Japan Day 7

Published on by Yinglan

I feel like this photo should be on a postcard but maybe I’m not at that quality yet.

This was taken at Kiyomizu-dera Temple in Kyoto, Japan. I thought I wouldn’t need pain pills today since mom said we weren’t going to walk as much but I ended up adding 11 miles (over 27,000 steps) to my shoes’ odometer. I can barely feel my feet at the moment as my heels are numb from all the walking.

Apparently, Japanese people walk a lot. They probably don’t have any problem fulfilling their 10,000 steps. I’ve been averaging around 10 miles per day in Japan, which is a lot but I think my bigger problem is that mom rushes. She doesn’t stop to allow me or her friend to look at the GPS to make sure we’re going the right way. She assumes we know the way, which is very wrong since neither of us have ever been to Japan.

Meanwhile, she doesn’t use Google maps on her phone. In fact, she still thinks she doesn’t have internet on her phone even though I’ve been carrying a wi-fi hotspot for the last week in my backpack. I don’t know why she would think that.

I met a couple from California while resting at Kiyomizu Temple today. I was enjoying a Venti Latte when this couple came to sit next to me. The temperature was in the upper 80’s with 70% humidity. My shirt had blots of sweat and beads of sweat was dripping from my eyebrows. I heard the old lady speak American English and suddenly felt so happy as I’ve been in Japan for a week and haven’t met anyone who spoke fluent English.

We conversed. I felt like I was talking to a friend. You have no idea how much I crave to speak English to someone who actually understands. I’ve been feeling like a mute in Japan, unable to speak and understand the language.

This was the last temple of the day – Kinugasa Kaidocho – a gold color temple. I know Kyoto and Japan is well-known for its temples and shrines but I’m sure that we really need to visit them all.

After this, we rode the bus back to Kyoto Station and at that point, I thought we were going to eat dinner and then call it a day but when we’re traveling, meals are often the most difficult part of the day. I’m not a picky eater. The only thing I will not eat is anything belonging to the onion family. Mom, on the other hand, is impossibly picky.

We were supposed to go our separate ways tonight – mom shopping with her friend and I was going to go to a bookstore after dinner. Mom and I walked through the entire mall, searching for a restaurant. Don’t get me wrong, there are plenty of restaurants, it’s the one thing Japan is not lack of. It’s mom that won’t eat the food.

We ended up eating at this place that’s known for its Bento boxes. Seriously, box lunch for dinner, it’s the last thing I want but mom wanted it for some reason. It wasn’t bad but whatever, I never get what I want anyway, so it didn’t really matter.

19 thoughts on “Japan Day 7”

  1. Your picture should be on a post card. I think it is the right quality. I have to confess my eyesight isn’t great, but the composition looks grand. And what a wonderful feat! Walking all those miles! Well done, you.

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      1. The haze is part of the city indeed. Do print the photo and hang in on your wall. Maybe mom doesn’t mean half the stuff she says. Once it’s up she may warm to it.

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      2. Even if she doesn’t mean it, I don’t want to hear it. Every word that comes out of her mouth throughout this trip has been nothing but hurtful and mean.

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      3. Paul sad to God, I have asked you to remove this affliction from me three times. Why is it not removed. And God said, “My grace is sufficient for you to endure.” Paraphrasing. The actual quote is:
        2 Corinthians 12:8
        Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. 9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.
        I had a complicated mother. Not as supremely complicated as yours, but in hindsight I wish I had sat her down and told her how messed up things had become because of her nature. She got Alzheimer’s and when she got too much for my sisters I would take her for a while. She would watch Meet Joe black and fall in love with Brad Pitt each time. One time she stopped mid movie and asked me why my sisters always fight with her (she loved them a lot- me not so much) and I said that she wasn’t the greatest mother before . She looked surprised. “Wasn’t I ?” And then she left for the movie again. I don’t think my mother knew what affect she had on us. Maybe I should have said something earlier. Think on it. You can always hang the picture on the inside of your cupboard.

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    1. I’ve been averaging about 10 miles per day in Japan. I think it was probably the result of getting lost and my mom trying to save on public transit fares. Believe me, I did not like the idea.

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      2. Not really but without any sort of pass, they really add up. And she’s an impatient person who doesn’t like spending time waiting for the train or bus to come or wait in line to buy tickets.

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