This minshuko is in a little quiet neighborhood and I walked down charming little old-fashioned streets to the main street that leads to the Heian Shrine, when I left this morning. The Heian shrine is the one in all the picture books, orange and green. Very- well, impressive, I suppose. Early, so the only visitors thus far were just a few schoolkids. When I left I walked across an almost-empty bus parking lot. As in Thailand, a lot of natives visit the temples and shrines, and leave various kinds of pleas to the gods for health, love, happiness, etc. After leaving the shrine I wanted to see the Kyoto Handicraft Center, six floors of stuff at full price - high priced souvenirs, pearls, etc. Not very tempted, but since it was not open until 10 I stopped in a coffee place for coffee and toast ($3 - not cheap, but this was REAL COFFEE, not Nescafe, and the first I'd had since leaving home. And the toast was, though white, buttered before being toasted, and in a big slab, not the anemic sandwich bread the Japanese seem to think all westerners prefer — and I guess they do; I was the only one minding it in Thailand)
Kiromizu-Dera is really an incredible temple complex. Streets leading up to it are lined with souvenir shops, some of which look good; at the shrine there are good-luck charms to be bought, etc. There is an orange pagoda there. As in Greece, the old polychrome paint has worn off, leaving in this case lots of dark wood. Contrasted with shoji screens, etc., it's very tasteful looking but the contrast with the strongly (one might say garishly) colored temples in Bangkok is great.