![[personal profile]](http://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
gurdymonkeyhttps://www.flickr.com/photos/70104978@
The Kyoto National Museum was our first stop after breakfast. Their permanent collection boasts a doable morning's worth of important works of Japanese art, ranging from archaeological artifacts from Japan's pre-history to paintings, sculpture, lacquerware, ceramics, textiles and swords. I got to see up close a number of historical textiles up close, including this one, which is an old favorite: http://web-japan.org/museum/textile/
We walked into Gion for lunch at the Udon Museum: I had matcha udon served cold with a dipping sauce, rather like zaru soba as it had turned warm. Then we explored downtown, including a typical Japanese department store called Takashimaya. The ground floor food hall was pretty amazing: everything from pre-cooked to-go meals to beautifully sculpted sweets, to pickled vegetables and baked goods.
From there we found our way to the Nishiki Market shopping arcade. We stopped for afternoon tea, or at least what the Japanese perceive an English afternoon tea to be at Lipton's. I had a pancake with ice cream, chestnut paste, whipped cream and chocolate sauce, served with a pot of milk tea.
Thus fortified, we walked back to our neighborhood. Andy, Cori and I made a last stop at the Kyoto Handicraft Centre for gifts, then we met back at the house to walk over to Kodaiji Temple which lights up its grounds at night during the cherry blossom and fall foliage seasons.
It'll probably be even more spectacular in about a week. I managed to get at least a few photos, even though I'm still trying to learn how to do night shooting with Elaine's camera. Considering I wasn't using a tripod, I didn't do too badly.
The Kyoto National Museum was our first stop after breakfast. Their permanent collection boasts a doable morning's worth of important works of Japanese art, ranging from archaeological artifacts from Japan's pre-history to paintings, sculpture, lacquerware, ceramics, textiles and swords. I got to see up close a number of historical textiles up close, including this one, which is an old favorite: http://web-japan.org/museum/textile/
We walked into Gion for lunch at the Udon Museum: I had matcha udon served cold with a dipping sauce, rather like zaru soba as it had turned warm. Then we explored downtown, including a typical Japanese department store called Takashimaya. The ground floor food hall was pretty amazing: everything from pre-cooked to-go meals to beautifully sculpted sweets, to pickled vegetables and baked goods.
From there we found our way to the Nishiki Market shopping arcade. We stopped for afternoon tea, or at least what the Japanese perceive an English afternoon tea to be at Lipton's. I had a pancake with ice cream, chestnut paste, whipped cream and chocolate sauce, served with a pot of milk tea.
Thus fortified, we walked back to our neighborhood. Andy, Cori and I made a last stop at the Kyoto Handicraft Centre for gifts, then we met back at the house to walk over to Kodaiji Temple which lights up its grounds at night during the cherry blossom and fall foliage seasons.
It'll probably be even more spectacular in about a week. I managed to get at least a few photos, even though I'm still trying to learn how to do night shooting with Elaine's camera. Considering I wasn't using a tripod, I didn't do too badly.
