I found a nifty cookbook at a bookstore in northern Kyoto that even I might be able to use. It's all recipes sized for one or two people--and there are tons of pictures detailing every step of every recipe. The only catch? It's all in Japanese. But after spending half an hour decoding the ingredients list with my trusty kanji dictionary, and a little searching in the supa, I succeeded in making some good udon with pork--more by following the pictures than the directions.

I finally got to Ginkakuji, a beautiful temple complex in northeastern Kyoto. Nick, his visiting friend Emily, and I took the road less traveled (ok, well, more like frequently traveled) Philosopher's Path the Sunday before last. It was beautiful, though I think not as visually stunning as the pictures I've seen of the similarly named Kinkakuji. A soft rain started to fall when we got there, but we didn't think much of it as we explored the temple grounds. When we left though, that soft rain turned into what the Japanese call zaa zaa, a downpour. Within minutes my clothes--and shoes--were soaked. We eventually gave up on the bus and hailed a taxi. Naturally, by the time we got out of Kyoto the rain stopped. Kyoto and Nara weather can sometimes be as different as San Francisco and San Jose.