Nara 8/13/06-8/14/06

[deralte]

For my own reference, I'm typing up my diary from my trip to Nara and Kyoto in 2006. I'll probably split it into a couple different posts with added pictures. I've also added picture links to any old entries I wrote about the trip.

8/13/06
Older, comprehensive post
おまけ

• There was a Mormon/Jehovah's Witness who used the air conditioned box you wait in at the Shinkansen station to evangelize. The poor Japanese girl in there with me had the look of someone with nowhere to run



• Shinkansen is <3!



• It isn't a trip to Nara until you've seen someone Japanese get mobbed by deer while their friends/family watch and laugh. (Incidentally, the deer here look much better cared for than at Miyajima.)



• I had a dream that was Spider-man set in early Medieval times. The anachronisms bothered me so much it woke me up. Other than that, it was a pretty cool dream.



• Sound travels through this ryokan. It's like the walls are made of paper... Oh wait.

8/14/06
Older Comprehensive Post

• I must have walked 4-5km today.



• My feet hurt.



• I know Nara is supposed to be a big city and Yamaguchi the countryside, but this feels like the country while Yamaguchi feels industrial. - Dear God that train station today was local.



• I think the daibutsu's face is only shown a few times a year. I remember reading of it long ago.



• Had more conversations completely in Japanese.



• I'm becoming addicted to temple charms.



• Festival food is bad for you, but boy does it taste good: chicken and veggies on a stick, takoyaki, and a snow cone (melon flavoured).



• I loved the weird lantern patches, though I still have no idea what the katakana on the mountain said. Fantastic pics. See?.



• My body hurts and I can't figure out why a day of walking makes it difficult for me to bend over.



• Really did almost faint today from all the walking in the humid heat. I was feeling woozy when I finally found a vending machine with some Pocari Sweat in it. Downed the whole thing in less than a minute then sat down for about ten until I was no longer feeling dizzy and nauseous. Heat exhaustion's a bitch.



• Guy hitting on me was okay. Guy hitting on me and not knowing where the bike rental place was? Not so much.



• I like travelling alone and it's even easier in Japan since you can trust just about anyone to take your picture.



• This trip is a really good birthday gift.



• Stupid bug bites.



• Go to sleep people next door.



• Am already calling the ryokan home. Also, my first buckwheat pillow. Not as uncomfortable as everyone says they are.

Comments

[fyrie.livejournal.com]

Yay for trips :D And oh, the food looks *good*