And now we're waiting for this sauce to simmer...

Ahoy!

Several days later... I finally have the chance to blog again.

Reporting live from (hey, weird) yet another kitchen…this time, however--- it’s much more personal. I’ve just finished chopping garlic and vegetables, thus my ‘tasks’ are finished—I’m free to sit back, (laptop in one hand, wine in the other)--- to absentmindedly watch my new friends bustle about the stovetop, sharing the sole cutting board. Those in attendance? Meet the posse. JJ from Austin (our fabulous host), Eve from Quebec, and Claudine from Germany. Like a little makeshift family, we’re calmly waiting for our pumpkin to finish baking. Oh, and for that 2^nd bottle of wine to be corked…

So let’s see… what has happened since the dreaded Osaka entry? How am I suddenly 4 hours north of any ‘real’ city, wandering about a town with zero tourists, zero English speakers—a town that (judging from my run this morning) consists of one grocery store, various fishing supply stores, and miles upon miles of beaches?

Well… it’s a long story.

The only good thing to emerge from Osaka was Claudine—my equally unimpressed counterpart. Long story short, she slept across from that pee-stained futon—and the following morning, we essentially hit it off. There’s a good chance she’ll eventually read this blog—so I’ll try to contain my gushing. Regardless, she’s pretty fucking rad. Half German/half Italian, she speaks German, Italian, Spanish, English and French. She’s on month 7 of a 9-10 month round-the-world trip… Tuesday morning she leaves Japan for Thailand--- and after that? Laos, Vietnam, India and Bangladesh. About as impressive as she is inspiring—I followed her to Miyajima, and she followed me here--- to Taiza. A tiny little, off the charts fishing town…

 * Me and Claudine. And our Green Tea Soft-serve Ice cream. Magic.

But again, I’m getting ahead of myself…

So, I left Osaka for Kyoto. Spent 2 days walking non-stop for 6 or 7-hour stretches… saw temple after temple, shrine after shrine. Ate delicious food, soaked in more onsen (this time with outdoor tubs), watched sexy French men from the top-bunk of my hostel… (after thought: maybe I should learn French….) One night, Claudine and I killed a bottle of vino—prepared from the vineyard ‘just around the corner’ of her father’s family’s home.

Kyoto is—for lack of a better word--- absolutely lovely. Still bustling, still ‘happening’—though not on as wild of a level as Tokyo. In other words: Beautiful, yet manageable.

 * Kinkaku-ju (Temple of the Golden Pavilion).... Buddhist Zen Temple whose top floors are completely covered in gold leaf. Although it was still incredible on an overcast day-- apparently on a sunny day, the way the gold reflects off of the water is breathtaking.