So...

We're not following any linear timeline to these cblogs, mmkay?

We were in Kyoto for 3 days, but only one day for sight seeing. We're busy people us USAmericans, so we don't have time for all your religious hoo-hah-ery and fakey shinto gods. We just want pretty pictures, scenic vistas, and lots of souveiners.

So, the day went something like this...

First off, we needed breakfast. Japanese hotels and their breakfasts... Don't. Just don't. I've commented on this before. The Japanese believe a delicious breakfast involves soy paste, soup, fish heads and salty leaves from underwater plants that fish poo on.


Yummy, eh?

So, instead, we opted for an Indian breakfast. Dots on the heads kind, not feathers and smallpox. The Japanese, God love'em in their misguided attempts to inject foreign culture into their own... They think that the Indian breakfast involves mocchachinos, ommlettes, and apple pies. Because that's what was on the menu. That and the miso soup/seaweed combo. That's the indian breakfast apparently.

Can someone round up a list of cultures that eat cold cereal for breakfast? I wanna go there next time. Sometimes I just want a big bowl of corn flakes, man. Or something with marshmallows. I don't want... eel heads. I don't wake with a smile on my face if I'm going to be ingesting eel heads 3 minutes after I wake up.

Anyway, breakfast was over, we moved onto this nearby temple called Sanjusangendo.


Predicting a large surge in visitors to the temple, Valve has already installed a Steam client in the temple. Also, they don't sell cake there.

Sanjusangendo is known as the temple of 1,000 buddha statues. There's lots of them in there, whether it's 1,000 or not, I dunno, but it is impressive. They make a big deal about the whole thing. They don't let you take pictures lest you steal a buddha soul or something... I don't know. Anyway, here's someone else's picture of what it looks like inside there...


Apparently you can only take pictures of the buddha statues if you're a really devout Shinto practioner and donate a shitload of money for the right to take pictures, because the meager 500Y donation to go inside wasn't enough for me

So, not being able to take pictures sucks ass. But to make up for it, I have pictures of the outside of the joint.


Stands for the 33 bays that make up the building. It's a long building. The 33 bays are because buddhists and shinto are superstitious to a fault and do everything to enhance big luckytimes and giant penis success.


No, seriously, it's a long fucking building...


They have a garden, sponsored by Fujifilm and Toshiba


I didn't know who this was sponsored by, but I'm guessing Cabela Hunting Supplies...

We moved on from there to another location called Kiyomizu-dera. Kiyomizu-dera is named for it's giant ass waterfall that runs in the middle of this hillside temple complex. It's one of the better known sites to visit in Kyoto and definitely worth seeing. Especially if you're in a field trip with 1,000 or so Japanese HS students.


The temple's that thing in the background. The thing in front of all that is the entire student body of Japan.


Based on this picture alone, I'm to assume that these kids are schooled at this temple, and only know of this temple as their only education

Note the foreign kid in the front row...

So, this place is big.






When you think of how many children are in that picture, add in the fact that they all make noise, there's echos because of the valleys and such, and you realize that it's so loud you can't even fucking think. But man, is it ever beautiful...


This is where you go drink the water from the waterfall. Frankly, I'd put in a water fountain or something to speed the line up...


Tony Shaloub not included in admission price.

Fenris is seen below holding a giant ass box of Octopus flavored breadsticks.
Why? Because breadsticks need to taste nasty sometimes.



I have more to post about this day, but that'll have to wait till next time.

Next: Kinkakuji (don't google it, you impatient bastards) and Kyoto Imperial Palace