Wandering around in the rain in Kyoto

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After 12 hours of sleeping, we wake up and can’t believe it. Suddently the phone rings and a gentle Japanese voice is saying nice things. As we have combined breakfast for nine o’clock I just say yes yes… 40 minutes later, we find out that we should come downstairs to a tatami room, where the lady of the house has prepared a marvellous breakfast for us. We are enjoying the delicious taste of a big variety of plates, which could be also a lunch or dinner. Strengthened we start into our day in Kyoto, which today is warm, but it rains a lot.

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First we go to the Kyoto Imperial Palace, as I want to book a visit of the famous Katsura Villa for tomorrow. It is pouring down, but the cherry blossoms in the huge garde around the Imperial Palace are cheering us up. We know how much it is an privilege to be in Japan at the time of the cherry blossoms. Later we stroll around the streets, where the Urasenke Tea School has it’s headquater. As we are not members of the Urasenke Teaschool, we can’t go in, but we have a look in the ceramic shops close by, where the sell highly priced wonderfull Chawans (Matcha Bowls) and other materials for the Tea Ceremony. Someone really have to train his eyes and senses to get a sense for subtle differences in the Tea Ceramics. Again we are wondering that at every corner and in front almost every house there is a lot of pots with plants, which gives the city a touch of village lifestyle.