Now this is what I'm talking about. Beautiful design, immaculately clean, articulate detail and centuries of history; the Shrines, Temples and gardens of Japan are remarkable. Truly the people respect their traditions and heritage more than any country I've visited thus far. I get a sense of pride and honour strolling from POI to POI, circled on my map hastily the night before; school children drop jaws in awe at the scale and grandeur; then immediately form a line and with stock two-fingered pose, queuing up for "photo in front of something".
The uniforms are a little pretentious, falling in line with the kind of crazy traditions that private and public schools of the UK guard. Here at least, the material doesn't look itchy and they're allowed footwear that I would firmly class as reserved for mufty day. The clear difference is the manners of these children, completely submissive to their teachers and giggling as you respond "hello" back to them. Stand still for longer than 3.5 seconds and you may be used for practice of mother tongue, photographed and hugged. Be warned as the latter may cause degradation of hearing due to shrieks and screams of delight; be patient too as each female will want a turn. It's crazy but in a strange way sweet and somewhat flattering.
As cities go, Kyoto has to rank first as my favourite. It's amiable for any kind of traveller with any kind of desires. Sights are aplenty; it would take at least a week of solid traipsing in order to check everything off your list: Toji Temple, Nishi-Honganji Temple, Higashi-Honganji Temple, Nijojo, Ninnaji Temple, Yooanji Rock Garden, Kinkakuji Temple, Hirano Shrine, Daitokuji Temple and Shimogamo. Or another to sample all the food on offer; plus some further time to drop poundage as finally - the portions verge on acceptable. If you want to pass time, head to the International Manga museum; which whilst the name is accurate, only possesses a small selection of translated volatile images for you to scan through. Just remember it's right to left and get the cell order right, or it'll make even less sense than the stylised images already do.
There's always something going on here; if you've the funds then pay for a Geisha to keep you company in the evening (it's expensive conversation and not what you might think), or turn a corner during daytime and you may be lucky enough to see a group of men hopping a heavy golden casket around the streets, returning to a Temple later for lunch and beer en-mass. It's a myriad of photo opportunities and sightseeing delights, rich with culture and a charm where everyone is welcomed warmly.
Having helped school children complete their many questionnaires, hugged and conversed with enough adolescents to worry a Nanny state, it seems obvious that everyone seems to love London and I don't know why. It's a miserable, dark, smelly and obnoxious scrawl of urban detritus where only middle men and financiers make a decent living. We've obviously done a sterling job advertising it to the rest of the world, however, as I'm almost famous out here. For what I'm unsure, but my accent seems to help cause hysteria with the locals, so for now I'm content being detritus.
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