Kyoto culinary, history and monkeys.

Now it's time for some touristy stuff, and what better place to do that than in Kyoto. Over the last few days we did a cooking class and self managed cycling tour as well as a bit of shopping to round off our action holiday. A lot of our travel was by bus.

Look and learn.

Now it is your turn.

I am having fun, learning and doing should never be dull !

The carpentry and artistry ins not hard to appreciate in the older parts of Kyoto.

Egg, prepared in thin layers and rolled up using chopsticks in a special frying pan.

It is our turn to cook. We will probably forget all that we have learned. The cooking classes we have done were a fun experience and well worth it for us.

It is all about presentation, preparation of prawns is much more detailed than simply tossing them in a tub of boiling water. We peeled the shells, moved the vein running along the spine and lined them carefully on a tray ready for cooking.

There is a few dags here and there, and I suppose I should have used some vernier calipers to align the food and bowls in the tray. I'm happy with my newfound skills though.

We are early for the cherry blossoms, but here and there are some early blooms. No wonder the flower season is popular for tourism. Plants love water, so our days had a good proportion of rain.

Cherry blossoms on the city streets of Kyoto

The best knives in the world ? It is a subjective question. I did buy a utility knife at the Kyoto markets. Engraved with my name (anyone's guess if it is truly my name though). I can attest that it is scarily sharp. Sort of regret not buying a few more.

Every store holder takes great pride in presentation. No touch policy applies, purchased goods are handed to you. The Kyoto market gets quite crowded, so it's important to get there early.

We love our orange arches.

I wonder where the golden palace is ? Very twee, but this Japan after all.

Probably impractical as day to day garb, but there is no denying it, the traditional dress for the ladies is exquisite.

The bamboo forest is a pleasant cycling destination. The bamboo is tall and surprising well spaced apart, unlike the bamboo thatch growth I am used to.