Kinji and Ise

This weekend was full of outings, so my Monday kanji test kind of suffered... but it was worth it! On Friday it was karaoke and conveyor belt sushi. We tried the Kura-Zushi limited time only caramel banana sushi -

 ACTUALLY really rather nice. Warm rice, warm sauce, so kind of warm banana, and just light enough to go well after (too many delicious) tempura prawns...

On Saturday we discovered possibly the best shop I've ever been to. Not an over-exaggeration. It's a big second-hand clothes store that has places in Osaka and Tokyo too. I hope they're designed as nicely as this one. You go in and it's like you're trespassing in an abandoned conservatory, with plants everywhere and light filtering in through stained-glass windows. Only you know it's a real shop because of the guy standing outside shouting at the top of his voice about it.

 There were goldfish in one of the baths!

 These are the lamps on the stairs.

When you turn into the store, it opens right up like some kind of warehouse. The rooms are already quite big, and there are mirrors everywhere to make it seem even bigger. One of my friends commented that it feels expecially nice when you're used to how cramped clothes stores are here, particularly in Teramachi.

 They have a bird living in one of the walls.

 The best thing about this shop? The clothes are not only gorgeous, they're really good value too! I got a cute lighthouse-print shirt for 700 yen. Oh, and the staff seem like genuinely lovely people, if all of the above wasn't enough.
Excuse me while I pack my stuff so I can move there.

If you want to check it out, the chain's name is Kinji, and the Kyoto store is called Three Star.


And if that wasn't enough of an adventure, yesterday a friend and I headed out at 8am to spend a day at Ise. That's the city where possibly the most important shrine in Shinto stands, Ise-Jingu. It is said that the Sun Goddess Amaterasu who created Japan is enshrined here. I know it from the Tale of Genji, a novel from the 11th century, so it predates even that. It looks, however, brand-spanking new. That's because it is rebuilt every 20 years, so the current buildings were only put up last year. Because the wood they use is so new, almost golden, it looked pretty impressive. Also because shrines are normally painted red, the simplicity of the wood somehow made it seem even more grand.

Ise-Jingu is comprised of two areas; an outer complex where the deity who provides food for Amaterasu is enshrined, and then the inner shrine, where the Sun Goddess herself is. They're both surrounded by forests. The shade of the trees was especially welcome yesterday, because I don't know quite what temperature it reached there, but it was hot.

The torii at the entrance to the inner shrine.

At the outer shrine there's a beautiful lake with water flowers growing at the side. There were dragonflies and also turtles sunning themselves on the banks.

 The trees at the shrines - I think they might be cedar? - are huge, this one particularly so. The sides of tree trunks by the path have been worn smooth by the number of pilgrims stopping to touch them.

 This was just an interesting tree - I've never seen something like this before. Is it the tree's leaves? Is it another plant? It's pretty, anyway.

 Me looking like a mug in front of a torii by a bridge. The bridge leads to the shrine for the god of wind and rain. It is said that this is the god who created typhoons twice to blow the Mongol invasions away from Japan. The security guy at the shrine seemed a little lonely (this shrine gets less foot traffic than the main one) so was really happy to fill us in when we asked about it, and even gave us some advice about where to explore in the shopping area.

 ... which was here! There's a part of town that's been kept in a traditional design, so you can get lost down the little streets full of souvenir and tea shops.

 These are charms to pray for good weather. I think one is normally enough, but I guess this shop owner really doesn't want it to rain.

 Cold tea and mochi. I love that they've made plates that are the same colour and shape as the grill pattern on the mochi. (I also loved that the mochi were delicious. Possibly the best I've had in Japan? Perfect red bean:mochi ratio).

 Finally it was off to Meotoiwa, or the married rocks. Unsurprisingly, it's a popular spot for couples, but also for your regular tourist too. Because look at it! It's beautiful! It was nice to get to the coast for some fresh air, because summer in Kyoto is really beginning, and that means humidity up to your ears...

I don't have any trips quite as big as this lined up for the next few weeks, but I am going to see the Takarazuka Revue this week, so I'm really looking forward to that!