Japan Day 8 - Shopping in Kyoto
The weather was quite crappy on Monday, so we decided to try to stay under cover as much as possible in the morning by checking out the food market and shopping streets. The food market is a covered street that houses most any kind of Japanese ingredients and food-related implements like chopsticks and knives. We picked up some chopsticks and chopstick rests, and some delicious rice seasoning thanks to what I think is the only time someone asking if we wanted a sample has ever worked on Charlie.
In the same area is a large covered shopping complex that we wandered around for a while before finding lunch at a noodle restaurant that had a flatter version of a ramen-like noodle that, looking it up now, I think were kitakata style noodles, and they were really delicious. After lunch Cackett split up from Charlie and me for a bit so we could shop for souvenirs and whatnot, and we met up later at the International Manga museum. It was tempting to check out the museum, and Cackett did stay to see it, but Charlie and I thought it was a little expensive and we were also interested in seeing the Gion area before heading back to our house. Since it had finally stopped raining, we did that instead.
On the way over to Gion we stopped in some department stores and other small shops, and Charlie bought a nice leather and canvas bag, large enough to carry a water bottle, yo-yo, wallet and the like. Almost everyone in Japan carries a bag, men included, and it just seemed like such a convenient thing to have. Maybe someday they will become more common in the US - Charlie will be part of the vanguard of that trend. Eventually we made it to the Gion area, and walked around for a while there too. Gion is a more traditional area, lined with many small shops, and it was nice to just relax and wander around the city with no particular agenda. After a loop of the area, though, we were getting pretty tired, so we headed back to the house and had a chill dinner of carrots, instant ramen, and fruit. The instant ramen selections are much larger in Japan, and we enjoyed the novelty of flavors like miso and curry ramen.
In the same area is a large covered shopping complex that we wandered around for a while before finding lunch at a noodle restaurant that had a flatter version of a ramen-like noodle that, looking it up now, I think were kitakata style noodles, and they were really delicious. After lunch Cackett split up from Charlie and me for a bit so we could shop for souvenirs and whatnot, and we met up later at the International Manga museum. It was tempting to check out the museum, and Cackett did stay to see it, but Charlie and I thought it was a little expensive and we were also interested in seeing the Gion area before heading back to our house. Since it had finally stopped raining, we did that instead.
On the way over to Gion we stopped in some department stores and other small shops, and Charlie bought a nice leather and canvas bag, large enough to carry a water bottle, yo-yo, wallet and the like. Almost everyone in Japan carries a bag, men included, and it just seemed like such a convenient thing to have. Maybe someday they will become more common in the US - Charlie will be part of the vanguard of that trend. Eventually we made it to the Gion area, and walked around for a while there too. Gion is a more traditional area, lined with many small shops, and it was nice to just relax and wander around the city with no particular agenda. After a loop of the area, though, we were getting pretty tired, so we headed back to the house and had a chill dinner of carrots, instant ramen, and fruit. The instant ramen selections are much larger in Japan, and we enjoyed the novelty of flavors like miso and curry ramen.
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