Before visiting Kyoto, I had read Memoirs of a Geisha (thorougly enjoyed it; haven't seen the film yet), so I was expecting to spend my time wandering through streets of discreet tea houses and expensive restaurants and along cherry-tree-lined streets. Think again. We instead spent the morning getting lost looking for the English language tourist information office -- a Starbucks had replaced the original and the new one was located on the 9th floor of the railway station in an unmarked office. We spoke with a pleasant lady who was somewhat bemused as we asked not for directions to the royal palace or many buddhist temples, but to Nintendo's original headquarters -- the home of the playing card company that was to spawn Mario, Zelda, and my beloved Nintendogs. Yep: I went to Kyoto and all I saw was a lousy games company.
Actually, I'm being unfair. The neighbourhood the Nintendo building was in was charming: old houses, cherry trees drooping into streams, little okasan/otasan (mom'n'pop) stores selling airco units, and a great cafe, where two lovely women helped us reach our final destination. Which was considerably prettier than the CapCom HQ in Osaka, which we'd found the previous day. (I repeat my assertion that I am the best girlfriend in the world. Ever.) And we did walk the tourist-jammed streets of Gion (now lined with pachinko arcades) and visit a buddhist temple, so it was all good.
And on the way back to our hotel in Osaka, we got octopus balls (stop sniggering at the back). Mmmm, octopus balls!
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