From Kanazawa to Kyoto

We woke up in the Kanazawa ryokan just in time for our breakfast feast, which was just as delicious as our excellent dinner the night before. Leaving our luggage behind, the three of us made our way in the rain to the Kenrokuen Garden, our first stop of the day.

We walked through a bit of Kanazawa Castle to get to the garden, which, Sherri informed me, was voted one of the "best three gardens in Japan" (the vote was conducted by Japanese citizens). When we got there, I could see why. The grounds were large, and even if I personally am not as entertained by gardens as some, I could see my mom spending hour upon hour wandering through the lovely scenery (even in the pouring rain).

A tree supported by bamboo poles

We found shelter from the rain; picture taken using color filters

While at the gardens, we saw the oldest fountain in Japan, powered by a difference in water pressure between two areas of groundwater...Called, I believe, an artesian well (Correct me if I'm wrong, Mom).

Still, I must admit that during our trip to the gardens, I was more preoccupied with the desire to test out new functions on my camera (like filtering!) than I was interested in all the plants surrounding me. And the rain was a bit annoying, particularly because it was just made the hot weather muggy.

After walking around the gardens, we headed off toward Kanazawa Castle, where I tested out the panoramic mode on my camera. Katya took the picture while I ran around her to see if I would appear multiple times in the photo. It worked! There were 2.5 images of me in the one shot (one normal one, and 2 different images blended together...Hence the ".5"). Anyway, the castle was pretty cool, the lawns were enormous, and I picked up a few informative brochures.

We then returned to the Sumiyoshiya, got our luggage, and took the train to Kyoto (I think it was about 2 hours). Once there, we checked into our hotel (The ANA Kyoto Hotel....Related to the ANA airline, perhaps?). Sherri went off to see some temples/shrines, while Katya and I opted for a change, and went to visit the Kyoto International Manga Museum, which was located a few blocks from our hotel.

The museum was pretty interesting, but the only parts in English were panels describing different types of manga, as well as its history and popularity in other parts of the world (I found all the descriptions fascinating). After losing Katya for a brief while, me met up in the "special exhibit," an art gallery. There, we had fun taking groups of pictures (all very beautiful and impressive), and guessing the other's favorite ones. Both of us proved to be quite good at analyzing each others particular taste. (Actually, that reminds me of another running contest Katya and I have..."Predict the elevator." Whenever we push the button to go up or down, we always choose which elevator we think will come first. Unfortunately, the score now is 9-11 in Katya's favor(I say it's 9-10, but whatever). I got the game from something my mom, brother, and I would always do.)

We went to a nice, little udon shop a few blocks away for a satisfactory dinner.

Tommy: Congrats on making the All-Star team! Keep up the good work; I can't wait to come and watch your games!