Kyoto

Four men wearing suits are smiling to camera while a bullet train is slashing behind them. They are asked questions about a brilliant idea to borrow the train nose design from the Kingfisher bird. I saw this on TV when I was a kid. Wow, I need to take this train one day! This memory, this dream was more important than the names of some people I was once close to. Shin-Tokyo station. Marvel of engineering is slowly and quietly approaching. Few moments and I am sitting in the comfortable seat. Mount Fuji will be visible for a brief moment around the 45th minute of the ride. And it was. I made as many pictures as I could and continued watching. My neck hurts, but I can make whole body turns to look right, so it's fine.

The part of Kyoto where we stay is super quiet. No tall buildings, no hustle, no crowds. Walking without any plans led us to the beautiful temple. The square before the temple is probably the only loud place I've seen in Kyoto. Street performers, street food, loud music and hundreds of people. We quickly left that place and headed to the museum. They exhibit Daido Moriyama. One of my favorite street photographers. The man who could capture the city like no other.

A lady rides a bicycle with a huge basket in front. She wears a straw hat with a ribbon, a long skirt and, as it should be, heavy framed glasses. She radiates positivity and confidence. She stops in the coffee shop. She sells some sweets unknown to me. “No, this is not mochi! Mochi is rice, I don't know in English, like what you make cake of but pounded, and this is not mochi!”. Her voice is calming. She should sing a lullaby on the national radio or TV.

We are walking along the river. The weather is perfect. Terraces are full of people drinking beer and chatting. Some people run, some quietly sit on the artificial pier. A young woman is not happy with a picture her boyfriend took of her. This terrible mistake has to be fixed immediately.

“Deer are wild animals. They can butt, bite and kick. Please do not feed them anything else except approved crackers” — says the sign. People in the park bow to the deer; the deer act politely until there are more than three of them and you show that you have more than one cracker. When a deer bites, it leaves saliva on your clothes. Sometimes bruises. Nara park workers wear light uniforms, rubber boots and get around by bicycle and small cars. Those cars are very practical I think.