What with local kids apparently going to school on Saturdays and Sundays (going by the hordes of them in uniform), you generally don't come across Japanese kids out and about during the day. We had feared that our progeny may have shocked the locals by their volume. This fear was allayed somewhat by a couple of Japanese kids around Lily and Hamish's age at the breakfast buffet this morning. Both were wearing balloon sculptures on their heads (I don't know why either), and were banging and clattering with bowls and utensils like nobody's business. Our kids may have slightly more room to move when it comes to creating noise from this point on (just don't tell them that).
I had been obsessing a little about reaching the Sea of Japan, just to have been there (if that makes sense). Due to the complete lack of any apparent places of interest on the Kanazawan coast - we made our way there by guess-work (GPS-free). A number of our attempts were thwarted by an enormous coastal toll-way blocking our path, as well as the Roads and Traffic Authority's complete disinterest in connecting the people of Kanazawa with their coastline. We eventually found a minor road (more of those single-lane, driveway-esque things) - and made our way excitedly down to the sand.
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| North Korea thattaway. |
On an overcast day, the Sea of Japan was a leaden affair, with flotsam and jetsam strewn up and down the shore. There were a couple of dedicated surfers in wetsuits contemplating going in - but that was about it. Still - we'd made it, and the completionist itch in me had been scratched.
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| Joshie a little perplexed about this outing, and the lack of Pocky in the near vicinity. |
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| This is what a tolerant family looks like. |
Filling up our mighty Mazda 3 for the last time before drop-off, the good folk at the Eneos Petrol Station all but hugged us upon our arrival (yes, they are that friendly). It was an uneventful trip to Kyoto, and we stepped out in what appeared to be a very chic city. Clearly fitting in wearing our long-suffering travelling clothes - we sought out some real coffee before hunting down a taxi.
On the way to the taxi rank we noticed a number of workers up a tree - industriously pulling the leaves off a tree. I'm not sure why the tree's leaves offended them so much, but apparently their time was up.
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| 'Why haven't you shed your leaves yet you silly tree?' |
Our taxi driver looked exceedingly puzzled about our destination (which was concerning as we had the address written in Japanese along with an accompanying map) and consulted regularly with a number of his own maps at each red light, often forgetting to check when the light turned green to go. Knees pressed against the glove box, I began to wring my hands underneath my legs as the near-misses started racking up.
As we approached Gion itself (the part of town we are fortunate enough to be staying in), the roads narrowed to a point passing was impossible. Our bespectacled driver felt it would be the perfect time for some games of chicken between his speeding vehicle and apathetic pedestrians. We arrived without making the front page of the local paper and were very impressed indeed. The place is awesome, and we have it for 6 nights. The big people have beds, there is underfloor heating and there is a huge bathroom. Kennin-Ji Temple is literally around the corner (we nearly mowed down a few tourists out the front of there), and there are traditional street-scapes reminiscent of Old Town in Takayama, complete with kimono-clad ladies going about their business.
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| Cherry Timber all over the place. |
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| Big people called dibs of the bed. |
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| Josh about to put in a request for an over-sized bath. |
