October 21. 2004 00:00

Kobosan and old Kyoto

Today I took my parents to Kobosan market at Toji temple. We had planned a lot of walking for today, so it was somewhat inconvenient that all of our walking shoes were still soaking wet from yesterday. I had to wear my winter shoes and my parents had their better shoes on. It wasn't the worst thing that could've happened, but we all had pretty sore feet after walking all day.

Before we left to the market we went to a bank so Dad could cash his traveller's cheques. When I cashed mine it was very easy, but this time it was a smaller bank so there were like five people fussing around trying to figure out how to do this right. The girl who served us tried to get Dad to write his full name in place of his signature, until she was corrected. But we managed to get most of the cheques cashed.

Then we went to Toji. I'm not sure if my parents enjoyed themselves as much as I thought they would, but at least they didn't complain. Mum bought a few things, mostly souvenirs, and I spent a whole lot of money. I kinda felt it was more like my shopping trip than theirs, like it was meant to be. I bought 3 obis (kimono belts; one cute narrow red, one wine colour for me or for Tsu, and one grey with purple flowers that was just too pretty to leave there), a blue-white obi "rope", a cup like those for miso that I'll use as a candy cup and an ink stone. There were brushes, too, but I thought I'd buy one later when I could concentrate on it. But then we found one lying on the ground with a few footsteps on it, so I picked it up and took home. It was pretty expensive, too, 2100 yen originally, but it had clearly been there for a while so nobody seemed to be missing it. Happy ^_^

After Kobosan we went to Kiyomizu, where I led my parents in the back, so we didn't have to pay... I feel like such a horrible person. This time I saw the signs telling this is the way out and don't go here, but nobody stopped us so we went in. Dad loved the place and he took lots of photos, but I think Mum was getting tired of walking and standing. We stayed there until the sun set and the place closed, then we continued north along the old Gion. (Or I think it's the old Gion... The little alleys with shops, anyway.) Dad really loved it there, too, he kept saying those small streets had much more feeling to them than the big shopping streets or any other part of Kyoto. The garden yesterday came close, but it lost the edge of its charm because of the rain. The small streets north from Kiyomizu sure are the best part of Kyoto, and we got to enjoy walking through the lit-up Yasaka shrine on the way as well.

Somehow I've been shopping like mad all the time since my parents came here. Thinking about how I've been planning on the Tokyo trip and Kobosan market for a while, it's only natural, but it still feels a bit weird. At Kiyomizu I bought two mobile phone hangers (one of them being that one with a cross, because it's just so cool and funny, even though I don't support Christianity) and in the new part of Gion I saw an extremely beautiful white paper umbrella I just couldn't leave there. I'm not sure if spending this much is good for me, but then again, I'd want to buy these things at some point anyway. And somehow it's nice to have the opportunity to just buy what you want without worries ^_^

Then we were back at the shopping streets and there wasn't much left to do. I took Mum to the kimono floor of Takashimaya department store so I could show her what it was like and Dad went to browse through some electric devices stores. That Emily Temple store that sells clothes like dolls' was still open so I had to check it out, and the clothes were really pretty but cost just as much as I expected them, which is about three times as much as all my flea market kimono things together. Then we went to search for a place to eat and did it in the dodgy area of the town, a couple of streets east from the shopping streets... I thought I saw a few restaurants there, but there were only loads of love hotels and stuff like that. So we went back and ate at the first place we found in the good area.

I've really been ruining my diet since my parents came. I feel disgusted with myself because of that. The sum of letting them pay and decide the place and time leads to me eating much more than I would on my own. They like to stop and have a coffee every now and then and I have some drink with them, and then I feel like eating some cakes or desserts just because it's so easy when they're there... I know I could stop myself if I really wanted to, but for some time I've been unable to collect enough energy to start any task I don't feel like doing. It's the same with work projects and schoolwork, most of the time I just think I should be doing it right now but I never start. It's stressing when it goes on and on, because I just feel anxious because I'm not doing anything. Yet I subliminally stop myself from taking on the task and continue finding something easy and entertaining to distrack me from the real work. I hate that part of myself. For a while I thought writing about letting my diet slip would make me keep to it better, but then I realized that's just another way of passing the burdain on so I don't have to bother carrying it myself. I've gotten better at waking myself up from the slumber, I'm doing it quicker now, so I might be able to get a grip of myself before I destroy everything I've accomplished with the diet. I even might be able to kick myself into doing some of the work that's waiting for my attention, too, if I just can keep my head clear enough for a few days. I really hope I can...

But now my head is getting veeery fuzzy because I haven't been sleeping well ever since I left for Tokyo (the night bus, staying out late with my parents, watching Inu-Yasha...). Talking about Inu-Yasha, I finished it yesterday! Woow! Though it doesn't feel like and ending because the story still goes on... But I loved the last ten-or-so episodes, with the Kohaku storyline and Miroku showing his affection for Sango. I really need to get the manga so I can continue! The next time I see it at Book-Off...