So Day 6 was a lazy day (in fact, I slept for about 20 hrs over the course of it).

Day 7 was better, I strolled through to Kyoto-gyoen... in the rain! Some Americans said 'hey' to me, two separate pairs of them, in fact. It was quite strange, but I'm not an asshole, so I said 'hey back, or nodded acknowledgement. I'd seen it written about, but this was my first experience. I didn't even notice the first two, they were whizzing along on bikes, but then they called back to me. While it was weird, it wasn't really unpleasant, just people trying to connect in a world where they are a minority.

Anyway, Kyoto-gyoen is the surrounds of the Imperial Palace, I just strolled straight through it, and I don't really rate it highly. Maybe I'll go to the Palace itself sometime, or the shrine next to it, but I was actually heading down to Ponto-cho.

Ponto-cho is a pretty expensive leisure district now, with tea houses, pink salons, and ramen stands all just floating around its steam-parted streets. I passed straight through here and then over the bridge to Gion again (filling in the gaps from my last visit). Moments after I took a picture of the statue of Izumi no Okuni (a star from the days when women played women in Kabuki [onna kabuki]) when an old lady walking out of the subway approached me and gave me a bus pass. I was struck dumb and couldn't even say thank you properly. I looked so stupid, but she was kind. The only problem was that I didn't understand what the bus pass allowed (nor was I on the right side of the river to catch a bus)... I could have travelled all over for free as many times as I liked in one day, instead I wasted that woman's kindness. Gomen-nasai obaasan!

I walked back along the Kamogawa, taking plenty of pictures of the river and its birds. It roars like angry water spirits, its level much higher than my second day here. It's practically unrecognisable in comparison. Even the egrets looked miserable. Walking along, you can't fail to notice another sad fact of life here: the homeless people who have built shelters under the bridges. They sit and look over the river, quietly contemplating... they are not threatening, and I couldn't help but feel sympathy for them. They have tried to make something homely out of their existence... immediately evoking memories of Tokyo Godfathers.

Anyway, Miyuki was still ill, but she went to the doctors and they sorted her out with some tablets. Hopefully she'll get better, we've even swapped beds so she can sleep next to the window. Problem is, she shouldn't use the aircon! It appears she had cold in her belly or something, I can sympathise because I remember having the same thing. Terrible cramping and really messes you up. At least she managed to see a doctor, even though it was past 6pm.

Today, however, is another lazy day. It's gorgeous outside, but that inevitably means it's bloody hot. So I'm just reading emails, uploading photos and surfing the web. I'm hoping I can go out this evening, but I'm in no rush. This is a benefit of being here a long time with not a lot of cash (I've only spent £50 since I arrived), I can take things slow... I can afford to walk to places in Kyoto. It's warmer than its been for a few days, so it's also nice to acclimatise.

Anyway, I'm gonna follow this up with a cool video, you should check it out.