cycling around Kyoto

I rented a bike and cycled around Kyoto yesterday. Somehow I find that cycling in a new city is one of the most enjoyable activities when I travel. It enables you to explore and get the feel of a place in a different way than walking, which I also love to do. I feel less like a tourist and more like one of the residents (and with my helmet and dark glasses, who knows I'm a tourist??). Who am I kidding? It's precisely because I'm wearing a helmet (and a dorky one at that- thank you Kris!- red, and covered in stickers) that I stand out, since the Japanese generally don't wear helmets. As it is, I had a slight accident when I rode into the bushes on the side of the cycling path, but only sustained minor scratches on my leg. Here, they drive on the left so that gets some getting used to and they are very reluctant to use their little bells when they go past pedestrians, although to me it seems cyclists ride precariously near the walkers. Kris say the reason they don't use their bells is they're shy!! Kyoto is a cycling friendly city and you can ride along the river and go up and down little alleys and canals lined with charming old homes, and some modern ones too, all with little gardens or at the least, pots of beautiful flowers. I can now see why people find Kyoto so attractive.

I have seen geishas walking on the street, although whether they are are 'real' geishas or simply girls who are 'trying out' the experience for the day, I'm not sure.

I visited another wonderful temple and watched a ceremony of purple clad Buddhist monks chanting and filing in and out of the shrine area. There was a lot of gold in the alter area, but the overall effect was beautifully balanced with the dark wood of the architecture, not gaudy at all, as I've seen in some temples in China.

Some other observations: I saw a restaurant that advertised an 'a ra carte' menu- that cracked me up. The trains here are quite impressive...very clean and very comfortable. Everyone lines up on the platform at designated spots to board in a civilized manner. At the end of the line , the conductor pushes a button and all the backs of the seats flip to face the other direction so that passengers are facing the direction of their travel. And finally, I saw a woman wearing a uniform carrying a flat oblong shaped thing with a handle, who was waiting at the front of the line- when the train stopped and the doors opened, she snapped open her package and it unfolded to become a platform she put on the ground, so that a passenger in a wheelchair could easily roll herself down. Quite impressive!