accommodate large numbers of pilgrims. This platform has a floor of 410 cypress board supported by 168 pillars of 12-m (40 feet) tall keyaki (Japanese Zelkova a native tree often used for bonsai). Reassuringly, these posts were restored in 2017.
This Butai is referenced in the popular Japanese expression "to jump off the stage at Kiyomizu" which equates to the English "to take the plunge". This refers to an Edo-period tradition that suggested that if one were to survive the 13-m (43-foot) jump from the stage either (depending upon the source) one's wish would be granted, or as a monk one would gain spiritual merit. Of the 234 jumps recorded an astonishing 85% survived (perhaps saved by the trees below), but in 1872 the potentially suicidal practice was prohibited.
Despite the crowds, we enjoyed a lovely morning completing a loop of the temple complex before returning to the car via the narrow approach street which is famous for ceramics. The small stores had windows full of fine china...and signs saying No Photographs! We also passed several stores renting out kimonos and yukatas. These are very popular at this time of year for young adults or tourists to have their photographs taken with the cherry blossoms. Kaoru explained how she can tell from a distance if young women in kimonos are Japanese or other Asians. Japanese women intuitively know to take small steps, while Koreans, for example, will try to walk normally and find the kimono very constricting of their paces.
Two young women, probably tourists in rented kimonos, striding in a rather un-traditional manner up the street toward the Kiyomizu-dera Temple
After lunch we left Joe at the condo, while Kaoru, Randall and I walked east to Ginkaku-ji Temple (Temple of the Silver Pavilion) another UNESCO World Heritage site. Two of the main features of this site are the Silver Pavilion and the Zen Garden including precisely raked and shaped areas of coarse white sand. Unsurprisingly, there are many signs asking visitors "Please do NOT touch - Ginsyadan sand layer".
The sand garden at Ginkaku-ji with the carefully formed pile said to symbolize Mount Fuji, a.k.a. Kogetsudai (Moon-Viewing Mound) and Ginshadan (Sea of Silver Sand) in front of the Silver Pavilion
Plans for a retirement villa and gardens were initiated in 1460 by Shogun Ashikaga Yoshimasa. It was similar to the design of the golden pavilion, Kinkaku-ji (in northwestern Kyoto), which had been commissioned by the Shogun's grandfather. It is alleged that it was planned for this pavilion to be covered with silver foil, but this is unlikely since the popular nickname dates from a later period.
Ashikaga Yoshimasa became a Zen Buddhist monk in 1485, acquiring the name Jisho-ji. After his death in 1490, the villa and gardens became a Buddhist temple complex and was also renamed Jisho-ji. The temple is today associated with the Shokoku-ji branch of Rinzai Zen and just over 5 million Japanese identify themselves as Zen Buddhists.
Moss-covered garden within the Ginkaku-ji Temple complex - Kaoru spotted several small ardisia (coralberry) plants scattered through the area (an invasive species in Florida on which we have both conducted research)
Now for a few words on emperors and shoguns.
Mythology suggests that the first Japanese emperor, Emperor Jimmu, was a descendant of the Shinto Sun Goddess Amaterasu, and was enthroned in the year 660 BC. Modern research suggests that verifiable emperors did not appear until 539 AD with Emperor Kinmei. The duties as an emperor, and thus head priest of the Shinto religion, are passed only to male children. With a line of about 100 emperors, the Japanese Imperial House is the oldest continuous hereditary monarchy (lifetime heads of state) in the world. The Japanese Emperor is also the world's only remaining head of state with the title of emperor. The powers of these emperors have varied over time between actual imperial rulers and a largely symbolic, ceremonial role. The current Constitution of Japan defines the emperor as "the symbol of the State and of the unity of the people".
Shogun, by contrast, was the title of the military ruler of Japan during most of the period spanning from 1185 to 1868. Nominally appointed by an Emperor, the shogun was usually the de facto ruler of the country although their relative roles strengthened and weakened many times. The office of shogun was hereditary, but over the course of the history of Japan, several different clans held the position. While emperors lived in their Imperial Palaces in the nation's capital, shoguns might have had castles in the capital but often lived or moved around elsewhere in Japan depending upon military advantage. Although the current head of Japanese government is titled Prime Minister, a retired prime minister who still has power and influence behind the scenes may be referred to as a "shadow shogun".
View over Giinkaku-ji Temple towards Kyoto - Kaoru and Joe's apartment is just to the right of the wooded hill in the middle distance
We enjoyed walking around the gardens where much of the ground was covered with a variety of mosses. We also followed a trail to a freshwater spring and up to view point looking west over the city. Once we had left the Ginkaku-ji complex, Randall and Kaoru walked home while I waited outside the temple at the north end of the Philosopher's Walk. Here I was due to meet Jennie and her three daughters, Sarah, Josie (my goddaughter who now lives in Melbourne, Australia), and Claire, who, apart from Josie, were visiting from near London, UK.
Meeting under the cherry blossoms: L to R - Jennie, Claire, Josie and Sarah
Running a little late (this was not entirely surprising...), they had caught a taxi rather than waiting for the bus from Arashiyama, where they had been excited to see and feed Japanese macaques. Within the Monkey Park, the humans are kept in cages and hold appropriate food through the bars to feed the wild monkeys.
Once reunited, we enjoyed the impressive cherry blossoms along the Philosopher's Walk and associated irrigation canal that carries water from the large freshwater lake in the neighboring mountains, Lake Biwa. The Walk, first opened in 1890 and extended in 1912, was named because two 20th-century Japanese philosophers and Kyoto University professors were thought to have used it for daily exercise.
More cherry blossoms along the Philosopher's Walk
At the end of the Walk, Sara, Josie, and Claire took a bus back to their rented apartment while Jennie and I continued walking past the massive Sammon Gate of the Nanzen-ji temple and through Maruyama Park. This park has many cherry trees and huge numbers of people were having picnics underneath or having photos taken of themselves dressed in kimonos and yukatas.
Young Japanese people dressed in traditional kimonos and yukatas and posing for photographs under cherry trees in Maruyama Park
Yakking the whole way, Jennie and I then headed south along the bank of the Kamo River to finally cut west to their apartment. A short walk early in the evening brought us to a restaurant at the main railway station where Kaoru had booked a table, knowing that it would be close to their apartment. Amazingly, we got there precisely on time and it was Kaoru, Joe, and Randall who were late, having been delayed by traffic.
Us, Kaoru and Joe, Jennie's family, and her random new Japanese friends as we are about to say farewell after dinner
We had a wonderful meal with Kaoru ordering a wide selection of mostly vegetarian dishes for everyone to try. It was great fun as I sat with Sarah, Josie, and Claire and Jennie had a chance to ask Kaoru plenty of questions about Japan. We were only sorry that Jennie and the girls would be leaving for Osaka the next day so they could not spend more time with us and our wonderful hosts. Just before we were about to leave, in her marvelously friendly way, Jennie struck up a conversation about sustainability and reducing disposable waste in hospitals, etc., with a local young woman who was there with her mother. They were both excited about the prospect of communicating on this topic further. Jennie has clearly not understood the concept of retirement at all!
It all made a chaotic and amusing leave-taking as we said goodbye multiple times to Jennie's family and headed our separate ways again. Our plan for the next day was to visit Nara and learn about the capital of Japan before Kyoto and Tokyo.