My rudimentary Japanese will run out much too fast for me to keep up the conceit of titling all travel updates in Japanese, but we'll run with it while we can... I don't know if there's a Japanese equivalent of "It'sãnot the heat, it's the humidity," so we'll just go with this.
When I told people we were coming to Japan in August, the general reaction was "Good God, why then?" I didn't get to pick the dates for Worldcon, though, and anyway, I thought, "how bad could it be?"
Answer: Pretty freakin' bad. Tromping around eastern Kyoto yesterday was essentially the same as hiking on St. John, weather-wise, only there wasn't a white sandy beach at the end of the trip... I sweated clean through not only the T-shirt I was wearing, but also the golf shirt I had over it in hopes of concealing the fact that I was sweating like a fat pig.
I'll probably acclimate a bit, but that was rough Still, the sights we saw-- Sanjusangen-do, Kiyomizu-dera, Kodai-ji, among others-- were worth a little discomfort. I took 114 pictures yesterday, so there will be images after our return, but right now, I see that the restaurant has opened for breakfast, so me and my jet lag are going to get some food.
Mata ne.
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Hey. I remember those names. Definitely check out Ginkaku-ji if you get a chance. Make sure to hike up in the hills behind it, too. I think from where you are, you can take the philosopher's walk almost straight there, but I don't remember the geography quite so well. Kinkaku-ji is nice, too, except that the original was burned down by a mad monk (seriously) and the present one is a reconstruction. Nijo castle is cool, too.
There's also a nice hike behind Nanzen-ji (I think), that takes you along a canal and then down a hill on the other side right next to a subway stop. I might be misremembering the temple, though.
Hmmm, maybe the moral is just to see as much of Kyoto as you can....
What you're looking for is "mushiatsui desu". "mushiatsui" is a combination of "steam" and "hot", and carries the meaning of "sultry" or "humid".
In fact, pigs don't sweat; that's why they wallow in the mud, to cool off. Horses, now, horses SWEAT.
I'm not pompous; I'm pedantic. Let me explain it to you.
Looking forward to seeing you guys soon. We get into Tokyo late Friday and then check into the hotel in Yokohama on Tuesday. We're in the Pan Pacific.
MKK