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Woe! It is our last day. I wish I could stay longer in Kyoto, and watch the season change. Even one more day would have been nice. Alas.
As you must have inferred from my poll, I watched the movie Onmyouji and was enchanted by Abe no Seimei, the sly onmyouji with the remarkable face, an actual historical figure whom Stephanie says is like John Dee in that legends began to spring up around him even during his life, whose mother was reputed to be a kitsune. I am madly in love with Seimei and the actor playing him, a Noh actor who looked quite different (but still hot!) out of makeup in the "making of" featurette we watched.
So Stephanie wanted to buy her mother, who weaves, something woven, and we both wanted to visit the Seimei shrine. We decided to bail on the river noodles place, which looked like it would require a lot of walking in the heat, and visit the Kyoto handicrafts center and the shrine.
Yesterday we had a ten-course crab lunch, served at a restaurant with a gigantic animatronic crab, waving its twenty-foot legs and snipping with its five-foot claws and extending its three-foot eyestalks. We assumed from the crab that it was an informal restaurant, perhaps with paper tablecloths, but it was a gourmet place with tatami floors, private booths, and a luxurious twenty-five dollar lunch special. Except for the yogurt dessert, which was gross.
Then we went to a manga shop and I bought Kazuya Minekura's art books, Salty Dog 2 and 4, a Bleach art book, and what I thought was the Mushishi art book but which turned out to be an overpriced anime episode guide. There I met some fans from Peoria.
"Have you seen the movie Akira?" one asked. "Remember how at the beginning, these thugs on motorcycles are beating people up with baseball bats? That's Peoria."
I searched the store for Rukia: the Styling, but was disappointed. But this morning, while searching again at a Lawson's, I found Naruto Timeskip figurines, series two! Eight figures inn mystery boxes! I bought them all! And got all eight figures, plus an extra Naruto! Woo-hoo! I am in geek heaven!
The handicrafts center, though, was awful: touristy, overpriced, and dull. After a lunch of eel (me) and beef (Stephanie) over rice, we went to the Seimei shrine. It was fantastic. There were five-pointed stars everywhere. There were lion guardians. There was a demon guarding a bridge with a weeping willow. There was a lucky metal peach. There was a significant tree. There were Seimei paintings. There was a gift shop. There was even a cut-out Seimei with a cut-out face! Alas, Stephanie refused to stick her head in the hole, so that must be left to the imagination. We both bought charms and left those wooden thingies hanging up, figuring the Seimei shrine would have mojo if anywhere would.
On our way back, I discovered a store selling Naruto coloring books: regular and time-skipped! Clearly Seimei at work!
Then, though almost everything was closed down, we ran across a shop with a middle-aged guy working a loom: weaving! Stephanie bought her mother wool and some woven thingies. The weaver, either delighted in his last customers of the day or else bored our of his gourd, made us green tea, chatted, and wrapped everything very carefully... then threw in a ball of silk shreds. "This is very difficult to weave," he said. "But your mother can try!"
Stephanie and I (before repairing to this manga cafe) went to an izakaya. I quote from the menu:
Sea tangle (tempura udon-- how did they get sea tangle from that?)
Under "Dainty," Salted entrails of a trepang (konowata-- what the heck is that?)
Salty sqied
Mountain jellyfish (yama kurage-- what is that? It sounds like a mushi.)
The steamed meat dumpling of a shrimp
A boiled spinach
Salty-sweetly cooked herring
Shouchu (for slack digestion)
It was very good, though a bit smoky, as the place was entirely occupied by salarymen and one unhappy-looking salarywoman. A distinguished-looking gentleman fell out of his seat while we were there.
I have more to tell, but my elbow, in which i have tendinitis, is protesting. Thank you all for joining me on this trip-- what a fantastic trip it's been.
As you must have inferred from my poll, I watched the movie Onmyouji and was enchanted by Abe no Seimei, the sly onmyouji with the remarkable face, an actual historical figure whom Stephanie says is like John Dee in that legends began to spring up around him even during his life, whose mother was reputed to be a kitsune. I am madly in love with Seimei and the actor playing him, a Noh actor who looked quite different (but still hot!) out of makeup in the "making of" featurette we watched.
So Stephanie wanted to buy her mother, who weaves, something woven, and we both wanted to visit the Seimei shrine. We decided to bail on the river noodles place, which looked like it would require a lot of walking in the heat, and visit the Kyoto handicrafts center and the shrine.
Yesterday we had a ten-course crab lunch, served at a restaurant with a gigantic animatronic crab, waving its twenty-foot legs and snipping with its five-foot claws and extending its three-foot eyestalks. We assumed from the crab that it was an informal restaurant, perhaps with paper tablecloths, but it was a gourmet place with tatami floors, private booths, and a luxurious twenty-five dollar lunch special. Except for the yogurt dessert, which was gross.
Then we went to a manga shop and I bought Kazuya Minekura's art books, Salty Dog 2 and 4, a Bleach art book, and what I thought was the Mushishi art book but which turned out to be an overpriced anime episode guide. There I met some fans from Peoria.
"Have you seen the movie Akira?" one asked. "Remember how at the beginning, these thugs on motorcycles are beating people up with baseball bats? That's Peoria."
I searched the store for Rukia: the Styling, but was disappointed. But this morning, while searching again at a Lawson's, I found Naruto Timeskip figurines, series two! Eight figures inn mystery boxes! I bought them all! And got all eight figures, plus an extra Naruto! Woo-hoo! I am in geek heaven!
The handicrafts center, though, was awful: touristy, overpriced, and dull. After a lunch of eel (me) and beef (Stephanie) over rice, we went to the Seimei shrine. It was fantastic. There were five-pointed stars everywhere. There were lion guardians. There was a demon guarding a bridge with a weeping willow. There was a lucky metal peach. There was a significant tree. There were Seimei paintings. There was a gift shop. There was even a cut-out Seimei with a cut-out face! Alas, Stephanie refused to stick her head in the hole, so that must be left to the imagination. We both bought charms and left those wooden thingies hanging up, figuring the Seimei shrine would have mojo if anywhere would.
On our way back, I discovered a store selling Naruto coloring books: regular and time-skipped! Clearly Seimei at work!
Then, though almost everything was closed down, we ran across a shop with a middle-aged guy working a loom: weaving! Stephanie bought her mother wool and some woven thingies. The weaver, either delighted in his last customers of the day or else bored our of his gourd, made us green tea, chatted, and wrapped everything very carefully... then threw in a ball of silk shreds. "This is very difficult to weave," he said. "But your mother can try!"
Stephanie and I (before repairing to this manga cafe) went to an izakaya. I quote from the menu:
Sea tangle (tempura udon-- how did they get sea tangle from that?)
Under "Dainty," Salted entrails of a trepang (konowata-- what the heck is that?)
Salty sqied
Mountain jellyfish (yama kurage-- what is that? It sounds like a mushi.)
The steamed meat dumpling of a shrimp
A boiled spinach
Salty-sweetly cooked herring
Shouchu (for slack digestion)
It was very good, though a bit smoky, as the place was entirely occupied by salarymen and one unhappy-looking salarywoman. A distinguished-looking gentleman fell out of his seat while we were there.
I have more to tell, but my elbow, in which i have tendinitis, is protesting. Thank you all for joining me on this trip-- what a fantastic trip it's been.
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Yama kurage just means mountain jellyfish, but as far as I can tell, it's a plant.
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I love the Onmyoji movies. And Mansai Nomura is just drop-dead gorgeous.
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'Salty sqied' is clearly pronounced 'salty squeed', and is in regard to the Saiyuki artbooks.
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