Best day so far :))

Today it took me only 2 hours to clean all the hostel together with the Japanese boy who stays here same as I do. Well, I didn't clean the boy. We cleaned together... Anyways, let's leave this behind. The thing is I can honestly say this is the deal of a lifetime as Hannari is an amazing place to stay.

Finished my work before noon, I went to another English school to leave my CV. After that I visited the huge temple of Higashi Hongan-ji where I took the pigeons pics. I love them! Hope it's not only me who thinks they're quite good. Well, I know I cut the pigeons legs on the second one and that the first one could have lots of details better visible but, let's not be picky! ;)

And after that I decided not to worry about money at least for some time and I went to Starbucks to get myself a proper Matcha Latte. Oh, how good it was... I think I will treat myself like that a couple more times. It's not such a bad idea, given the fact that over my tea I learn quicker and with more pleasure. In the coffee shop I met a lovely elderly guy, who was on his o-miya-mairi route, visiting temples and praying to Buddha. This quite surprised me as at uni I was told o-miya-mairi is a Shintoist practice associated with child birth, but the gentlemen explained it doesn't matter at all and anybody can do it whenever they want. You can even do it with Buddhist temples. Than, I don't know how and where did I find words to do it, we had a very academic conversation covering topics such as religion, fall of Berlin Wall, and modern society's problems. He took a picture of my bike and I took a picture of us both and my glasses on the foreground (not intentionally though). And, what made me completely puzzled at first, he gave me a 500yen coin. Seeing my confusion he started explaining how he remembers his youth and that he didn't have money either but he learned a lot as he can see me learning and therefore he wants to give me this present so I can have another tea. Only than I remembered Japanese visitors giving money to me and my colleagues at some occasion in Warsaw. So, how we say in Polish, I took his gift as a good coin. Simply, I bought his explanation and didn't worry about it at all.

Going back to Hannari, I raced the streets in my new found energy. I just can't be unhappy in Kyoto!

This is Japan of my dreams!