good day :)

Hello. It's inky here. I'm 19 and I'm milky's sort-of-kouhai. I've been living in Kyoto for bang on one month. Like milky, I've been adapting to a lot of things.

For me, too, a big one has been transport. Wellington is a hilly town, and although one sees a lot more cyclists there than in New Zealand's other major towns, they all seem to have a degree of hardcoreness about them (not a bad thing). Here in Kyoto, ordinary people ride bikes anywhere to which it's too far to walk but too annoying to take the train or bus. Kids and grandmas inclusive! Even babies get to ride, in little seats attached to the fore or aft of the pedaller. The bikes generally have one gear - if you come across a hill, stand up off the seat and feign not-botheredness with a cool expression. 頑張って！I've come across tonnes of bikes branded "Carrot", by the way.

At first just looking at my new bike freaked me out; my last time on one of these contraptions had been about 10 years prior (!?!?!). However the English expression "it's like riding a bike" proved true, and now I navigate the streets (footpaths mostly) with relative ease. It takes about 40 minutes to get into town, for which I save 200~300 yen in trains and gain some fun and exercise, perfect for balancing out the many delicious breads that have caught my eye since moving here.

I hope we can provide some little glimpses into our lives for you. I'll cover the aforementioned bread situation soon.

☆

Back in the Old Town

So.... After a year-long holiday I have managed to stumble back to my home town, Wellington.

.... And my friend inky here, she's just up and gone to Japan for some time, where I just came from. Except she is living in a lovely old towned named Kyoto. I lived in Tokyo.

Wellington is a different city from Tokyo. Obviously.

I have returned to find myself struggling with this faintly familiar concept of knowing the location of every shop and business in the town, and an inability to lose my way. Getting hopelessly lost was one of my talents in Japan. My other talent was shopping. I can't get lost, and this town lacks shops. I need to develop some new skills.

Wellington also differs in its public transport system. Tokyo's public transport is great. Wellington's.... well... you can try it for yourself and see.

Anyway...

I will be writing this blog with inky. Hopefully I can keep it filled with updates on life here.

Snapshot: Wellington/Magnolias in the Botanical Gardens