Team ReMeYo in Japan 9.4.-1.5.2007: Kimono fitting, Monkeys and shopping

This morning we again did the train routine noda-osaka-shinosaka-kyoto-arashiyama because we went to Arashiyama to Yonster`s Kimono fitting (we reserved the rental with Masa when we were in Arashiyama last time). Yonster managed fine the fitting process with her limited Japanese. She even managed talk a bit with the lady that was dressing her and of course she showed pictures of our dog Jasu and Jane. Yonster was a bit worried about ther hair in the pictures because she had some reason thought that kimono dressers would do something about her hair too, but they didn`t. But i think the hair looks good enough for these tourist pictures. When we walked as a group in Arashiyama we were a bit like a small tourist attraction. I with the camera gear ,Yonster in kimono and Medic, well he was just himself. Taiwanese tourists wanted to have their picture taken with Yonster and meny people commented that she had a beautiful kimono. We took many photos around Arashiyama bridge and after 1.5 hours returned the kimono to the shop. Rental would have been 12-16 but we did what we needed in 1.5 hours and Yonster said that she was a little cold and kimono was starting to feel too strangling.

After kimono was returned we went to monkey park, by making a quick stop at crepe kiosk. Monkey park was basically a 20 minutes walk up to a platform where monkeys were feeded by the staff. In that viewing platform we could observe monkeys and take pictures. Of course the monkeys were everywhere in the park area, but in that area there were so many at the same time without the feeling that angry monkeys could jump to your neck from tree, because there were no trees at the top. Me and Yonster thought that it was fun to watch the monkeys playing around, but medic looked a bit bored so after a while observing the playing monkeys we walked back.

In train from Arashiyama to Kyoto we had this great idea to go shopping to Kyoto. So at the Kyoto station we headed first to local mac and then were planning to go and see the local shopping centers. Me and Medic ordered with our limited Japanese and were shocked to get responses to our "Biggu makku setto, ookii koora, ooki furentsu furaasu" in wery fluent english. The english spoken in Kyoto mac has been the best english we have heard in Japan (of course with the exception of our friends miho, katsue and ikuko). Sometimes i think we would get faster serviced if we just tried to speak normal english, but after getting so many non understanding faces our default approach to any situation is basic english and our broken Japanese combo.

After finishing our mega macs (do not order a mega mac, because mega mac is a big mac with extra beefs the taste is not the same. Mega mac in finland was same big mac, but bigger diameter so no variance in taste) we headed to Kyoto shopping centers... What center, where? After realizing that we did not bring any of our 3 guide books with us we just walked random directions for 2 hours and got really frustrated. We headed back to Kyoto station and took the train to shinosaka and there of course train to osaka. In osaka we went to shopping centers. Our timing was again the worst possible because it was around 19 when most japanese people move. Workers go home from work and the colourful young people head for the centers. So with the feeling of 8 of walking around in our feet and the combined frustration from walking randomly in kyoto we just decided to go again to yodobashi camera. This time the prices didn`t matter because they actually are at finland`s level so its not a really expensive store. Medic finally got memory to his PSP and i got the Yui`s new album (I have no idea why our Japanese guides thought that it was so funny thatg i wanted to buy one. Then again i don`t know anything of the target audience of that music, but that`s what is so good about jpop. To us it`s just music without any knowledge of the audience. So if we like something we can freely like it.) I also bought a Japanese camera magazine, which by the way from looking at the pictures is the best camera magazine i have seen. There were alot of ideas for shooting with detailed techniques and everything were a good level. I mean in camera magazines sold in europe they either lack the tutorials or the tutorials are just plain stupid.

After everyone was happy (Yonster got a new shirt) we headed back to our hotels and apartments.

Here`s a few pics from today. A lot of them are either self expainatory or have been mentionded in text above. So not many picture captiosn this time.