Quicky: it’s 17:09h, I just saw the street lanterns being turned on. Yup, it’s getting dark very quickly.
Quicky: yes, this morning it started raining a lot. To me, that means cycling around town is a rather uninteresting option, at the moment. >_<
Saturday 1st November
So, what have I done today? This morning I checked out of my apāto (apartment) in Ōsaka and took a train to Kyoto. I didn’t take the Shinkansen, although I think that was an option. No, I took the hard way which required me once more to figure out the subway system. Looks like I’m really getting the hang of it. Oh, and did I mention that I Love Google Maps?
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And another day has gone by, making it a grand total of 8 already. This means I’m half way down my trip through Japan.
What does that mean? How does that make me feel? Actually, it makes me feel many things.
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Quicky: I saw another ambulance come by. As it neared an intersection, it lowered it’s speed to a crawl, because other motorized vehicles appeared to make little effort to get out of the way. Worse even: pedestrians who were crossing the street, didn’t make haste to finish their crossing.
Quicky: handshaking is a typical western tradition. In Japan, one bows his or her head to greet and in other situations where one would handshake.
On occasion you will be offered a handshake. In that case, take it easy: a firm handshake will probably not be appreciated.
Quicky: although it’s strictly not done to stick your chop sticks into your food and leave them there (or so I read somewhere), I have learned that it is in fact OK to spear your riceball (or to stab it in the chest, as I’ve heard it is called) so you can simply eat it off your sticks.
Tip: stick your chop sticks in, not too close to each another.
Another tip: you put your used sticks (for grilled items) in here:
Also: it is not considered impolite to eat your sushi using your fingers, instead of using chop sticks.
Bonus: generally, you never tip in Japan. (or so I read)
Quicky: This afternoon I have been planning my stay in Kyoto, finding nice locations to go to. Only to find that at the moment I left my room, most locations had already closed for the day. Bummer. So, now I’m out for dinner and maybe later I will try to find Kyoto’s nightlife, if it exists.
Quicky: in certain restaurants, this thing here is very important. Use it.
Quicky: there’s a first for everything. I feel very proud of myself for having washed my clothes at a laundromat. With some help of my hostess. Oh well.