Kansai.

I arrived yesterday. I took the Shinkansen, which was fun, but it was really gray outside, so I couldnt see very well. I had a couple seats to my self, which was also really nice. Then I arrived in Kyoto, and met my family, and they are also really nice. Kyoto is hella hot and humid which isnt really nice. There is a dad and mom and a girl a year younger than me and a boy Ethans age, which I think is like 14. The son is super cool, we hang out a lot. After I arrived, we drove to a place not easily accesible by buses or trains (thats why we drove) to a cool temple. We drove back home to Uji, which is a little ways south of Kyoto, where we picked up their daughter, and went to dinner. We came home, and I dont really remember what we did to kill time, but about midnight the brother asked me if I wanted him to wake me up about 3:30 so that we could watch the world cup. Instead of sleeping in my room (that is to say, the room that was vacated by my brother for me), I brought my futon into the living room, and we slept there. Then, at 3:30, we woke up and watched the World Cup final. That was hella exciting. Pity about the result, but I had fun. Then, we slept a little bit more, and woke up very very tired. Today, my mom and I left the house last, and she got me acquinted with the trains. I take a several minute bike ride on a small Japanese bike to Uji station, and ride into Kyoto. There, she got me briefly acquinted with the buses. After that, we went to Higashi and Nishi Honganji, which were both fabulous, but both also under construction, so we couldnt see all of it. The construction started 8 years ago, and finishes in 2 or 3. After that, we met up with my brother who was done with school (exams), ate lunch, and then went shopping. It is currently a really big festival week in Kyoto, so my mom thought it would be good if we had yukata so that we would look nice. We went to Isetan, which is a fancy departmant store, and both my brother and I tried on yukata. Designer yukata? Anyway, my mom decided that she wanted to buy me a yukata, which was very nice of her, because it came out to about 31000 yen, which is almost 300 dollars! She thought it would be best it I got the cheater obi, which has velcro, so that I dont have to tie it my self, which is really really difficult. Then we were going to meet up with my sister, but Im not really sure why we didnt, but we just came straight home. I bought some cycling manga, and we read them on the train. Tomorrow we go to Kinkakuji, pity my camera is almost out of memory! better get that sorted out really fast.
Oh, lousy news! I can't go to the Kyoto Imperial Palace, Senso Palace, Katsura-Rikkyu, or the one other fance Imperial villa, because...Im not old enough! You have to be 18 to enter, and I could certainly pass for it (the guy at the ticket place thought I was at least 20), but you have to bring your passport of alien reg. card, both of which say I am 17. Suck!

Peter

mom and dad, I will send my current address as soon as I know it, could you please send I rather nice (but not extravegent) Minnesota thing for my family?