leaves in my pockets.

Kyoto is magical. My day off took me to this city, once again. Walking around the city during the late fall season feel like you have stepped into a storybook. I thought the first time I went was pretty amazing. Yeah. I really had no idea. Late November, the streets and gardens are covered with blankets and blankets of bright red and yellow leaves. And they continue to fall all around you. Although Kyoto is such a large city, when you walk through the streets it feels like you are back in the old days of Japan - small rivers, shrines at every turn, and lovely Japanese coffee shops. I managed to stumble upon an antique kimono shop at one corner. I ducked to enter the door, and inside was covered wall to wall with old pictures and various Japanese fabrics. Two women wearing kimonos sat in the corner drinking tea.

After dodging all the tourists at Ginkakuji Temple (a Silver Pavillion), I spent most of the afternoon hiking in the Daimonji-yama area, just outside the temple. It was good to stretch my legs again. The leaves were there to greet my feet as I slowly made my way to the top of this mountain. The 1.5 hr hike takes you to the most commanding view of the whole city of Kyoto. And in the distance I managed to see the skyscrapers of Osaka.
5 older Japanese men at the top seemed so interested in where I was from. "America?," they asked. "No. Canada actually." They exclaimed, "AAAHHHH. Canada." They cheered and clapped. (I love how even the littlest of things get the Japanese so excited. I love it.) I told them, in Japanese (yes, I'm learning) that I was a teacher. Again, they cheered and clapped. One guy made a skiing motion with his body. "Canada. Ski," he said. I, then, cheered and clapped. We all laughed. I love chatting with strangers. Well...attempting to chat to strangers anyways. Mostly, my mime artistry does the talking! Slowly, I am trying to pick up more and more phrases.
Looking out, I could see rolling hills, colour- coated with greens, reds and golden yellows. Like no colours I had ever seen before. Breathtaking. I sat, worshipped for a bit and then made my way down the steep path. I tried to collect as many leaves and possible, I hope to decorate my new journal with them somehow.

Taking the opposite way down, I managed to come to a more residential part of the city. I walked and walked and walked. Stopped to have a latte and a piece of cake. I took time to just stroll through the old streets, looking in windows and gazing at the beautiful colours of the trees all around. These colours, coupled with the already existing reds of the doorways to temples and shrines makes for something to behold. Looking down and the ground, seeing the already fallen leaves and the cobble stoned streets, I couldn't help but think...is this real? Am I really seeing all this? I though about the song that I had listend to earlier in the day, "Mountain of God" by Third Day (a friend introduced it to me a number of months ago. you know who you are!). One line, "You are here with me" seemed to resonate in the air. Teary eyed, I made my way back to Kyoto station. Back home to the busy city.