Kyoto (and some other cities in Japan) have joined Google Street View!

My apartment isn't covered, though, so no spying on me. But you can explore the city from your living room now!

If you like repetitive, time-consuming tasks.

The Gion Festival 2008 photos are up. Begin at the beginning, and when you get to the end, stop. Enjoy!


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Went up to Ohara, in the northeastern part of Kyoto, to take in the autumn leaves. Needless to say it was crowded, despite being a Friday. I can only imagine what weekends are like....

Anyway, I got a ton of good pictures while I was up there. Take a look and enjoy....


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So Kyoto City has established new rules for garbage and recycling. I just got a whole package of the new bags we're supposed to use starting in October (they're horrifyingly expensive, too) as well as a detailed manual explaining everything you would need to know about disposing of any type of garbage you can think of, and I can't read a goddamn ( Read more... )

I went into Gion this evening after work and saw two Maiko on their way to wherever it was they were going. And I didn't take pictures of them. I have a long-standing agreement with myself not to photograph the Maiko when I happen upon them, mainly because everybody does it. Tonight I saw what can only be called a gallumphing herd of foreign ( Read more... )

Book Fifty-eight

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A new Random Walk Bookstore opened up on Teramachi street.... It's a nice, three-story English-language bookshop, with a VERY nice selection of, well, all kinds of things. Japanese lit, magazines, photobooks, sci-fi and all that. Looks like I never need to hit Junkudo again....

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So I went to the Gion Festival today, and I was there for the whole parade. Soup to nuts, beginning to end, Naginata to Minamikannon, doing something that most Kyoto natives won't do. Namely, stand in one place for four hours and take pictures.

( There's some pictures.... )