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Tea and a snack at the thatched timber Amasake Tea House.

Prettier than my usual takeout lunch

🗻Fuji from the Shinkansen 🚄

Fuji at 300kph

Landed at our cute little loft at the end of an alley in Kyoto

Very hot today so the double papered shoji screens are keeping the place cool. The cavity between the screen and window is much hotter.

It’s 30c Feet in the water time

Nice 2 sided benches

Every city should have this

And it’s lovely at night. Soft lighting, adjacent homes and shops and a bit of greenery (that feels rare at this scale)

Trying to imagine how to re-create this in Vancouver

West orientation, on a hill overlooking the city. Great spot for catching evening light (for the last 1200 years or so) and a boat load of tourists (more recently) Something to be said for UNESCO sites. Prayer bell reverberated at many levels.

Didn’t previously realize the connection between Pikachu and the sacred lightning symbol

Another nice stroll on a 30c day… the philosophers walk

The Face House A nice bit of weirdness to balance the Serene/subdued/historical city.

Apparently it was very much disliked because it didn’t fit the local “character” but now it draws many visitors

We’re on rented e-bikes today. It’s a bit more challenging to navigate with more bike-prohibited zones, requirements to park in designated areas and no Google Maps support for bikes. Still a nice little experience but highlights how I depend on Google

Shade magnet Aka Shadows are good sometimes

Back here again. Can’t get enough of this little greenway.

Kyoto Beer Lab ftw

Kyoto tofu

Vertical cedar slats. Our work has always been influenced by this flavor of Japanese design. So much clear cedar, but no knots to be seen.

Here I am at another UNESCO site just thinking about gutters and downspouts