Kyoto Overview

Kyoto is a cute little city with a river, canals, old buildings and lots of people walking and riding bicycles. In fact, at night the young men drive their girlfriends who stand on the fender (sometimes holding umbrellas):


Here's a typical old street in Kyoto, which at night would likely be filled with slow-moving miniature taxi cabs:


Kyoto still has many temples. Some are isolated, up in the mountains away from evidence of the modern world, while most are like this one. Right next to a laundrymat, a Coke machine, power lines, and probably has a worker's motorcycle parked in front:


This is an arcade street, almost exactly like the ones in Tokyo or Osaka. It's a covered street of shops. Some touristy. Some farmer's market-like. Sometimes commercial -- Wendy's, Sharkey's Pizza (Wha? That's a Los Angeles chain).


My first night there, I went out to get a bite to eat but forgot my camera (Doh!) I walked along the river, discovering that couples were sitting along the cobblestone bank. How romantic! But the intriguing thing to me was that they were all spaced exactly equidistant from each other, perhaps 15 feet or so. That's what I call precision! Many of the restaurants have patio decks that go out onto the bank.

Many strange eating places. Starbucks. I also found a Gyo Koku, a Japanese charcoal grill place that has opened up at many Los Angeles-area locations. Annoyingly, it is actually cheaper in Kyoto! I had drinks at an English pub, an African-themed club, and had some donburi (rice with a heavy curry stew).