Walking. Work. Wakarimashita.

There were two confirmed Reginald sightings in the past week. Last Monday, I was writing in the lounge room sometime after 11pm. Lo and behold, Reginald decides to join me in the lounge room by casually sauntering in like he owns the joint. I would have taken a photo at this point, but his curiosity was outdone by his fear of being caught. Then on Wednesday, around 2pm perhaps, he came into the lounge room again to make his presence known. Alas, it was a short visit yet again because he became aware that I was also in the room.

Reginald watch continues. Expect updates at non-routine times.

I’ve often been compared to a bear. At a cafe I visited last week, the barista must have made the same comparison.

I also found out this week that I will be working in Umeda (CBD of Osaka), which means I’ll be able to commute from Kyoto on a daily basis once I start working. This news was particularly awesome, as it means I can continue to live in Kyoto for the duration of my stay here. Huzzah!

It also means I can start looking at setting up various transport methods while here – bicycle or unicycle, perhaps. The unicycle would only be to stand out even more than I already do as a foreigner here. Or this beast of a machine. Actually, yes. I want THIS:

Tag this next one under ‘Paul: The Idiot Gaijin’ moment #125,984

I was sitting on a train the other day when I received a phone call. This is not uncommon, as many people have phones these days. But the gentleman calling me wished to communicate with me in Japanese. I apologised and said that I only know a little bit of Japanese. At this point, the man continued talking. After a few more minutes of me not being able to understand enough of what he was saying, he just started saying ‘denwa’ (telphone) and ‘kiru’ (kill or cut off, depending on the context) so for at least 2-3 more minutes, there’s me trying to translate exactly what this guy wants from me, and he’s basically just telling me to hang up the phone please. Then when everything would go quiet, he would ask whether anyone was there, and I would respond. He would repeat ‘cut off telephone, please’ in Japanese while I would try to translate. This story, like many others so far, have been met with much laughter.

More Italian cooking by Paul occurred too. Bruschetta, salad (prosciutto, pear, fresh mozzarella, cherry tomatoes and lettuce with balsamic dressing), eggplant parmigiana and more spaghetti carbonara (with prosciutto instead of bacon). Now I’ve somehow convinced more people that I can actually cook. This particular night got a bit messy. Drinking didn’t cease until 4am.

Another night this week involved a very brief Skype session with some Melbourne friends who were out celebrating a birthday. My role in this Skype session was to perform a sexy dance. Alas, my internet connection not being the best, no sexy dance was performed and/or seen. Between that brief Skype session and the one shared with family members (no potential for sexy dances) have been nice reminders that Melbourne will always be home, no matter how long I’m over here.

Walking. So much walking. So much I’ve got at least six blisters on my feet. The lucky thing is that Kyoto is an amazing city to walk around. So long as you have a point of reference so you don’t get lost, it is well worth exploring this city on foot and just following whatever street intrigues you the most. Or you’ll come across signs like these:

What is beef? Surely a question only mystics and heretics could answer. However, the lack of a question mark gives me cause for concern. Is there a person named ‘What’ who is selling beef? (Many of you will know what is coming next)

Who is selling beef?

What.

Whose beef?

What’s.

What is?

Beef.

I was tempted to write another 1,000 words on that alone, but decided to spare my lovely readers from such nonsense.

But I won’t spare you from this nonsense, however.

Is that a postmodern analysis of what it means when someone leaves a steaming pile of shit on the ground of the toilet? If so, I don’t get why it went all rap at the end there.

You know, having foresight and purchasing walking shoes might have been a splendid idea. But the walking has also been for a very valid cause – improving my Japanese. There are two places I’ll be taking Japanese lessons from in Kyoto while I’m not working. My Hiragana comprehension is getting good enough that I can almost remember every character. Next comes Katakana and then Kanji… (of which there are over 2,000) ..to add to the ‘must-learn’ list. I’ve even sent a few texts written in Hiragana.

The past few days were spent playing tour guide around Kyoto and apparently this is something I’m very good at. I’ve been fortunate enough to have people that have shown me some great places and I’ve found one or two myself as well. I did get to see a few spots I hadn’t gotten around to yet, such as Fushimi Inari, which I’d definitely recommend to anyone visiting Kyoto. 1,000 or more temple gates line a path to the top of a mountain. Truly amazing. I’ll only spoil a bit of it for you. And show off part of my index finger.

Also, I like how the girl near the front of this next photo is like, “OK. You take the photo, then I punch you.”

Some final points to close out this entry:

• Random young woman from Hong Kong grabbing my arm and saying, “You’re so sweet” and then asking for help with navigating a path to her hotel.
• Whisky Night at Greg’s place – really fun night with a great group of people. If it becomes an ongoing event, shall purchase replacement livers via the black market now. I was attacked by two women who found out my ticklish spots.
• Numerous kids at Kiyomizudera performing a kamehameha because of my Dragonball Z t-shirt.
• Getting props for my Goro Hanada (Jo Shishido in ‘Branded to Kill’) t-shirt from an older guy at Ishimaru Shoten.