We had a relaxed morning wading through the crowds at the Golden Pavillion (Kinkakuji) with Kris and Steve. We took to the buses today as some of the places we went are a little harder to get at. I can see the faces of the local school kids that they're dying to try they're English on us. Typically their fear of making a mistake, combined with their natural shyness prevents them from trying to interact. I often try to break the ice by saying something in Japanese - even though Beth and I have forgotten a lot, it still feels pretty comfortable to have a rudimentary conversation. These kids today were pretty fun to talk to and it was cool to see Robin and Abby exchange a few words with them.
I'm still amazed at how organized and easy to use their bus system is - lots of pictures, lots of advance notice of upcoming stops and they've even added English for interesting stops.
Before lunch we walked through the beautiful bamboo forest around Arashiyama before heading to a surprise for the girls - a Maiko makeover at Yume Koubou. The girls were made up and dressed in traditional Maiko/Geisha fashion and run through a photo shoot. Good fun!
We had to say goodbye to Steve and Kris - sniff! - it was great to spend time with them and share our mutual past Japan experiences with the girls along the way.
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