kicking it in kyoto

So we've been in Kyoto for the last four days, and it's been, I think Maya and I can both agree, pretty amazing (in some good and not so good ways). People often describe Japan as a country of contradictions and contrasts, where the very old and the ultra modern sit side by side in sometime harmony, sometime conflict. This seems to be particularly true in Kyoto.

Much of the city isn't so different from the bustling megalopolis of Tokyo - garish, neon-lit Pachinko/video-game arcades, wstern-style fast food joints, big flashy hotels and nightclubs all abound - but then sandwiched right between such establishments, like strange powerful living dinosaurs, sit some of the most stunning ancient Japanese shrines you can imagine. And then there is Gion or "Old Town": blocks upon blocks of what looks like a samurai-movie set full of traditional wood-and-rice-paper buildings with sliding doors and laterns out front, except that the buildings are all in full use, and cars and mopeds rumble by them, through the claustrophobically narrow streets and alleys. On our first night in Kyoto, walking through Gion, entranced and amazed, we saw 5 Geishas - two separate pairs in full makeup and head-dresses, gorgeously intricate kimonos, and teetering platform shoes being escorted into cabs by solemn older women that we could only assume were their "trainers," heading off to who knows where to do who knows what; another Geisha was simply strolling down the street. We were too in awe - and unsure of the etiquette - to ask if we could take a picture of her.

We're staying at this crazy Ryokan, which is a traditional-style Japanese inn, called Ryokan Yuhara - think of it as a Bed & Breakfast, just in our case, with no breakfast and no beds. The place is super cool-looking, as you can see below...

But as excited as we were when we first arrived at the Ryokan and saw how quaint and cute it looked, we soon discovered that every apparent Pro comes with a hidden Con:

Pro: Beautiful, authentic traditional accomodations with screen doors, scrolls on the walls, traditional seating right on the tatami floor, as well as traditional sleeping arrangements - futon matresses right on the floor.
Con: Maya and I have hardly been able to sleep a wink on these hard so-called matresses, the even harder bean-bag "pillows" (we've had to swap them with the much softer pillows from the traditional floor chairs), and the ridiculously small comforters (which literally are only big enough to cover half of my body).

Pro: Friendly, familial attention from the Ryokan staff, in this case just the owner, Mrs. Yuhara, and her grown son.
Con: Friendly, familial attention from the son, who is one of the freakiest dudes Maya and I have ever met. Maya says he reminds her of a scene in Pulp Fiction, when the young Butch is watching some strange old cartoon on TV and there's this creepy little Eskimo dude with a bizarre accent - that's the son. See what we mean below:

Pro: A traditional Japanese bath.
Con: A traditional Japanese bath is basically a small tub of scalding hot water that doesn't get changed all day, meaning that every guest in the Ryokan gets to enjoy whoever came before them's sloppy seconds. (You're supposed to soap up and rinse off before getting in the bath, so I guess theoretically it's sanitary, but, well, let's just say that Maya and I have yet to try the thing.)

Pro: Tranquil location along a small creek, with crickets chirping.
Con: Damn crickets get so loud at night Maya has had to sleep with earplugs, and the creek seems to be a breeding ground for mosquitoes because the two of us have awoken every morning covered in excruciatingly itching bites. I have no less than 8 bites on my left foot (the right foot has been myteriously spared), 3 bites forming a perfect straight line on my right forearm, and a bite on my right ear; Maya has 2 bites on her right foot, 2 on her right ankle, tons on both legs, and a huge swollen one on her left temple!

My left foot (heh).



Maya's temple.



This, needlessly to say, does not bode well for when we get to Southeast Asia where a lone mosquito bite can mean contracting any number of horrible, debilitating diseases. As I think I've said before, say a prayer for us, you heathens.