First day: tea and temple
I have only been here for a day and already it feels like I have been here for longer. The taxi from the airport in Osaka to my friend`s house in Kyoto took over two hours, but I got a really warm welcome by my friend`s mother and sister. And after some sushi, we went off for the Kiyomizu tempel, one of Kyoto`s 17 world heritage sites! The picture is not quite what it looks like right now, but in a couple of months the autumn will be coloured like that, they say.
Afterwards, I very proudly remembered the tourist guide rule that if I get a present, I should receive it with both hands. The giver was a woman owning a porcelain shop which I entered, but I did not buy anything. However, afterwards I spent a lot on tea in one of the oldest and most traditional and most professional tea shops in Japan (says my host family). I bought a big bag of smoked tea, the one that I have been drinking cold all day, so those who want to try it when I get home should sign or line up!
I have a room with straw mats on it, and despite being good at following some of the cultural rules, I have already made mother and daughter scream twice since I forgot to take of the obligatory slippers worn everywhere else in the house when I entered my guest room. I guess I should just go in and out of there a couple of times to really learn to do the right thing.
Host father has just come home and it`s soon dinner time! The heat is wonderful and the insects in the garden and rice fields just outside the house make a lovely noise!