22. Chapter: Niinamatsuri, a Sunday in Kyoto

Today I behaved and just walked straight, not up and down. I sat comfortably by the river, one of the most peaceful and joyful places I know. It is Sunday and a Japanese holiday, Niinamatsuri, which is similar to Thanksgiving. We celebrate the harvest, the new rice, and the diligent work behind it. The weather was wonderful again, so many people were out and about.

By the way, here (Finland: Listen!!!), if a holiday falls on a Saturday or Sunday, the following Monday is also a day off! So tomorrow people can still go on trips, and it will be crowded everywhere.

Along the riverbanks, people are sitting in groups, families, couples, or even alone, having picnics or making music, reading, hopping over stones, watching birds, or just sitting back and taking in the surroundings. Everything is quiet and friendly, calm and very relaxed, hardly any mobile phones in sight, no headphones.

At the ramen restaurant, there was already a queue; it is very popular, and I had to wait about 30 minutes. At the counter, there are only about 8 seats. Again, it was a great joy to watch the three men cooking, shaking noodles, and plating the dishes, not to mention the delicious taste of all the meals.

Then I took a walk in the beautiful forest that starts at the river fork behind a large shrine and stretches through the whole