Maoam

SNOW MONKEYS!

ok, ok, here's ya picture:

Oops, I shoulda done that as a pretty link. Out of practice over here.

And.... Photos from our stay in Yamanouchi (Yudanaka) near Nagano: http://www.flickr.com/photos/12389543@N04/sets/72157626048652247/with/5488448149/

Ooh, I was thinking about getting a knife to bring home. I went into a couple of shops in Kyoto but I wasn't quite sure what I was looking for. I'll keep an eye out here. I do love a good knife.

anok, we totally looked up your shrine recommendation and I really wanted to go there! But it just wasn't going to fit in between JR pass sorting and early dinner up north. The photos of all the gates looked awesome. Next time, next time.

OMG. Our dreams are not going to be made! I dunno, maybe Studio Ghibili will be able to fill the hole where our dreams would be.

Japan cycling is amazing compared to Sydney! So different... it's more like being a fast pedestrian than being a slow car. You can cycle through crowds, switch between the road and the footpath and generally break all the rules without anyone caring. In fact, you're expected to break rules.

But that said, it works because it's flat and we've been going short distances.

Thank you tinyman. Hear that raven? No more laser sounds while crossing the road.

Ah, pachinko! Nicholas Cage has explained it so well... not.

Anyone ever tried it?

This evening was all about t-shirts, candy and gyoza. For me, anyway.

T-shirts and hoodies from a place called graniph. It's like Threadless but better.... now that I've gone to their website I've realised that they have two stores in Sydney. There you go.

Then there was candy. The beautiful sugar coated variety over-wrapped in a way only the Japanese can do. The candy is surprisingly not that sweet, so give me sour gummy worms any day instead.

Oh, and a French patisserie followed. It looked beautiful - a tiny place down a narrow lane - but hidden within a standard looking baguette was a massive amount of pepper. A Japanese twist on an old favourite? I wonder what the croissant we bought for the morning will hold. I'm hoping it's not red bean paste.

And the gyoza.... it was awesome. Bought from a little bar-ish place in Gion called Senmonten. A guy at one end of the bar was assembling them while we sat at the other. A plate of 10 delicate gyoza, plus pickled cucumber and iced tea was less than ten bucks each.

Now to find a gourmet restaurant for dinner on the weekend.