Kyoto Trip

I'm back and here comes the report of Kyoto:

Day I, 6th of May, Wednesday:

As you can imagine we didn't get much sleep, around 2hours each of us, because we went to bed late as usual and had to get up at 7 in the morning. With my green suitcase- we didn't get all in the two small suitcase we have ^^, we drove to Tokyo station and got on board the Highwaybus to Kyoto. Soon it began to rain awfully, but there had been beautiful scenes outside the window once we left Tokyo and came to Kanagawa prefecture. Mist and clouds hanging in mountains in all shades of green, dark green pines and fresh light green trees mixed together- soooo beautiful. Unfortunately we couldn't make pictures out of the window. We slept at bit but most we talked ^^. After 8hours we arrived safe at Kyoto and I had been so happy. My Kyoto, back at home, everything was greeting me and had been soooo wonderful.

We found our hostel very quick, it had been at Shichijo (7th street) Kawaramachidori, very close to the station, around 10minutes on foot. A wonderful hostel, so 1st class compared to Sakura House and I could sleep again in a bed, I enjoyed it very much. It began to rain very strong all the time, but it couldn't kill our good mood, for us it felt even more like home, because in Hamburg the sky is almost every day wonderfully grey-blue colored. We went to the river and walked in the rain, enjoyed the feeling of nature and freedom.
In our room we started a funny foto shooting, I have uploaded the pics here at Myspace.

Day II 7th of May, Thursday:

My birthday- now I am old, I am 30 years old on paper, in my heart and look I am 25 ^^. My first birthday in rain as if the world cried for me *laugh*, but our hostel had free umbrellas for guests- so no problem. We started with sightseeing at Kiyomizudera, one of the most famous temples in Kyoto- I had been there 2x before, once alone in autumn leaves and then with Annette on my last weekend in Kyoto. We went to the famous love stones and I found the way between the stones without any help with eyes closed- so my wish will be granted soon. Afterwards I bought an omikuji- an oracle about the question and it said, the long awaited lover will come to you and you two will share a love bond forever, your love will be strong and tender.- in short, promsing great love. It fits totally to me what else had been written there.
pic

We walked there, bought a love charm and drank the holy water before we left. And I went to the merchandise, my mother wanted some tiny hello kitty charms and I bought my Toshiya teddy bear ( last years birthday present from Denise) a yukata. Had been very funny, we looked at the tiny yukata and the shop lady helped us and asked how old is the child- and I said- it is a teddy bear and she laughed and said, ok then SS size will be the best.
Toshiya bear and dolce

Although it rained we bought icecream on our way back to the bus station. Now we were going to Kyodai Mensa, the cafeteria of Kyoto university where I had eaten many times in my 5 months there, cheap and very delicous. The most wonderful ramen and curry rice ;).
Then walking through the area where I had lived 5 months in happiness and sadness, my Family mart, my Haus der Begegnung, my Lawson, Yoshida mountain and my personal Inari shrine, where I had gone so many times when I had been sad and needed council.

Inari shrine

It rained all the time but who cared, we both loved it so much.
Later we went for a walk to the river and drove to Metro Club, my Shop 99 (now called Lawson 100 store), where once my handsome shop assistant had worked ^^- I used to went there many times a week in the evening when he worked ;). I love it so much, my Kyoto, I can understand Kyo from Dir en grey why Kyoto is his most beloved city and he still has an apartment or house there.

And again we went to Kyodai mensa
me at Kyodai Mensa

Day III, 8th of May, Friday:

Sunny and hot.

At last we went to Osaka, MY Osaka, oh how much I love Osaka, every time I couldn't stand it anymore I went to American Mura at Shinsaibashi Osaka. There I went to many concerts and bought much CDs at my favorite store. I love Osaka and the people of Osaka. And believe it or not the men in Kansai are much more handsome than in Kantô ^^, yeah I knew that my memory hadn't faded about handsome men and now I understand why I have the bad feeling here in Tokyo and Inawashiro about my height, because in Kyoto or better in Kansai the people are bigger, the men, the women aren't so differently, but most of the men are bigger than me, you are meeting many foreigners and even the people have more on their ribs than here, guess one size more everyone.

First we went to Chrome Hearts, then to Puresound, which had moved some metres and is now a big 2F store and no longer a tiny 1F-4F store with awful narrow stairs. I prefered it the way it is now- you can look around much more easily- I bought 2 posters. That's the problem once you have almost everything it is hard to find what you are looking for- I am looking for Itanji single of D'espairs Ray, almost impossible to get.

My gloomy bear store has been closed :(, but I got one at Kyoto , which has just eaten Santa Claus ;).
We went to Naoto, BPN and other stores, sitting around and enjoying Osaka. It is my favorite big city in Japan- Kyoto is more like a small town for me, no big city. If I could chose I would live in Kyoto and went to Osaka for shopping, concerts etc. It is no big deal to go to Osaka from Kyoto. 30min by train and not so expensive. Had been funny to visit the old places, see the changes, go the old railroads and relive your memories. Going to Kansai is like going home- in a way it is more home than Hamburg, maybe because it had been my move out of home or maybe because it is just home. The first time I went to Osaka in my Kyoto time, sitting in the train on the way to Moi dix Mois concert, the moment we entered Osaka it was such an overwhelming feeling, like if the city embraced me and saying- there you are at last, welcome home darling.

I enjoyed it very much and Denise as well.

Old pic of Shinsaibashi

Day IV 9th of May, Saturday:

The day of D'espairs Ray, again very hot and sunny. D'espairs Ray had their concert in Kobe Varit, so we went to Kobe- my first time- I never went to Kobe before. I like it, reminds me of southern Germany, like Stuttgart, a city in a valley and the mountains, hot and bit sticky. Hadn't been a big deal to go to Sannomiya station, we had been there far to early, so we went around.

I like Kobe, city of theYakuza very much, the people are very friendly and they have a restaurant where you can eat real Pizza and even better Salami Pizza and it isn't expensive, I paid 750Yen for a big one. They had real Tiramisu as well, very delicious.

The concert had been great too. We had very good tickets, number 27 and 28. Of course it had been a tiny live house, so we hadn't been first row, but second. Very nice people, no big screaming or pushing, one of the most wonderful concerts ever. Funny thing we set off the fire alarm ^^, just because we all were fuming due to sweating and too much smoke from stage, the temperature went too high and in the middle of 'Hollow' the fire alarm break off and Hizumi stopped singing, asking if everything is ok. Had been very funny to look around and everyone in the first rows were smoking above his head. ^^

I had gotten a Zero Plek and a Karyu Plek, so I had been very successful *laugh*. I enjoyed it very much, no one knew me, so all had been very friendly- I even talked with some ladies and I had a man behind me, a rather handsome one, very pleasant thought during the concert when he pushed his hip against mine *grin*. Well I got a bruise on my forehead because the girl in front of me and me crashed together during headbanging ;)- no big deal, of course it hurt and for a moment I saw stars, but then it had been ok and you can cover it with make-up ;).

Kobe pic

Back in Kyoto we went to Sanjo, it's the amusement night space in Kyoto. Many Uruhas- we call them Uruha, because they have his hair-style and look all the same, and some wanted to go with us for...... *grin* but no, they didn't look like they stand longer than 5seconds ^^, not again, I want a real man ;).

Day V 10th of May, Sunday:

The second D'espairs Ray day, again hot and sunny. Today had been the concert in Kyoto. All the time when I had lived in Kyoto I wanted to go to a concert at Kyoto Muse, but it never happened, as it is a tiny space all the bands I liked to see were sold out like D or The Gazette. So it had been my first time.

As we went to bed late we slept long and went bit of shopping before the concert- I bought my Gloomy bear and then going to Kyoto Muse. Today our tickets had been better than Kobe # 19 and 20, but as the Kyoto Muse is even smaller than Kobe Varit it had been the same position as yesterday, second row. At this concert there had been more screaming girls- very annoying and our dear Neandertaler had been there- a lady which Annette and I had seen many times before and always in bad memory, she is very annoying and brutal, Tsukasa fangirlie. As she is very aggressive and ugly Annette called her Neandertaler, and that is her nickname for us now. She came in late and pushed her way through to Denise and wanted to force into 1st row but unsuccessfully, but she and her friend kept pushing so hard Denise went back after a while with a aching arm and many blue bruises, but for her it hadn't been so bad, she likes it better in the back for dancing- I prefer the front ;). In the back she met Fabian, a guy from Germany, who just returned from New Zealand Working Holiday and arrived over Singapur and Malaysia in Japan. A huge D'espairs Ray fan, plays music himself, likes Moi dix Mois and other and is very, very nice. I am so glad we met him and we talked of course lots about Working Holidays.

Back to the concert, I liked it, although Kobe had been better and more funny. But Karyu said something to us Gaijin guests ^^- I love you! Sweet! There had been some foreign people at the concert, well of course Kyoto is the most visited city in Japan and many, many foreigners are there and some of them knew D'espairs Ray.

After the concert we three went to Saizeriya for hours of talking, returning to our hostel- funny we all three lived at the same place, talking all the way, in front of the hostel, he lived in the main building, we in the annex until a staff guy asked us to come in, because the neighbours don't like the guests talking on the street at night, so we went in for more talking until 3a.m. then we went to bed ;).

Day VI 12th of May, Monday:

Our last day :(. We spent it with Fabian and going to Fushimi Inari Taisha Jinja- you know, the shrine with the many, many orange torii, it's very famous. First we wanted to go by train, but then we decided to go by bus- good idea but well we arrived at the station and the bus is only going every hour and we had to wait 45min, too much, so we decided to walk the way. It's not far away.

Had been hot and the sun were burning our head off, but I enjoyed it walking on the riverside and talking (what else......) Suddenly we arrived at the shrine, I never expected it ^^ but we did it.
It is as I remembered it and all in shadow- which had been wonderful for it had been really hot that day, so hot we didn't got until the top because we were tired to death due to heat. On our way back we wanted to buy some souvenirs, and it is true you should be careful where to buy, because the prices are different. Fabian bought in the middle of the line and I at the end and payed much less than him for the same pieces.

Fabian

On the way back we got the bus- lucky us- and went to a curry house and then to Honganji temple, Fabian wanted to see it, but it had been closed. A bit more of shopping, or more truly walking through the shopping area ^^ and then Denise and me went back to the hostel and then to the station to wait for the night bus. I cried on our bench because we had to leave- horrible and the way back hadn't been pleasant, Denise had been ill and in the end she vomitted and stayed the day at home. Today she is better and went to work, but not fully healthy.

Yes had been a wonderful time, a time in which I realised why I wanted to return to Japan so badly. Tokyo is boring, cold and ugly, you can't do anything else than shopping and concerts, the people aren't friendly and most men ugly and small. Again I cried yesterday morning, I had been homesick, in a way I wanted to go back to Germany, but more back to Kyoto. Kyoto is alive and spiritually, you can feel the heartbeat, the soul, Tokyo is dead, the space for the brain deads. I knew there are parts which aren't brain death, but you can't live there and it is hard to enter that scene of living.

Kansai is alive, the people are open minded, warm and they laugh, they talk to each other. Soul, heart and body are alive in Kansai.

Denise and I decided to spend our last weeks after she quit work in Kansai, Kyoto or Osaka. Once I got my heritage paid we will book some space for 3 weeks in September there.

All pics here- have a look please!