Crunky

Another jam-packed day of ridiculous and sublime in Japan, because I'm coming to the conclusion that that's the way things are here. I mean, everything and everywhere and everyone is both of those things to some extent I guess, but here it seems more extreme. Or does to my eyes, anyway. 

So there's this:

And there's this:

(Isn't that a prize-winner? You might want to print that out and post it in your home or office.)

There's this splendid ancient palace:

And there are, at the very same location, these totally adorable middle school girls who "interviewed" us as an assignment for their English class:

There's this one of many fish vendors at Nikishi market on a drizzly afternoon:

And this in a vending machine at the exit of the Golden Palace:

It was really more coolish than crunky in Kyoto today. 

(Tomorrow we leave for Takayama in the "Japanese Alps." I'm not sure what the wi-fi availability will be like at our hotel, so I may be in an information blackout for a few days. Tokyo on Thursday.)