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| Images of Plum Blossoms |
Even in Kyoto--Basho
hearing the cuckoo's cry-
I long for Kyoto.
We arrived in Kyoto late last night after an uneventful but sleep depriving 24hr+ journey. We feel fortunate indeed to have both been invited back to give seminars for the graduate students later in the week. Of course this was less of a surprise for Win than for B, who is now herself addressed as Barbara-sensei instead of last year's Barbara-san!
We are staying at the Hyatt Hotel which is in southern Highashiyama, across from the Kyoto National Museum which has been closed for years and is unfortunately not scheduled to reopen until 2014. We fell into a sort of comatose sleep and woke at lunch time, eager for a bowl of noodle soup which we found down the block in short order. Afterwards we rested again, Win falling back to sleep and me walking up Higashioji-dori as far as the Yasaka Shrine. I felt immediately at home, and once again was struck by all the closet-sized stores of artisans, the young women strolling about in their spring kimonos, the many bikes on the sidewalks, spring sweets in the shops, and the general bustle of Saturday crowds out shopping.
After a bit we found a vegetarian restaurant not far from the hotel, where we were the last and only customers. We were served by a chatty woman who was very proud of the organic vegetables (the mushrooms were particularly tasty), the tibetan tea, the beautiful handcrafted details of the house etc. We truly felt what it is to be in Japan, to be cared for by someone who is deeply devoted to their shop and way of life.
We will see some friends tomorrow and in the meantime need to continue to catch up on sleep on our very comfortable bed.
Love to all
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