haha the photos dont refeclt the day this time

i kind of pocketed my camera today, so this blog wont be very fulfilling for you guys. and ive had a bit too many asahis to document it all properly...last night i had a great night, i went out with the american couple ive been hanging with and their japanese friend and the french guy ive been hanging with. we went to a local okonomiyaki restaurant and ate a lot of okonomiyaki and drank a lot of beer!!! it was a lot of fun, and their friend shyuun is studying buddhism and hes really good to talk to...yeah anyway

so after that affair this morning i went to an onsen this morning after i did a spot of shopping. i found a beautiful print shop and spent all my money...but it was worth it. all will have to wait and see till i get back.

the picture below is the river that ran along the bottom of the onsen. i took the train and then walked up there, the whole place was immersed in an old growth camphor forest, it was AMAZING!! the forests here just drive me crazy. no photo can capture the feeling of them. just sitting there, in the moist air, breathing in the mossy, musty, woody, wet air. ahh its kind of like the old forests in victoria, but amongst it all are mossy stones that were once beautiful temples, or glowing orange gates calling the spirits to this beautiful place.

and the onsen was incredible. it was outside, and jutted out with a view of the massive forest accross on the other side of the valley. sigh...amazing.
















this is just a cute little sign in the township, the place was called kurama...















this is the path leading up to the temple, there was a massive walk from one side of the valley to the other but i didnt have the change on my for entry, and i had to get back to the hostel because the girl was kind enough to keep my bag even though i had checked out. that hostel was amazing! the people were so incredible, always family hanging around and drikning in the cafe, sitting in the window drinking tea and watching the surprised faces of japanese commuters...sleeping on futons in golden screened rooms...sigh...beautiful















i cant be bothered running up and getting my lonely planet, toby will know the name of these guys immediately. theyre famous in this region, famous demons in the area...trouble makers and the like....very cool
















sorry this blog isnt very interesting...im really tired, it was a beautiful day though but one that was filld with reflection.

one thing i am sick of, is people who are here and are not even interested in japan. i talked to some guys on the train to osaka today and they were so racist, so rude about japanese people and culture, completely un-interested in everything cultural, only tits and ass and video games. it made me really mad. i think im going to miss the people i was with in kyoto, they were all there for the people and the place and the feeling....not the clubs....but i guess thats the way it goes...right now theres american movies on the tv and football games...im going to go find a place to read...