Kyoto with Hideo

This being Gerard's first trip to Japan, visiting the ancient imperial capital of Kyoto was a must. We met my hiking buddy Hideo, who has more knowledge of the local flora and history than anyone else I know, and he took us on a hike from the bucolic Nanzenji temple, over a forested ridge, to Kyoto city. Pictured here is the Lake Biwa aquaduct, which was built in the 19th century to generate hydropower for Japan's first electric streetcars; it takes water from the lake, tunnels through a mountain, and runs downhill through turbines into a canal that runs through town. It's an impressive engineering feat for the age in which it was built, as Meiji Japan had just barely emerged from feudalism at that time. Hideo then invited us back to his home on the shore of Lake Biwa, where we ate yu-tofu, another traditional hot winter dish, this one a soup with tofu and veggies, and tempura. As always on visits to Hideo's home, we spoke about politics in our two countries, which is an energizing and sometimes confusing topic, especially in a foreign language. Again, natsukashikatta!