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Here is the laundry-list style recap since I am a bad blogger:

Monday: Went to nearby Nara, an ancient capital. Walked all around Nara-koen, saw a really big wooden building (Grand Buddha hall) among other nice things. Came back, explored downtown Kyoto.

My food staples here: Yoshinoya beef bowl at least once daily, Cafe du Monde beignets and coffee in Kyoto station, Frosties (I have become a major coupon user in Japan), and CC Lemon (if you are going to drink sugar water, why not pump it full of Vitamin C? Good idea, Suntory Beverages).

Tuesday: Osaka. Surprise old buildings and rose garden on a little river island, massive (and expensive) acquarium including also-massive whale shark, spider crabs, etc). Insane nightlife/shopping scene (beware, Hong Kong), not as impressive electronics scene. Lonely Planet snarked about the fashion victims in America-mura… but it was an understatement. Wow.

Wedneday: Lots of walking. From the Gold Pavilion to the Silver (seeing things between) to the Imperial palace area back to Silver down the Philosophy Path and through some Zen temples back to the Gion old nightlife area and then downtown. I walked more or less 10 hours with few interruptions.

Today: time to wander around relaxedly until my night bus leaves for Tokyo at 2240. Last night was my last in a (nice, soft) bed in Japan. Tomorrow, maybe a little Asakusa in Tokyo before flying back to Shanghai in the afternoon.

Met a very animated Japanese prof. of linguistics (ed. at Teach. Coll. in NYC)… he had me proof a page of the revised ed. of his idiomatic Japanese-English dictionary.

Time is up… to wandering.