The spirit of old Kyoto...

Konnichiwa. Eigo ga dekimasu ka? 
The Land of the Rising Sun...but before I deliberate, let me pay homage to the distinctly proud and resilient Japanese people who have suffered so much of recent times. I take my hat off to you.
Kyoto is polite, it is dignified, it is beautiful and...it lurks behind secretive screens.  My goodness what a place!! From the Philosophers Walk to the sublime temples of the eastern hills of Higashiyama, I am totally captivated by this city.  With traditional wooden houses, the click-clack of gita and the frequent flourish of brightly coloured silk, Kyoto is culture personified. But it is not out in the open. The first glimpse of Kyoto can be somewhat disappointing, but take a look around and it is all here, albeit relatively exclusive. Outsiders like me, can only peek through the cracks of the not so long gone centuries, but you can get a glimpse of the city's secretive soul if you look. Replete with fascinating temples and Zen gardens to the absolute, one really must exercise the muscles yet again and...walk.  It is worth taking the time to search behind the new department stores and shopping arcades and just take it all in. Take it all in, as I have,  with a side of complete extravagance at a delightful tea house in the Eastern Hills, particularly at one that serves the wonderfully balanced sake that is Urakasumi, from the Miyagi prefecture.  One can not say that it is the best, but it is certainly a sake that I can recommend.