Kyoto

After checking out of my disappointing accommodation I headed over to the new place I had booked into and left my suitcase until I could check in properly. I explored a bit of the area I was going to be staying in and found my bearings. Last time I went to the Manga Museum and got a manga me drawn. I wanted to go back again, 10 years later and see the character development. It was also cool to come back and read the first Astro Boy manga as there was an English version there. I had also been trying to find a copy of Black Clover and they happened to have an English version for sale here too, so I picked that one up for my collection. So far, it’s the only manga I have bought that I can actually read. One of my life goals is to be able to read manga in Japanese.

One of the random yet exciting things I happened to book for myself was a spot in the first timeslot on opening night of the Abroad in Japan bar in Kyoto. For those not familiar, Abroad in Japan is a YouTube channel I have followed for quite a few years. Around the first time I visited Japan, Chris moved there and started creating videos about his experience. Over the years I have followed along and even become a Pateron supporter. Through this is where I first was updated on the fact that coincidently while I was in Kyoto, Chris would be running a Sake bar for a few nights. With early access to purchasing tickets I decided to jump right on this and nab myself a spot at the first bar seating. Mostly this was as I assumed that the first night, and even more so the first seating were really going to be the test sessions for running the event as well as filming content for a future video. It was the full dress rehearsal instead of opening night I guess. I like being part of the preview.

So, after exploring and checking into my new room which I was so happy with. It was time to freshen up and make my way to the Abroad in Japan bar takeover. You can watch the video Chris and his team made about the experience, here. The night was co-hosted by Black Ship Realty who also run the Tokyo Portfolio YouTube Channel. If you like looking at super impressive properties that like me you are never going to own, check them out!

Anywho, it was a pretty fun evening sitting around with a bunch of fellow Patrons and sipping on some Sake. I even forked out an extra $40 or something like that, for a single glass of a whiskey they also had available. It was worth it. Very tasty and also I was making the most of the experience. Afterwards I happily went home to bed. It’s really surreal and weird meeting people who you watch and listen to talk about things. Especially when you know things about their lives and you just chat to them kind of like you’re in mid sentence except they of course know nothing about you. It’s really bizarre. However, it was a lot of fun and the whole team were super lovely and it was so nice to meet everyone and weirdly feel connected to this community. It’s a pretty amazing thing to create a space that is so comfortable and friendly. Props to everyone involved and I am glad that I decided to lean into the random bizarreness.

The next day I headed out to Fushimi Ward and visited the Taisha Senbon Torii (Thousand Torii Gate) and walked the summit. It is such an incredible walk with stops along the way to admire and take in the incredible scenery and reflect on and experience the energy in the air. The hike is a bit of work, and so worth it. However, at one point I came across a bunch of paramedics who had just finished strapping down a woman who had clearly had an issue and was needing medical assistance to take her back down.

For my last day I just chilled out and just enjoyed being in Kyoto some more. I really do love it here, it is such a vibe and so beautiful. I really enjoy just going out and walking around the streets. I also caught up on some work, as tomorrow it’s time to head to Osaka Airport and start making my way back to Melbourne.