Rude national treasures

 

November 27 2024

Kyoto

It was hotel food. Easy to get, menu that I can understand and didn’t get wet getting there. I have my rain jacket I purchased for the Amazon in Peru a few years ago and didn’t need it then. I’ve used it a couple ties when biking around town at home. Until last afternoon, I hadn’t needed it while on any vacation. I have it sealed in a vacuum bag and hate to break the seal for one days use.

This morning both weather Apps said no rain until evening, so I left the rain jacket sealed an at the bottom of my suitcase. I left the hotel about 9. I had originally booked the room for 2 nights, then realized it wasn’t enough time for Kyoto. I went back to the booking app and tried to get the same room, but it had been sold already. So I had to pack everything this morning, lug it to the front desk, check out, leave the luggage and check in this afternoon. The one plus to this is that they did promise to take my bags to the new room for me.

Out the door and off to Kyoto station to go to Nara, a town about an hour away with temples and shrines for my autograph book and deer for my enjoyment.

Apple Maps gave me the information I needed, and Google backed it up. I’m in the trust but verify mode with Apple at the moment. Get on such and such train line, got to platform #3 and get on the train. It worked!

What is it with men and their flipping balls? They get on public transportation and lean back and spread their knees wide apart so their balls can, what? Breathe? Deodorize? Show the world he has balls? What? I know a dick looks somewhat like a nose, but I didn’t know they were inhaled through. .. and this is not exclusive to Western males, the local guys ‘let the boys breathe’ too.

One thing I will say about Japanese men vs Western men is their backpack courtesy. I am forever getting knocked in the face or arm by some six footer wearing a backpack on his back and then he suddenly turns. Like a dinosaur tail that backpack swings clearing a path bigger than two men. If I knock the damn thing out of the way, I get the “What the fuck, bitch?” Glare. Well Dude, then next time you get on a crowded train, inconvenience yourself a tiny fraction and take the pack off and put your arms through and hold it in front like you are carrying a watermelon. Then when you get out of the crowded area, then put the pack on any way you wish, like the Japanese men do.

Rant - over for the moment

I told Apple Maps which temple I wanted to see, and it suggested a stop before the main Nara station. It didn’t look right to me so I smartly ignored it’s advice and exited at the main city station. There it was a straight walk up a main thoroughfare to the main tourist spots. At least I woundn’t have to inspect the back of every home in the city this way, even if it is 20 more steps.

Up the street me and my fellow tourists climbed. Along to way there were men and women selling larger than a silver dollar sized stacks of wafers to feed the deer. The deer are everywhere. They are a national treasure. Tell that to the local gardeners. One benefit I did see, was there were no Roses around so I didn’t need my allergy meds.

These deer can spot a sucker in a New York second. No cracker and you wander through like so much human flotsam. Stop to even look at a cracker sales person and it looks like unloading UN relief truck at a refugee camp. Suddenly there are pairs and pairs of deep brown eyes and wet black noses looking at you. Look at one of those pairs of eyes and the deer bows it’s head and asks for a cracker. Some just gave the minimal of a nod and that was enough for 1/2 a cracker. Some really did the full bow, nose almost touching the ground, that was a full cracker. Later up the trail, was where you met the inventive ones. There was one deer standing between to lamps, slightly about the trail, and he was a great bower and had crackers almost forced on him. What a schemer! I did feed a buck a couple crackers, just because. I turned to walk away and he grabbed my coat and pulled hard. Not ripped clothing, just deer spit and cracker crumbs. There are signs around warning what they can be aggressive and also that they are national treasures so I guess bopping them in the nose, is a No-No.

Up and up, past more deer and shops selling trinkets, ice cream, pastry and other consumables.

The first stop on the day, unless you count rude deer, is a Buddhist temple containing one of the largest bronze (? Brass?) Buddhas. I’ve run into so many largest something or other (tallest, longest, fattest, crabbiest) Buddha idols in other countries, this one was just one of many for me. Yes, it is big. Ya, it lives in a big house. Okay. Does it do anything, besides sit there? Doesn’t look like it. Yes, I am jaded, if it wasn’t for getting the temple autograph in my book, I probably wouldn’t have paid the admission.

I think the Buddhists learned from the Hari Krishnas, get the money. Every Buddhist temple has an entrance fee, so far this trip. The Shinto Shrines don’t. I have to say though that the temples have my things to gawk at than the shrines.

Up to the Shinto Shrine for more gawking and autograph seeking. I am getting a fair collection so far. Some really great and some normal. I may have to google Shinto to find out what I am looking at.

A Matcha ice cream cone sounded good, and was good. I ate it down to the bottom of the cone and offered that to a passing deer, I had left a nubbin of ice cream in it and it touched his nose and I get the F U look of the year from him. The next deer I turned it around and that went down better. I heard a passing could mention I was feeding my ice cream cone. I don’t know if this was a dis or a mere observation. I didn’t see any signs that the deer were Lactose intolerant, or had cone allergies.

A nice stroll amongst the trees and it started to get a chill in the air, and my feet were getting tired, so I headed back to the train station. All down hill. That entrepreneurial deer was still in the lanterns. The train company I wanted was easily marked, track #3 again. About 40 minutes to wait. A woman explained to me that the 1350 train I was expecting was a special upscale train. Black and gold, with Pullman seats and some cars with private rooms, just to follow the exact same rail route as the cheap-o train, for twice the price. True less than a 40 story building, but still, all you got as richer other tourists and velour under your butt. I’ll wait the extra few minutes for the 2:11 train.

While killing time, the cone didn’t satisfy me, there was a Lawton’s (7-11 type store) and they had Onigiri. Rice in the shape of a triangle, with sushi seaweed on the outside and a dozen different flavors inside. I could take my chance and just grab one, but I cheated and had Google translate the label for me, with my camera. Tuna Mayo, good snack.

2:11 arrived at 2:00 and we boarded and sat for the 11 minutes before the doors closed, and were heading back to Kyoto.

Got back, got to the hotel, found my new room was down sized from the first, which is fine and 1 1/2 hours later, here we are.

I’m tired. 6 miles on foot and so it’s hotel food again.