Modern Meets Denshiya

I know, I know. I planned to write more from Japan, but seriously, it's hard to find time to do it. First of all, when a a nice dinner out turns into, ummm, two days of, uhh, let's just say intestinal distress, it gets hard to write blog posts. Even more so because your stupid tiny, dirty hotel doesn't have internet connections of any kind. Also, speaking of dehydration, I think every Japanese person must constantly be fighting it. They drink no water over here. It's alcohol or tea. And since the tea comes in small quantities and the alcohol in large, or at least heavy duty, hangovers occur. I don't know how they do it. It seems like everyone must constantly be operating in a state of dehydration. Maybe their livers just process stuff differently, I don't know.

So anyway, I'm now in Kyoto, the heart of traditional Japan. Too bad I'm staying in an ultra modern western-style hotel. But if traditional japanese hotels include tiny, tiny rooms and pillows filled with buckwheat shells or something, well then I'm all for a nice western hotel after a week in one of those holes. Sorry japan, but Hotel Sunroute sucks. Maybe everybody in Japan already knows this. Maybe it's like the Super 8 of Japan and nobody bothered to tell me. Maybe every other hotel in Japan is better. I hope so.

But back to traditionality, I got to do a little sightseeing here yesterday when I wasn't otherwise, um, indisposed. All I did was walk a couple blocks to Higashi Hongaji (google it for pictures). It's the head temple of the Otani sect of Shin Buddhism. The buildings are pretty impressive and built out of wood. I was especially excited to learn that they were built early in the 17th century (Zach, that means the 1600's). Then, I was really disappointed to learn that the current buildings were actually reconstructions from 1895 because the originals kept burning down. So actually, I'm not sure that anything is orginal anymore. Oh well. Also, the temple is surrounded by a moat, for lack of a better term, filled with giant goldfish and carp. It was pretty sweet.

Of course, next door to this beautiful old traditional temple was a huge mall with the biggest Gap Kids I think I have ever seen.

Also, I thought I should mention that outside Kyoto station yesterday, I found a couple of old Japanese dudes playing a small concert of traditional music with traditional instruments. No, I don't mean traditional Japanese music. They were playing bluegrass. One on guitar, one on banjo. If it wasn't for the Japanese singing, I'd have thought I was in Kentucky. Of course, I've never been to Kentucky, but I can imagine what it might be like. Mostly full of knife wielding, banjo playing maniacs, I'd guess. And fried chicken. Oh yeah, and derbies. Those derbies are everywhere.

Well, I'm off to Tokyo tomorrow and then to Yokohama on Wednesday. I think I'm staying in some really tall hotel in Yokohama. Oh yeah, this one.


I hope that there aren't any earthquakes.