Osaka calls, and then to sea

We are currently packing our rucksacks ahead of our final evening in Kyoto.  Tomorrow, the bullet train will take us to Osaka where we will have just one night to see the sights before a two night ferry ride takes us to China.  If you have been studying the weather forecasts for Asia, you will see that two typhoons (aka cyclones in the Western hemisphere) are battering South East Asia at present (although the weather here has been perfect).  The larger, Bolaven, hit the Japanese island of Okinawa today and will pass right between mainland Japan and China (aka crossing the route the ferry will take).  Thankfully/hopefully, by the time we sail, it will have moved north to Korea and we shall have a pleasant voyage across calm seas.

But before then, we must say goodbye to Kyoto.  A city full of temples, shrines and castles which ooze with Japanese history; of feuding samurai, ninja assassins and the shogun elite.  Sandwiched between mountains and forests which hug the suburbs (and allow for easy access to tranquil havens away from the heat of the city), Kyoto is vastly different from Tokyo and a place to which we would very much like to return (but not until the Yen is cheaper - Japan, at present, is immensely expensive!).  We have loved exploring the quieter side of Japanese life and a walk through the forest yesterday found us exploring secluded shrines and pagodas nestled among the trees and climbing giant staircases which disappeared into the shadows of the branches. With the heady aromas of burning incense winding through forest on the warm air, and the occasional chime of distant temple bells, it was a day we will never forget - we even caught sight of the elusive Geisha in the evening.  They are, apparently, something of a rare sight, and as camera bulbs illuminated the narrow street, it was as if an A-list celebrity had appeared.  They were gone in seconds, disappearing into waiting taxis and darkened alleyways, and we were left somewhat stunned yet utterly privileged to have had this tiny glimpse into ancient Japanese culture.

Geisha in the Gion district of Kyoto

View of Kyoto from the Kiyomizu-dera Temple grounds

We won't have free internet in our Osaka hotel and will probably be off the grid entirely during the crossing to China, so you can expect to hear from us again on Thursday, live and direct from Shanghai!