Kyoto

So here I am in Kyoto. I ended up taking the bullet train from Osaka to Kyoto, which was perhaps a little frivolous -- for twice the price, the journey took only 15 minutes compared to the 35 minutes it would have taken on normal express train.

I'd arrived without accomodation, so spent an hour wandering round trying out likely looking budget traveller accomodation before realising that none of them were going to be open until about 1600. So back to the railway station where I dumped rucksack into locker (600 yen) and hung out there for a while -- the architecture is pretty cool, can walk up to the top floor and look out over the city; also got some conveyorbelt sushi there (although it was not very busy so the choice of what was going round was a little minimal, especially on the cheapest plates).

I have a place now at 'Tour Club' which is a sort of Japanese style youth hostel; on the first night, they had no dorm bunks left but stuck me on a futon in the japanese style common room, which was pretty cool. Interesting people here; the biggest downside is that they lock the door at 2300 which makes it difficult to go out late; for Friday night, which I think will be my last night in Kyoto, I'm considering finding a capsule hotel so that I can stay at The Pig And Whistle (local branch of the region's chain of fake english pubs) until late.

There are many temples here in Kyoto; the big one in Nara (where the deer were) was mostly enough for me, but maybe I'll check out one later today (although it seems rainy today, compared to yesterday's hot humidity so maybe I'll hide inside somewhere).

Also maybe camera shopping for australian boy who has just moved here for long working holiday teaching english.