Kyoto - Shoplicious

Shopping 🛍

It's shopping time again. I still have a mission; to equip myself with gadgets for the remaining time. So I set off, my first stop is an electronics store called 'EDI ON'. 'DMX - X Gon' give it to ya' is playing in my ears, a power song, I'm full of energy. And hey, X did give it to me. A power bank with an integrated power outlet. This time a reasonable one, from Anker, that charges fast. I should have gone for Anker from the start. This is also one of the things that I will probably benefit from the most in the next two months. That's great.

I go to the cash register and realize, 'pay somehow strange.' I hold out my card for him to insert it into the device. I can't read the characters on the display, of course, but the device beeps and at some point I assume that the payment is done. He points to the device, I don't know what to make of his gesture. Eventually, I realize that I should remove the card. Strangely enough, he refuses to touch the card after the payment. Mission #1 - completed! 🥳

Mission #2, carabiner hook. With the help of Google Live View, I quickly find the outdoor store underground. In, found what I've been looking for for a long time, great. Mission #2 - completed! 🥳

I come out of the store, 'Billy Idol - Mony Mony' is playing in my ears, alternating with 'Elton John - Don't Go Breaking My Heart'. 🎶 'Woo hoo, nobody knows it!' 🎶. Well, not entirely; the good mood is written all over my face. The sun that is just rising is doing the rest. It's time to celebrate Buddha's birthday. Did I just hear 'temple'? 😅

Buddha's Birthday 🎈

I set off, enjoy the weather, wander through the complex. I happen to pass by the main temple. But I already know that the universe does not roll dice, there are no coincidences. Because I'm here for Buddha's birthday. But I didn't know that an open mass will take place in exactly 10 minutes. I didn't know about it until I went into the main temple myself. The numerous people in their suits had made me suspicious as they all stood in line. Young women and men, all neatly dressed. There is a second entrance that is only used by a few, unadorned people. I look down at myself, I consider myself unadorned enough. I take off my shoes, place them next to the entrance. Only very few people here put their shoes next to the stairs, most use the provided plastic bags to take their shoes inside. 'Why?', I think to myself. This is Japan. There are countries where you have to buy back your shoes when you leave. But not here.

I go inside, the complex is large, beautiful but not overly ornate. I see penguins, hundreds of them. They are all sitting and waiting for it to start. The herd is fenced, they have their own area. I sit down in the tourist area against the wall, make myself comfortable in a cross-legged position. I look around, mostly Japanese. Less than two meters to my left, another foreigner sits, bearded, around 30, on his phone. I shake my head not only internally, he doesn't have anything better to do here than scrolling through Instagram the whole time. 🤦‍♂️

I listen to the standing speaker, he gives instructions in Japanese, apparently explaining the sing-song part. As I sit there and wait for it to start, suddenly there is a rhythmic, slow drumming. It goes through me, whatever it is, and I wasn't even aiming for it, wasn't prepared at all. It is impressively beautiful and soothing. It is absolutely not pompous, only one drum and one singing bowl are used. But in these rooms, that is more than sufficient.

After a while, I leave the temple again, the Shinto priest has replaced the sing-song part with a long speech. I go to the shop across the street and find three postcards that are finally worth buying. Meanwhile, I see above the counter that the event I was just sitting in is also being broadcast on television.

I leave, and once again I notice how cleverly the automatic sliding doors are designed here. With us, they constantly open and close, even if you just walk past a store.
Here you have to get within half a meter for the sliding door to open. You can also press the button on the door to open it when needed. Super simple, super effective.

I continue to stroll through the complex. There is a cold wind blowing, the rain has cleared and I enjoy the warming rays of the sun when gaps in the clouds appear. The countless couples in their kimonos are nice to look at. But that only applies to the locals. Westerners and kimonos, somehow... nah. 🙈

Let's keep going 🚶‍♂️

After a walk through the 'Handcrafted Market', I take a break at the hotel. Then I continue on my missions.

#3 is to find a wallet that also works properly with the commuter cards and all the small change.

#4 is to find a scent so that I always have the feeling of a home base no matter where I stay. Changing accommodations every first to third night is also exhausting in the long run.

The Ramen War 🍜

I plan to walk along the river, visit another shrine and shop along the way. I don't bother searching on Google Maps for a Lawson, 7-Eleven, or Family Mart, because after three minutes at the latest, I'll automatically stumble upon one of these omnipresent minimarts. And it only takes one minute.

I walk along the river, it has something meditative to simply walk straight ahead all the time and listen to the river as well as explore the surroundings. Under the bridge, two young girls are sitting, one is playing her guitar, both sing happily and loudly. Every 100 meters, I see cute young couples cuddling with each other. Kind of cute. Half of them are wearing masks. Kind of creepy.

After a while at the river, I go back on the road, to the next 7-Eleven. I grab a can of something slightly alcoholic. It probably has 3% alcohol and a fruit is depicted on the can, I don't need to know more. In the worst case, I sunk a place, in the best case, I found the drink of my life. At the checkout, I pay with my Suica card, which I usually use to pay at the ticket gates in the train stations. This card is also accepted as a payment method at many other places. On the receipt, I can see how much credit I still have on the card. Genius!

As soon as I leave the store, I open the can with a refreshing hiss, cheers to the day. Kanpai! 'Aaron Smith - Dancin'' (KRONO Remix) starts on my headphones. 🎶 'Dancing is what to do, dancing's when I think of you.' 🎶 I take a sip, it tastes like Mirabelle. 😮 I continue singing and swinging. Another good decision on my never-ending list.

Exactly on the last beat of 'Dancin'', I come to a stop in front of the small temple complex. At this time, it is completely deserted and unlit. I ground myself, bow under the first Torii gate, and enter the Shinto world. When I arrive at the shrine, I go in the dark.

I enter the river. In the past few days, I have always wished my usual candidates health and recovery, or simply the best. Now names come to mind that I haven't thought about in over 10 years. I don't resist, let it happen, feeling puzzled, going with the flow of the moment. After a while, I finish the energetic sprinkler and leave the complex with a final bow.

Not even 100 meters away, I pass the next point of interest. A Studio Ghibli figure with three umbrellas around its right ear. That's another thing that wouldn't work in Germany. Anyone can drop off their umbrella at certain places if they don't need it. If someone else needs it at some point, they can take an umbrella with them. And later drop it off somewhere else. The circle of umbrella. Mutual respect and trust. Especially impressive in a system that should be five times more anonymous than Düsseldorf in terms of population per square kilometer, if you can put it that way in numbers.

I make the world as I like it

On the way back, I stop by another minimart and grab a bottle of water. As I walk out, I turn the wrong way and only realize it a few minutes later. I could be angry at myself, but in my thoughts, I stop, take out my correction scissors and my reality glue and redefine my situation.

'No, I didn't turn the wrong way, I'm just exploring more of the world around me.'

I take a side street to the hotel and here too I see half a dozen new things that could be mentioned.

Later in the evening, two more of my new friends have to die. 🍪🍪 I will bury them in my stomach. A bad day for the two, a great day for me.