Another fitful night’s sleep, despite an early night. We got up around 0800. Made tea and coffee. Raining. Checked out and flagged a taxi down, and headed for the station, the frontage of which sports a huge steel and glass roof in the shape of a cycle helmet…Aki swears it’s based on a Samurai’s headgear. Breakfasted on a boiled egg sandwich at a cafe in the concourse, and bought bento boxes for lunch on the train.
Caught a Bullet train to Tsuruga, and changed for an express train to Kyoto. The line skirts the western shores of Lake Biwa, the biggest lake in Japan. Aki’s old school mates, Ha’chan and Ono, met us at the station…we are staying in accommodation owned by Ono for a couple of nights. Ono is a retired Yamaha manager…he drove us all across town in his white Mercedes to the Koji Temple for a wander about…unfortunately the heavens opened and we got a good soaking as we tramped around the grounds.
Ono dropped us at the accommodation, a guest studio flat in a small block…it means we are all sleeping in the same room…Aki will have to suffer The Hague snore in stereo! We hailed a cab on the main drag and took ourselves off the the Gion district, famed for its’ Geisha subculture.
We traipsed the narrow, busy streets in the rain, eventually rocking up at the Tatsumi Bridge…but the gloom had descended, and the rain continued, so we decided to get a taxi across town to the restaurant Aki had booked.
They specialised in grilled meats, and small plates arrived with seared duck, beef, pork, and chicken…the outer 1mm looked cooked, the remainder in the centre red raw! It was all a bit chewy!!!
We were waited upon by a very nice, fantastically smiley young man named Taku who, at the end of our meal, presented us with survey slips and pens…I was very happy to confirm in writing that Taki was very nice and fantastically smiley! Walked back down the main drag to the accommodation, via the 7-Eleven, for an early bath and bed…
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