Day 4 - 9th June - Kyoto (Part 5)
Most places, even if they had student prices, had them only for students of Senior High level or below. Some places only offered discounts to Junior High students. Essentially, my ISIC was wasted.
At some time, I wandered into Gion (one of the 5 Geisha districts).
Kimonos and dyed hair. Tsk.
"Happy Bathday"
Small shrine by the side of the road
Road
Looking into recycle bins, I saw stuff other than what was supposed to be in them, despite Japan having a strong recycling culture.
"English menu available"
I think I found this photo-worthy because the teppanyaki was suspiciously cheap (600Y?!)
Hanamikoji Road
Stream and buildings
Shinmonzen street
Romantic street - Shirakawa minami-dori
Restaurant (?) at the side of the street
Club. Yes. Somehow, without meaning to, I'd entered the red light district of Kyoto. Fortunately or otherwise, I was solicited a grand total of zero times.
Alley
"Johor" Restaurant. Malaysia Boleh!
Shrine
Restaurant opposite shrine
The bug zapper was going off at an alarming (ie Singaporean) rate.
Side of restaurant and river
River
Alley
This should be a Weeping Willow
Large restaurant
"Virgin Snow" club
"洋服工房"
Presumably they have performance-based pay rather than seniority-based pay.
"Super Sexy Club"
I saw 7-up in a vending machine. It was the first time I'd seen it or Sprite in Japan (and I rarely saw it in subsequent days). Maybe they prefer yuzu.
Old-looking House in between 2 modern-looking buildings (notice the height differential)
I then returned to the hostel.
"Please do not !!!throw things off the roof!!!"
What's with hostels and guests throwing things off the roof?!
"Orio descent device"
How to escape from your room window
"Maiko-hana no seki"
I suspect she's a fake geisha
I hadn't had dinner, and asked the hotel receptionist to locate a restaurant serving Shojin Ryori (Japanese Buddhist food) for me. After some misadventures, I finally found it - the receptionist had marked it out on the map incorrectly, but I bumped into a group of very helpful Japanese college students who helped me call the place and found out where it was.
1000Y Shojin Ryori set
Yam rice (with seaweed [?] on top), fried gluten and vegetables, fried vegetables with beancurd, fried beansprouts, spring rolls (filled with some paste), pickles, soup
Since there was no fish in the soup, there were a lot of vegetables to give it flavour (there was a lot of tofu).
This was nice to eat once, but I saw why it helped monks reach enlightenment - if you didn't stirve for it, you'd go crazy due to the plainness. That said, it was better than the 1150Y oden. Damn oden auntie.
Restaurant. It is vegetarian but serves alcohol. Hah.
Outside
Alley
Kit Kat McFlurry I had after being somewhat unsatisfied with my meatless meal
"Beef (from store fly oil)" was listed in the McDonalds Apple Pie allergen information. Seems they still add beef extract to the fries in Japan.2