Kosh Agach and beyond - Kyoto 4-8-2000
Shiny happy people, sliding doors and slippers.
The white gloved ticket controller enters the train, bows, delivers a little speech, bows again and again before politely checking the tickets. I have not met one Japanese in a bad mood yet. Got invited in a Buddhist temple by a young monk, we drink tea but after a couple of phrases i run out of Japanese, so out of his sleeve he shakes a mobile phone, calls his sister who speeks fluent English and helps the conversation. In the evening i eat Korean noodle soup in a dark bar, much too spicy, and i can't use my handkerchief, that would be like a very loud fart ! Kyoto is a living museum of tempels and shrines, all wonderful wooden constructions, unfortunately Japan cuts a lot of forest all over the planet. In the little streets i feel like wandering around in a village, the doors are open, shoes outside, in the evening the lamps are lit, a fairy tale.
Tom Tobback © 2000
