off to points west

day 45
osaka, kyoto

we're off to kyoto.


i knew very little about the shinkansen before arriving here. there are several profiles, and i like this one - it reminds me most of its western moniker - the bullet train.






this, however, is the train we were riding - the nozomi. fastest of the fleet, it averaged over 200 kph on the trip to kyoto - top speed: 300 kph.






underway, you have no real basis for perceiving your speed. thing go by quickly. but looking out the window, it's hard to say if they're going by twice as quickly as when you travel in a car on a freeway. the seats are comfortable, the noise is low, and there's an occasional gentle rocking.






osaka. seems nice. we were on the class schedule, so didn't have as much time as i would have liked.






don't ask me. i was really struck by it.






on the plus side, we saw 4 tadeo ando buildings. this open staircase goes up 3 floors. it sucks you right in.






my favorite of the day was the church of light. it's a bit of an extravagance to put 6 photos of it here, but then, why not.































don't let those lanterns get wet now.






gion at night is breathtaking, especially on sunday when most things are closed and the streets are quiet. these restaurants are accessed by small wood bridges. what goes on inside really fires the imagination.