Day 16 - already!

I am very late starting tonight as have been packing and weighing luggage - and repacking and reweighing - etc etc....so this will be brief but there are tons of photos so they will make up for the lack of words.  Sometime tomorrow or on Saturday I will complete the tale, but until then here was today....

The tile should really be 'I saved the best till the last' as that is my thoughts on today! Weather still cold but beautiful and clear...so like every day I head of to the station and as usual get caught at one of the three crossings - on a bad day it can be at all three!

I have passed this poster everyday and it has always made me smile - some things seem to be universal!

 I'm sure you will all thing I am obsessed with toilets  -I'm not but do use them quite a bit. I think this is one of the excellent ideas seen here - it is a seat for young Mum's to put toddlers in while they make use of the facilities without the little tykes running amuck while they do what they need to do!

I arrived at first port of call - Nijo Castle - had to be outside today as I needed to take advantage of the lovely weather.

 No - it's alright - the castle was finished - this looked to be some sort of protected area being added - hopefully for tourists to use for shelter when it rains - there is a definite shortage of such shelters here!

So after a wander along I arrived at the 'front door' so to speak. I now got an inkling of what was in store!

 This shows the detail bettter

 ....and don't forget to look up at the roof line...

Litter clearance? Not here - just tidying up the fallen leaves. I have been extremely impressed by how tidy and clean the streets are - and there are very few rubbish bins around as people know they have to take their rubbish home!

 Another detail of the roof - just think what it would have looked like when all the metalwork was new...

 Here is a shot of the requisite water garden...

 This might seem a bit of a sad thing to photograph - it is a bamboo fence and I was taken byt hte neatness of it all...

 Couple of chaps discussing the price of fish - or whatever! Standing on a bridge over one of the two moats.

Just look at the size of the entrance gates - and all the knobbly bits!

 Here is a detail shot of one of the hinges - the were massive!

 These two were high school students on a trip to Nijo castle - one of the things they had to do was carry out a survey of other visitors - where they were from, what they liked in Japan and where they had been. Their English was amongst the best I have heard all holiday.

 This is one of the team of gardeners doing a spot of pruning...

Now the view from the top of the battlements...

 ...and looking down at the outer moat...

Just think about the shifting into place of these rocks - they didn't have mechanical cranes then!

Specially for Isabel - a list of the planting for the gardens!  I also have the map to which it refers!

 Notice how tidy all the supporting structures are for the trees....

 What about this for a lock...

 Had a smile at this - yes back to that subject again!!

 Walking around the grounds...

Heading to the shop - here you can stop for lunch...can you see the monks wooly stockings?

 Lovely to look at hte decorative roofline...

Time for the picnic kids - spot the girl with teh golden legs!

 The I went to get my ice-cream and bumped into 3 Japanese ladies having lunch - a Bento box. They were chatting to a guy from New Zealand - he had a good bit of the Maori in him judging from his complexion, but he seemed to speak quite good Japanese - again from what I observed - not from what I know!

The next smile came form this sign - no photography or drawing was allowed inside the castle - hope this wasn't meant as a reflection on the abilities of the average tourist!

 Thought of you Ruth as I walked past these on my way to the bus stop...

Now for a real delight....I finally managed to find the Nagakusa Embroidery school - this was where I had hoped to take a few lessons....perhaps next time!  I was greeted by Sumie (Mrs N)- who would have been my teacher. I had been given the impression she didn't speak any English, but we seemed to be able to communicate very well - she did use an I-pad for looking up the odd word or two. Amazing what sign language and a few words can convey. I was allowed (perhaps by mistake) to just take a few photos so they are here - sadly they are so few in number....

 I can't remember exactly which kimono took what amount of time - two years was mentioned more than once! If you thought the above one was splendid then this next one will have your jaw dropping....

 Then one of the students was told to get some samples out for me to drool over...these are bands that would have been tied around the head - they are over 2 metres long and about 2 inches wide....naturally folded perfectly to fit the drawer.

These next ones are gold background - that is gold leaf that has been applied to the silk before stitching...as i was looking at them I was sighing with relief that I hadn't been a student - I felt I would have been out of my depth partly as the work was so fine...I strand of 12 suga (strands), split and twisted....

This was the outside - I just dropped lucky when I was looking for the address as a delivery person had just dropped something of and the gate was open- a student came out at the sound of voices and when I asked for directions (this means pointing at the address on the map I had) she said I had found it and pointed to the ground!

 I took tea and sweets with Sumie - boy was I glad to have been to the tea ceremony the other day as I at least had an idea of the etiquette - even though tea was served by Sumie herself.  Yummy sweets one was in the shape of a pine cone, one a maple leaf, beautifully shaded and the others were ginkgo leaf shaped. I finally left - would have stayed longer but was worried that I might outstay the welcome! So on to the next destination - the Botanical gardens....but on the way I got waylayed by this apparatus....can you guess what it was for?

 It was a popped rice maker and when the rice was ready the man rang a warning bell as the thing went off like a cannon! So now for a wander around the garden....Just admire the pictures - they speak for themselves....

 Great statues!

 Bonsai - what else!

 bamboo propagation...

A spot of pruning - you didn't actually think all those shapes were natural did you?

 Yet another wedding couple....I came across them again later - as you will see!

 Decorative cabbages for sale at the shop...under £1 each - not bad!

 Why this tree was out of the ground I have no idea....

 Lavender's blue, dilly dilly....

There was a kids playground with huge sumo statue - was he ther to terrify the kids into behaving?

 Glorious colour even if the light is beginning to go...

 Then I arrived outside the conservatory...massive or what!

 Complete with pool for the reflective amongst you!

This statue wasn't done from a model of a Japanese girl - far to well rounded for that!

Here's that couple again !

 There's nothing wrong with a  bit of advertising!

 This statue seemed to be a sitting on her hat - or not!

Now back on the bus on the way to the station. These two were playing hand games - here is the church and here is the steeple, open you hand and here's the people...you might know what I mean if you are of a certain age! I can't remember the right words!

 These boys had spotted the camera!

 I'm not sure if this counts as manga!

 As I arrived at the station complex I was just in time for an 'impromptu' laser light show - bet tehy do it to schedule but no-one knows when it is!

 And finally a last look back at Kyoto tower....

 Now I am planning nipping back into Kyoto to go back to the craft museum as feel I have unfinished business there - then I plan to brave it and go to the local onsen (spa bath). There will definitely not be any photos from there!

Remember to watch this space for a few days as I will do a tad more to round things off.

If you are still reading, I want to thank you for all the comments on the blog.  I have felt like I am just having a natter (as usual). The comments and email messages that I have received have all helped to keep me sane (well you know what I mean!). I did fear the solitary nature of a solo trip  - I was worried I might get down or lonely with no-one to talk to -  but via the wonders of technology, this hasn't happened.

I also want to say a special thank you - and a hello to Tsun and Betty Boo!! They will know who I mean - they are a lovely couple who are in the room next door. Like the youngsters I mentioned meeting again in Nara, this couple are also from Taiwan. We have had many a good conversation and with sign language and repeated effort have been able to communicate well. They also leave tomorrow - the place will be empty as I think the German, the Serb and the French chaps are leaving too..

I wonder -  have I been brave???....better to be bold than not to do something that you really want to, just because you have to go alone...like everyone, I will only have one life - and it is ticking by. I need to live it, not waste it! 

Now to bed....Hmm....I wonder if I will be able to persuade Paul that I need to go to.........

Night night!