Oh my god, I just had a great night! However, let me pick up where I left off.

Day 8 wasn't such a lazy day. I ended up trying to get to some lakes in the north of the city. I headed out along Kitaoji-dori and then up the river and turned off where I expected I'd find a path up into the forested hills and to a lake within them. However, I reached a shrine and decided I would go no further. I was on my own and I don't want to annoy the locals, so I decided to keep following the contour, along the rabbit warren streets that comprise suburban Kyoto. I ended up at another lake, but it was nothing to write home about. Some kind of national nature preserve for the diversity of species there, but to look at it could just be marshland. That's what's special about it I guess.

Day 9 was quiet, Miyuki was still ill, so I was trying to look after her. On Day 10, however, I went to have an Italian meal with Miyuki's friend. Unlike with her other friend, this one was more shy and less adventurous. It's very difficult to break the ice in a language you can barely speak, and indeed I just didn't manage to do it that night. The risotto was okay, expensive, but okay... and on the way home I saw the result of a two scooter crash... attended by 4 policemen! No one was hurt, nor were the scooters all that damaged, but 4 policemen came and waved their Top Gun style rods around (no, not a euphemism, you sick gits).

Day 10 was much better. I met Ryoko in the evening and we immediately went to the International Community Centre to conduct some business! Well, I say immediately, but things got dicey when I realised that there was no Miyako Hospital to find, and certainly not near Higashiyama Station. Luckily for me, Ryoko realised her mistake and found me... turns out you she meant hotel. But still, things went well and we sat down to get some work done: proof-reading a website for her old workplace (in English of course) where they transform people into maiko (apprentice geisha) through costume and make-up. Then I recorded some business phrases so their staff could learn some basic instructions and responses when interacting with English speaking customers.

Next we decided to head to the temple where Oda Nobunaga was assassinated, near Ponto-cho. However, it was closed, so we strolled all the way over to Kiyomizu Temple, which is quite a climb (in this heat). That too was closed, but I managed to get a mediocre picture out of it. We rescued the evening with dinner and some drinks. We walked around the old hanamachi of Ponto-cho looking for a place to eat, passing a maiko as we went through Gion towards the Kamogawa. I must tell you, it is probably the most seedy place I've been to in a long time: pink salons galore. We even saw the working girls rushing in after a break. We ended up in a really nice, modern yakiniku restaurant. Yakiniku is basically a do-it-yourself barbeque held at your table. I had chicken, diced ribs, sausages, and after much debating I bit the bullet and ordered 'assorted beef innards', no shit! They were very assorted, I have a picture and I'll upload it sometime, I guess. However, as disgusting as it could have been, it was actually quite nice, but there were bits that were particularly chewy.

After that we went to the Pig and Whistle, a British-style pub in Higashiyama. Nice place, the staff speak English and lots of foreigners there (watching the U-21 World Cup... or something). Plus they have Guinness on tap... 'nuff said! We ended the evening with hopes to meet up again. I have to admit, it was the nicest time I'd had so far.

Yesterday was quite nice too. I didn't wake up until late, and in the evening we had a cockroach encounter in the sink. Miyuki and I are pretty useless with insects (like Kane and I with 'Mothra'), so I said we should go out and get traps. After visiting the Co-op, I then decided we should go into town (the same area Ryoko and I visited) just to get a drink. We walked to Yasaka Shrine (because Miyuki is supposedly cursed this year), and then through Gion and into Ponto-cho. It was her first time to see it at night, and the difference is immense. We ended up at the Pig and Whistle, where I discovered that a pint (the only pint I've had in this country) of Guinness costs nearly £4!!!! It was worth it though... oh and sorry Ryoko! I didn't realise it cost THAT much!

After drinking up, we went to an yakitoriya where I had some sake and some chicken and leek yakitori (barbequed chicken in a sauce on a skewer). It was a small, traditional local place, but supposedly a lot of foreigners had been there before. After that, it was just a matter of getting back home and hopefully missing the cockroach. However, I stopped off at the arcade and flexed my Guitar Freak 2 muscles. I tried Miserlou, but I was shit. At one point I was doing really well, but blew it at the last moment. Beginners is too easy, standard kicks my ass. Oh, and I'm still crap at Time Crisis 4. Anyway, no cockroach when we got in, so we set the traps and tried to forget about it.

Oh, and before the original cockroach incident, I actually finished watching season 1 of Enterprise. I was once a Trekkie, I even went to convention. A lot of people hate Enterprise... but I have to admit, I really like it. My favourite Star Trek episodes came from Deep Space 9's Dominion war arc, and Enterprise retains some of the darkness. I admit: in some places it is patronisingly 2D, but the makings were there for greatness. I hope I can get hold of season 2 and watch that when I get home.

So, now we are on today, Day 12. I woke up late, it was so warm I barely moved for most of the day. However, soon Miyuki's friend arrived and we went off to see Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra at KBS, a small concert hall by the Imperial Palace. We took a taxi there and were quickly allowed in, but we still had some 45 minutes to kill. Most of the people there sat on the floor as it filled up. There were some 1000 there in total, and I was the only non-Asian person there. The concert was great. I am so happy I got to see them live! I really fell in love with them in Spring 2005, and I found out they were at Glastonbury way too late (they were in one of the tents on the first day). The tickets were a surprise for me, but since I arrived in Japan, I've been pretty excited about going to see my musical heroes (up there with the Doors, Queen, etc.).

It was also the first time I had properly danced in at least 10 years. I didn't have the shoes nor rhythm for it at first, but soon I found my Madness steps coming into being... and I either looked really taken with the music, or like a complete idiot... probably even both. What was strange about the evening was that it was a sweaty affair, but it was quite cool in the hall, however, once we stepped out into the night air it was positively suffocating. We got out and stumbled over to some vending machines and got some drinks, stopping a shrine to sit down. We almost got locked in, but soon we found ourselves queuing up for a seat at a Skylark restaurant called Gasuto (Gusto?). I recharged with a pizza, some beer, and a glass of water and then went on alone to start the second part of my evening.

Ryoko and I had plans to meet up at a club where Tokyo Ska Para would be at between 11 and midnight. I walked past this place at least twice. The first time, I expected it to be along a different road, so I kept going and reached the end of the block, and so followed around to the right and then much further down I headed back on myself. I stopped a guy on a bike and asked for help in Japanese. However, he spoke decent English and gave me a pretty good clue of where the place was. So off I went, back the way I had come. I found the 99 Yen shop that the guy had told me about and had a look around... no sign. I continued on. I went halfway along the road and then stopped and asked another guy, in Japanese, for help. This time he didn't know where, but he tried and tried in English too, so I thanked him and headed back up towards the 99 Yen shop.

Next to the store was a multistorey building with several places (a cafe on one floor, bar on another, etc.) but no sign of Metro. So I went in the shop and got a drink and sat down, waiting for a glimpse of Ryoko to clue me in on where it was. It was still early, so even when I'd finished my drink, I still had plenty of time. I checked out the multistorey building and sure enough, there was a sign with Metro on it inside: a no-entry sign. I couldn't read why it was no entry, so I just assumed it was already full or the doors had closed. So I went back out and sat down again on the wall. It got to 11 and Ryoko wasn't there, so I decided to check out how much it'd cost me for the subway ticket home (the station was right next to the shop). I went down the station stairs and boom... Club Metro. I paid my 2000 Yen to get in (less that 10 quid) and then got a drink and waited. Ryoko turned up about 45 minutes later, and just as I'd introduced myself to her friend, we saw Masahiko Kitahara, trombone player of Tokyo Ska Para. The band wasn't playing, they were simply visiting (one of them was DJing though).

Masahiko and I looked at each other and he recognised me and pointed to me. I went up and shook his hand, telling him how much fun the concert was. He told me (in English) that he had seen me from the stage, and I was a bit gobsmacked. I went to get my camera after this, so that we could get a picture, but he was chatting up girls at this point, so we went to get some drinks. I managed to get a picture and had a slightly longer chat with him. I told him that I wanted them to come to London, and that I had missed the Glastonbury showing. He assumed I was from London and asked about a jazz cafe, but I then explained that I'd actually come from Wales (after explaining what part of the UK it was). He just said "that's far, isn't it". I just couldn't believe he recognised me and talked to me. Ryoko took our picture, but I look really drunk... I assure you, I wasn't even half-drunk... Oh well.

I also managed to see some of the other members, shaking most of their hands before dancing. Chatted with some of the locals on the dancefloor (not flirting, just stupid dancing with other guys). But it got to 1.30 pm and my dogs were barking. After Ryoko misunderstood something I said about her friend, and we ended up walking to the back of the club, I excused myself and headed off. Getting back wasn't too easy though, I must have walked 3 blocks before an empty taxi came by. This was my second taxi ride alone (the first was Day 10), and I've done pretty good to convey my destination and to get the driver to keep the tip.

Anyway, I'm back here and I'm pretty excited still... even though it's some 2 hours since I left the club. Turns out Cocky the Cockroach reappeared tonight, or one of his brothers... But I still haven't seen it with my own eyes.

Before I turn in I just want to commend the Japanese people on their use of English with me. Even though I don't ask for it, some try very hard and it is really appreciated. Today the taxi driver said some things in English, the people who helped me with the directions, Masahiko's English, the guy in the Pig and Whistle yesterday who said thank you when I opened the door for him, the guy on the bus who conveyed that he wasn't getting off just yet, and the fruit salesman who conducted the entire transaction in English, but I don't think he could actually speak it. Just wow... Thank you Japan.