Looking back I wonder if I should have spent more time in Kyoto. While my gut says no, my mind wonders what it would be like to live in such a foreboding place, a place steeped in culture and tradition. The city seemed to echo a certain type of inner loneliness. When the Shogunate controlled japan, the Shogun rarely visited. The emperor lived in the palace but was little more than a puppet on a string. Then when the Edo period ended, and the Meiji restoration began, the emperor moved the capital to Tokyo.

The key word here is ceremony. The whole city was and is a ceremony, a clever deception of power. Everything about Kyoto seems to emanate foreboding, yet the city played only a ceremonial role in the power politics of Japan for most of its existence. Even during World War 2 the city was largely unimportant and as such was spared from he same level of bombardment the rest of Japan withstood.

Kyoto’s train station is an amazing and has a fun little Cafe in it. I took the plunge and ate some Oyakudon despite knowing I would have a reaction, and I had a little bit of one, but it was freaking worth it!

Speaking of ceremony, I decided to attend a tea ceremony.

Now, it actually wasn’t a full tea ceremony, but instead a class on how to properly give one. A proper tea ceremony can be difficult to find, and can take anywhere from 3 to 12 hours.  None the less, I had the place to myself and my hostess was pleasant. 
The last photo I snapped in Kyoto. There was a small mall behind the train station, and I decided to burn off some time before I was due to make it to Osaka.