A good day!

For my first full day alone, I think I did pretty well. I got my bearings and took a walking tour around eastern Kyoto. It was so nice! I saw some of the prettiest temples and shrines. My favorite was Kodai-ji Temple. It has the most beautiful garden setting. And then I walked around the old geisha district, which is full of shops and restaurants and theaters. Super fun. And super tiring.

My first night in a hostel was nice, too. It's traditional Japanese, so we sleep on futons. They have one "Western" toilet and the others are Japanese-style (a glorified hole in the floor -- it does flush, though). And they have a lounge and a small kitchen and laundry machines. I sat down to watch TV last night though and yeah, nothing in English. Big surprise, huh! But they did have something similar to that show "Bonsai" -- it was on for a while in the US and it was Japanese. Funny stuff. And no language required :)