Shitennō-ji

After the castle, Ju recommended checking out Shitennō-ji, a famous temple. Between picking the right trains and finding the place on foot, getting there took about half an hour.

There were lots of people heading for the temple, so we just joined the flow. Outside the temple gates were chanting Buddhist mendicants with bowls out for donations. One of them was clearly a foreigner--a white guy, easily a foot taller than the others.

Shitennō-ji was originally built in 593, and was the first Buddhist temple in Japan. The temple complex comprises seven structures, with a pagoda in the center. We arrived in the middle of an equinox festival, so there were lots of tourists and street vendors set up. While this took away from the tranquil setting I've come to associate with Buddhist temples, it didn't bother me too much, since I had no idea what the temple was.

As it was right around lunchtime, I partook in some Kansai-style okonomiyaki. It was delectable and, at ¥500, not too expensive.

We split up to look around on our own. There was a pond full of turtles, with a raised platform in the middle so they could relax in the sun. We also saw some guys making mochi, a kind of gooey rice cake.

We slowly found each other again. As we walked around, we came to stalls offering fresh and dried fruit. I don't get the chance to eat local dried fruit, so I lingered at one of these stalls. The vendor, smiling, walked up to me and began his pitch. He pointed to the blueberries, scooped out a handful, and gave some to each of us to try. He did the same with almonds. I liked them both, but I had my eye on the dried strawberries, marked as ¥6000 (around $60) for one kilogram. He gave me some to try, and they were simply amazing.

I asked for some strawberries, and he gleefully pulled out a plastic bag. I waited for him to ask how much I wanted. I kept waiting, even after he began filling the bag with heaping scoops. He finished, weighed them, and announced the total: ¥8000.

I sputtered and explained that all I wanted was 100 grams--less than a tenth of what he'd given me. He made a show of being crestfallen, and began putting some of the strawberries back. This dropped the weight down to 500 grams, and he quoted me at ¥2000. This was technically 33% off the marked price, so I agreed. He also threw in some dried sesame-based snacks.

Ju and Lee laughed at me for a while during and after this... until they asked me if they could have some strawberries. I learned only later (while preparing this entry, incidentally) that the temple hosts a flea market on the 21st of every month. We just happened to visit at the right time.

We stopped at a mochi shop before leaving. Ju and Lee got some chestnut-flavored mochi, and the shopkeeper happily spoke to us in English and Spanish.