kyoto and nara pictures

the slideshow is quite cool.

closer

i finally watched Closer with the purpleman last night, despite warnings that it wasn't a "date movie". i don't regret having gone to see it, but i can't say i liked it... it just had a nasty aftertaste that i'm still trying to figure out.

the story evolved around four characters and their sexual and emotional manipulations of each other. the dialogue was emotional and intense, yet i didn't find it very engaging because all the characters were so unlikeable and obsessed about sex and revenge in ways i found pretty shallow.

still, we are having fun coming up with a cast for our own imaginary production of Closer.

nara and kyoto --a four day trip

saturday june 18 (day one)
nara is only an hour from kyoto but somehow i never got around to exploring it much, partly because everyone says there aren't that many nice places to eat or stay. and while that is partly true (not many choices), now i know i've been missing so much!

the last time i stayed at the nara hotel, i was alone on a one-night business trip. i remember being spooked at night by the creaking sounds of the hotel's wooden structure. this time, with purpleman to keep me company, i really appreciate its beauty --the tall ceilings, the mix of meiji-era western and japanese architecture.

my favorite is the nara park. i never realized it was so huge. the deer are smelly and obnoxious up close, but are really very pretty.

we have nice dinner at mangyoku, a former "okiya", with purpleman's friends jose and fredrik who live nearby. it looks very classy from the outside and the bar area is tastefully decorated with antiques, but the food is very home-style. nice. afterwards we go exploring nara's temples, which turn out to be open to the public even after sunset. it's kind of strange to see 1000-year old buildings in the dark, but it's nice without the heat or the crowd of the afternoon. we also get to see fireflies. what mysterious, sensual creatures!

sunday june 19 (day two)
after one last walk through nara park, we head for kyoto. the kyoto fujita hotel is really my favorite, even with (or because of?) its outdated style. it's right by the kamo-gawa and you get to hear the river running.

for lunch we go to gion ten-ten for okonomiyaki, which is not really special to kyoto... but it doesn't matter because it tastes so good! we walk around shirakawa and then take a nap til dinner. we end up having dinner at sinamo, my favorite cafe with the many lamps. we agree to take it easy since we're both a little tired, but end up finishing a couple of drinks and a bottle of wine.

monday june 20 (day three)
my favorite place in kyoto is in o-hara, especially the garden at ho-sen in. i imagine it must be gorgeous during the autumn with the foliage and also during the spring cherry blossom season, but it's also beautiful in the summer with the many shades of green.

afterwards we have lunch at e-fish, a cafe that looks over kamo-gawa. david has a BLT sandwich and i have an avocado, cottage cheese and tuna sandwich. we're tempted by the cakes but decide to save tummy-space for dinner. instead we give into a different temptation --beer by the kamo-gawa! aaaahhhhhhh! we definitely deserve it after such a long walk!

the u-zo-sui (eel porridge) at warajiya is definitely the gourmet highlight of the trip. unlike grilled eel covered in sugary soy sauce, this one is cooked in its own broth, together with veggies and some egg. it's one of the most powerful broths i've ever had. speaking of powerful, the japanese believe that eel has a particular effect on men...

we close the day off with a gin and tonic at bar k-ya, which must be the coolest bar in japan. housed in a spacious, "machiya"-style building that was recently renovated, bar k-ya has a beautiful, long wooden counter that looks out on a simple zen garden. a few seats away from us, an all-made-up geiko-san is chatting away with her patron.

tuesday june 21 (day four)
nanzenji has an impressive gate, but purpleman and i are too lazy to climb it to the top. instead we have a slow look around the nanzen-in landscape garden and decide we're done sightseeing. it's so great to have a travel buddy who has the same level of energy.

our final meal in kyoto is keema-curry at sinamo. that is, unless you count the tsujiri matcha softcream i have before getting on the shinkansen back to tokyo. for a minute, i think of resisting ahead of our planned boozing on board, but purpleman insists i should have no regrets on this trip. so that's how i end my trip --stuffed and wholly satisfied.