Robin didn't go a bundle on the futons even though I thought they were very comfortable. We ended up piling one on top of the other with a duvet in between as well. The whole of the Ryokan was freezing cold so we put all the rather antiquated heaters on. A Japanese woman arrived to put the futons away and then breakfast arrived at 830 am prompt. The only food we recognised was a slice of orange. Everything else was indescribable, although I was thankful to see that there was no raw fish or raw egg. Robin managed to eat all of it though. We both consumed about a gallon of green tea to wash down a wide variety of unidentifiable and inedible objects like pickled cherries and seaweed. The pickled cherries made your mouth shrivel up. We went out to look at the japanese garden and stood in the sun which was much warmer than inside. We found the plumbing, heating and wiring all rather worrying. Trying to work out how to turn the lights on proved to be a bit of a mystery all round. The heated toilet seat was worthy of note as was the rather explicit diagrams on the side of the toilet indicating how it all worked!

We decided to go and find a cafe before sightseeing and were very happy to discover a Starbucks down the road - 'real' food including chocolate chip cookies and coffee! First temple stop - Yasaka Shrine where we were lucky enough to see a Japanese wedding in full swing. I also managed to coax a group of Japanese children into posing for a photo. Weather absolutely beautiful - sunny and warm. Wandered all through the Maruyama Park where there were amazing flower displays and modern sculptures. All the paths were lined by lanterns ready for the start of a festival. We sat by a large pond decorated with bamboo and watched a heron and a turtle basking on a rock in the sun. Saw a second Japanese wedding but this time in westernised dress.

Walked back into the city along one of the main shopping streets which went on for miles of immaculate shops with beautiful window displays. Popped into the Kyoto Museum of Contemporary Art which was beautifully presented but little to look at. There was a blossom tree growing into the open air on the fifth floor. Went for lunch at McDonalds but just a bacon and cheese meal this time with no teriyaki. More endless shops from there but this time in long arcades forever with thousands of people everywhere enjoying the sun on a Saturday afternoon. Sat in another branch of Starbucks to top up energy levels. Third cup of decaff in a week - now so used to the routine that it didn't matter when the girl at the counter explained it all in Japanese. I knew she was saying that my coffee would take five minutes and that she would come and find me!

We walked back to the hotel stopping off at a shop to buy some emergency provisions just in case the evening meal proved to be challenging. Once back at the Ryokan, we decided to sample the Japanese wooden bath which was only around four feet by two feet. Dinner proved to be a pleasant surprise as we had beef sukiyaki cooked at our table in our room by the Japanese owners in traditional dress. It was very nice food, even the tofu was OK. We passed on the pickles and soup though.

After dinner we ventured out to try and find the lantern festival taking place in the old town. Unfortunately to no avail - we think we were probably too late. We did see a proper geisha whilst walking through the streets of Kyoto. Also met a very friendly Japanese family, who insisted on taking our photo; I think his hands were as cold as mine judging by the camera shake.