For a long time Kyoto was the capital of Japan. It is an ancient city that was spared from bombing in WWII because of its collection of historic artifacts (and I am sure its limited strategic importance). It is a 20 minute train ride from Pete's station, placing it closer than downtown Osaka. A massive network of covered streets links the central shopping district. Like everywhere else, things are very expensive here. Hundred dollar jeans and two hundred dollar shoes line the storefronts.
We window shop for a while before turning onto a quaint street that is the first thing I have seen that reminds me of the Japan of post cards and travel brochures. It is tree lined street with a stream running down one side of it. Shops and restaurants occupy the ground floors of the three story buildings that mark its borders.
I pause on one of the small bridges that crosses the stream as Pete takes my picture. At last I have discovered the quintessential Japan: simple, refined and peaceful. We decide that we will wait until Alex arrives on Tuesday before we see the temples of Kyoto, so instead we walk around and look at the stores. It is fun to just people watch. Just like New York it is fun to pick out the bimbos, the nerds, the gifted and the beautiful among the crowd. We walk until we reach the central river that runs through the town. The river is about a foot deep but maintains a strong current for its meager depth.