Tuesday we hit a few more sites in Tokyo and then left for Kyoto. We took the JR train and arrived there about 1.5 hours later. We found our hostel and started sightseeing. It was too late to see and do much but we were able to visit a paper lantern park and strolled around Gion - the Geisha district. We searched everywhere but we didn't see one Geisha. Apparently they were all at some evening, nightly show.
Since that was a bust, we decided we'd eat dinner and just enjoy the night. You can't go to Japan and not try their Ramen. They have a museum dedicated to this food. We visited a department store where they have "Ramen Street". Tons of different styles of ramen - who knew there were so many ways to change this basic noodle dish? Our friend Yoshi, from the hostel, told us to try a specific restaurant. Ordering ramen is tricky in Japan. We saw a line, so we just stood in it and figured we'd be seated soon enough. Well we kept seeing people put money in a vending machine, grab a ticket and then get in line. We soon learned that you make your selection through a vending machine and give your ticket to the hostess. Then, when you are seated, you only wait about 3 minutes for your meal to come out. The ramen was quite tasty - even if the photo doesn't appear show that - and we all enjoyed ours. Aftewards we wandered their market/food floor and we were able to sample and see hundreds of different types of food. Some were delicious and others made me gag.
We stopped at a china/glass shop and looked at some teapots, tea cups and other dishes. I wanted to buy a teapot for myself and I spotted mine within mere seconds. I walked over and grabbed it and a worker came over and told me it wasn't for sale - display only. I asked him if I could have that was for sale and he told me that all of them were gone; so I told him I wanted to buy the display and he told me no again. We argued back and forth for a bit and I decided to walk away and snatch the pot when he wasn't looking. Well he followed me like a hawk. Pirate and David Archuleta tried with all their might to distract him but he wouldn't take his eyes off me. I finally just started chatting with him and here's a sample of our conversation:
man: Where are you from?
me: I'm from the states.
man: Ah, I know the states. Which one?
me: Utah
man: Utah? ah - Oregon! I know Oregon.
me: well, Oregon is close to Utah.
man: I know lots of states. Are all of you from Utah?
Adam A: No, I'm from Ohio.
man: Ohio... Florida! I know so many states. Florida, California, New York state, Empire state (we didn't even bother to correct him on that one), Washington,
me: Yeah, the states are great. Wouldn't it be nice if I got to take this teapot home to the states and show everyone what I found while I was here?
man: I don't know. Very special teapot.
me: Yes and I'll take very good care of it. People in Utah will love my teapot.
man: ok, but take it and hurry before I change my mind.
me: Thank you so much!
As we leave he waves and starts mumbling more states. It was such a great night! Our next day was going to be insane so we headed home and went straight to bed.
Kyoto - Temples, Shrines, Bus rides and more Temples
Since that was a bust, we decided we'd eat dinner and just enjoy the night. You can't go to Japan and not try their Ramen. They have a museum dedicated to this food. We visited a department store where they have "Ramen Street". Tons of different styles of ramen - who knew there were so many ways to change this basic noodle dish? Our friend Yoshi, from the hostel, told us to try a specific restaurant. Ordering ramen is tricky in Japan. We saw a line, so we just stood in it and figured we'd be seated soon enough. Well we kept seeing people put money in a vending machine, grab a ticket and then get in line. We soon learned that you make your selection through a vending machine and give your ticket to the hostess. Then, when you are seated, you only wait about 3 minutes for your meal to come out. The ramen was quite tasty - even if the photo doesn't appear show that - and we all enjoyed ours. Aftewards we wandered their market/food floor and we were able to sample and see hundreds of different types of food. Some were delicious and others made me gag.
We stopped at a china/glass shop and looked at some teapots, tea cups and other dishes. I wanted to buy a teapot for myself and I spotted mine within mere seconds. I walked over and grabbed it and a worker came over and told me it wasn't for sale - display only. I asked him if I could have that was for sale and he told me that all of them were gone; so I told him I wanted to buy the display and he told me no again. We argued back and forth for a bit and I decided to walk away and snatch the pot when he wasn't looking. Well he followed me like a hawk. Pirate and David Archuleta tried with all their might to distract him but he wouldn't take his eyes off me. I finally just started chatting with him and here's a sample of our conversation:
man: Where are you from?
me: I'm from the states.
man: Ah, I know the states. Which one?
me: Utah
man: Utah? ah - Oregon! I know Oregon.
me: well, Oregon is close to Utah.
man: I know lots of states. Are all of you from Utah?
Adam A: No, I'm from Ohio.
man: Ohio... Florida! I know so many states. Florida, California, New York state, Empire state (we didn't even bother to correct him on that one), Washington,
me: Yeah, the states are great. Wouldn't it be nice if I got to take this teapot home to the states and show everyone what I found while I was here?
man: I don't know. Very special teapot.
me: Yes and I'll take very good care of it. People in Utah will love my teapot.
man: ok, but take it and hurry before I change my mind.
me: Thank you so much!
As we leave he waves and starts mumbling more states. It was such a great night! Our next day was going to be insane so we headed home and went straight to bed.
Kyoto - Temples, Shrines, Bus rides and more Temples
Comments
Looks like I'm gonna have to brush up on my provinces in Japan if I ever go there...