Kyoto did not fall short of our expectations. Maybe we didn't sip tea with sumos, but geishas not only served us tea and cakes but we were chosen to be part of the traditional tea ceremony in Gion- the Geisha district. From sleeping on futons and squatting on Japanese toilets surrounded by a "rock garden" in our ryokan to golden pavilions and zen gardens to ringing our bells as we dodged people on our bikes with baskets along the canal, we fell in love with Kyoto. Our nights were spent indulging at the revolving sushi bar (tuna and raw quail eggs anyone?) and sampling mochi on the streets with all the same filling- mashed red beans. We have plenty of pictures to document this trip by-- meditations with Hindu gods, running through the Fushimi Inari shrines from Memoirs of a Geisha in our flea market kimonos, and most importantly spending hours at the anime photobooths with the entire Japanese teenage population adding bows, hats, cats and creatures to our glamour shots.
Back in Tokyo, we joined the millions at the busiest crosswalk in the world, snapped shots of the ridiculously clad Harajuku girls, passed by vending machines of used underwear and ate cow's tongue and sang karaoke at the top of our lungs with Wes and his Japanese friends (it took us a while to realize that "I rub you" was really "I love you"), and sat in the natural hot springs with 20 old ladies- oh, did we forget to mention in the nude?! When in Japan, do as the Japanese do.
Here is the link to some of our pictures from Japan, minus the hot springs. You may need to create an account to view the album, but it's easy and free: JAPAN
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