Old capital, new capital

I'm writing this next to a window in a high-rise hotel looking out onto the lights of the Ginza district in Tokyo, listening to the vague whoosh of the bullet train speeding buy every few minutes. I used to think of Kyoto as a big city, but it's quite small compared to Seoul or Tokyo.

We're in Tokyo because S, as part of the Fulbright experience, has been invited to a "flute reception and buffet" at the American Embassy here. He's there now, and J and I are just back from a stroll around the Ginza. We considered doing some shopping, but decided that anything we could buy here (as if we could afford anything) just wouldn't look quite right back in Poultney.

We came on the Shinkansen Nozomi super express--one of the fastest trains in the world.

We enjoyed all the people and lights of the Ginza tonight, and are looking forward to a full day tomorrow of gardens and (maybe) the Ueno zoo.

Yesterday, J and I practiced our new rule: if we're both feeling like going somewhere, but can't decide among the gazillion options Kyoto has to offer, we just get on the train toward downtown and figure it out as we go. We ended up in Gion, the old pleasure district, and did a little market shopping and strolling around the old tea shops and geisha houses. We came upon these two maiko (geisha apprentices), and I snapped this photo with the cell phone camera. I never take my camera downtown anymore (having been there so much, I figure I have enough pictures of the area) and always regret it.