A Taste of Japan!

So I've been keeping busy on my days off, gotta make em count! Last Friday I headed to Jidai Matsuri (Festival of the Ages) with my flatmates. I'd seen this festival before but when in Kyoto....why not! The rain held off for the magnificent parade and while I munched on my egg sandwich (random!) I soaked up the history of Japan!

We departed this festival early so we could make our way up into the hills for the Kurama  fire festival. We started with a wander around the town where we came across a traditional Ninja dog! (this one's for you Rach!)

 Four years ago, Mick and I went to this festival but I swear, the crowd has doubled since then! It must be written up in every travel guide book as it was around 1/2 tourists, 1/2 Japanese. The crowd control was pretty amusing, the police simply use tape to try fence the crowd in, coupled with them screaming into megaphones in Japanese!
Apart from the crazy crowd, the fire festival was a lot of fun! It was pretty chilly up there (too cold for just a cardigan!) so i took every opportunity to get up close to any open fire I came across!

On Sunday I went to Kyoto Cooking Circle to learn the art of Bento lunchbox! It was HEAPS of fun, I met lots of lovely people and put together a super delicious lunchbox! It's quite time consuming and would require an early start each day but they really are a work of art! Are you salivating? I am! I can't wait for the class next month!

Japanese tunes...

It's been a while between posts, I've been teaching loads and trying to get out and experience Kyoto life when i can! Last week I went to a gorgeous onsen in Moriyama with my friend Sevcan. We lazed about in the pools all day....the place even had a TV room! Picture this (no pun intended!) An arm chair with a flat screen TV attached and wait for it....the sound comes out of the headrest! I felt like i was in 1st class haha! I managed to hide my sakura tattoo with some big band aids, sounds gross but it's the only way to go! Here's me outside the front of the onsen.

Sunday was quite a cultural day on many levels! Went to see an exhibition on Nighona (Japanese style paintings) at the Museum of Modern Art, very interesting. Outside of the museum there was a BIG school spectacular eisteddfod type thing happening. Heaps of dance groups performing all kinds of styles like hip hop, jazz ballet, traditional, the works!

Next up was dinner at a Thai restaurant! Had some Pad Thai washed down with a tall glass of Kirin mmm!

After I headed with some buddies to see a few Japanese bands at a venue called Socrates. There was a band called Peach Fuzz, really cool riffs. Then there was a crazy tall Japanese guy channelling Iggy Pop with a crazy drummer as his accompaniment. Finally a band called Ultra Bide who had two bassists and drums, these guys are veterans! I told them they should come to Oz!