Kyoto

Today was wonderful! Otoosan had plans to meet two of his colleagues in Kyoto today and he invited me to join them.
This is the Golden Pavillion in the Rokuon-ji Temple. It was built in the 1220's to be someone's villa, though I think it is now used for special tea ceremonies. The inside and the outside of the building are coated with gold leaf.

Obligatory tourist photo!

We then went to the Ryoanji Temple, which houses a very famous rock garden. There are no trees, just 15 rocks and white gravel. From every angle, you can see all 15 rocks. As stated in the pamphlet, "It is up to each visitor to find out for himself what this unique garden signifies. The longer you gaze at it, the more varied your imagination becomes."

A model of the garden.
Unfortunately, I couldn't get a shot of the whole garden. But I assure you, it was gorgeous.A famous painting on the walls of the Zoroku Tea Room. The room was currently closed to visitors.

We then met up with Ise-san to go eat dinner in Kyoto. We headed into the more urban area of the city, and then down a very narrow street.

This area is famous for its architecture and narrow street.

Dinner was amazing! We ate various chicken parts that were cooked in front of us on a hot stone. It's a very specialized type of cuisine, very particular to Japan. We stayed in the restaurant for a good two hours, cooking, eating, and talking.

Finally, Aya-chan came to meet me and take me home. Otoosan and his two friends were going to go out drinking. Even though they put away four giant mugs of Asahi each during dinner. We all had dessert together, and then we parted ways.

It was an amazing day.

In other news, I finally was able to buy a cell phone (keitai)! The phone store kept me hostage for a little over 3 hours as I struggled to communicate and properly fill out all the forms. Here's my baby:
I spent a few hours last night pimping out the phone. Now, the ringtone is "Like A Rolling Stone" and the custom skin is adorable cartoon cats eating various pastries. I figure that at least the skin is very Japanese.

I will end with this picture of Japan buying into its own stereotype.

Why yes, that is a cellphone that transforms into a robot.