Hello again readers. My eyes have seen so many magnificent sights, my head filled with positive thoughts, and my feet have covered some truly historic ground since my last post. I want to share with you what I experienced with Joel in my first 2 days as a Kyoto resident. First off, I would like to say that nothing has been more settling and relieving to me than the more simplistic lifestyle that Joel and I have implemented. Of course I enjoy life's great conveniences such as air conditioning (a must during Kyoto summers), the great accommodations that the Japanese public transportation system provides, and technology. However, not having a t.v., phone, or many material possessions in Japan thus far has been a blessing. The idea that sometimes your material possessions weigh you down has become more relevant than ever to me. My mind feels more free of clutter. It could be the jet lag or heat exhaustion that I'm still experiencing, however I choose to believe that the Japanese way of life and a more simplistic lifestyle has brought a more euphoric peace of mind.
My first night in Kyoto was a hard one. Literally, hard. I am so accustomed to a cushioned soft mattress that sleeping on a traditional Japanese futon posed problems for me. However, we remedied this by purchasing another mattress pad, and now my back feels great! I was also in complete shock over the apartment and the fact that when I walked into it I had to accept it as home for the year. The realization that I was here to stay sunk in. This feeling lasted only about 5 minutes until I realized I was being a little melodramatic. I said to Joel, "Japan isn't supposed to look like the states!" I am very thankful for our Japanese style apartment and actually love it! Day 1 of Kyoto, Japan was truly something special. This was my first adventure on the Kyoto city buses. I must say that it can become crowded very quickly, but you don't mind as much since everybody is respectful of your space and is mindful of their manners. I also loved the Kyoto train system, the cars and seats are wonderful. There is nothing sketchy about the underground train system here in Japan, nothing but a clean environment and respectful people making their way to their destination.
Joel navigated us to a traditional Japanese ramen restaurant where we enjoying a delicious meal. No packaged 5 for $1 ramen here, only fresh noodles and ingredients with fantastic flavors. We then visited a fantastic store/mall called Takashimaya. It had several very high end offering and a vast amount of merchandise to chose from. We also had a list of things that we needed for our apartment such as bowls, towels, and the mattress pad I mentioned earlier so we charted our way to a store that's similar to an IKEA. We purchased several things and had them delivered to the apartment that evening for a small fee. The delivery was wonderful because I was at this time battling some heat exhaustion and could not have carted those items through the train system. The heat was such a shock to my system and something I don't know that I'll ever get used to.
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| Ramen! |
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| Joel and I on our ramen adventure |
You know how children are notorious for poking and proding their parents in the wee hours of the morning whispering "are you sleeping?" When they finally do wake up and ask "What?" the kids just look at them with big angelic eyes. Well that was what was occurring in the Crabtree household my second morning in Japan! Restless and tortured by jet lag I awoke at 3 am and finally woke Joel up at 5 am which I know he was thrilled about! The second day we organized our closets, put away our purchases from the day before, and put our new apartment together. This was actually a fun task and provided some nice quality time for Joel and I. We then ventured down several blocks to a conveyer belt sushi restaurant Joel was informed about. This was something I have always wanted to do, and it did not disappoint! It was tempting to pick up every plate off of the conveyer belt, however this was a meal that filled you up for little cost. We spent $20 and got some great tuna, salmon, and salmon roe sashimi among other things. It was a dollar a plate and the plate had two pieces on it. We calculated that back home these same offerings usually run about $5 for 2 pieces so we saved tons of money!
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| Hurry and grab your selection before it moves down the line! |
After our wonderful meal, Joel and I took a different route home and discovered a quaint little street where we saw many traditional looking homes and some lovely flowers. The street wasn't wide enough for cars, only for about three or four people to walk down, so it was calm and quiet. A lovely ending to a divine day!
More adventures to come soon!
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