Yesterday was a pretty huge day for Matt and Luke so we got off to a slightly later start than usual. We had to activate the JR tickets and reserve our seats for Monday’s trip to Kanazawa so it seemed like the right time to head to Kyoto. There were a few things that I hadn’t done and a few more that Luke hadn’t seen so best to start ticking a couple of boxes.

Our first stop after getting off the train was to the Higashi Hongan-ji Temple. It stands out due to its proximity to the station but also because of its size. The 76 metre-long hall is one of the largest wooden structures in the world and the story as to how they moved the huge wooden poles to build it was equally amazing. Originally built in the early 1600’s, it was rebuilt in the 19th century after a fire. There is an example of the rope made out of hemp and human hair that was required to get the logs from the mountains to the complex. It was roughly 70 metres in length and used the hair of the followers as the hemp was too weak. We were lucky as we got to catch the backend of a ceremony and have a relatively uncrowded experience. The temple grounds itself is huge and highlights the difference between the Shrines we have been visiting. 

From here it was onto the Manga Museum a bit further on up the road. Luke in particular was wanting to go here as he had missed out on his previous visits. I had been here on my first visit in 2017 but it was nice to go back. Set in an old school, the first thing that hits you is the amount of people sitting and reading Manga. While I know it has a presence in Australia, it is difficult to comprehend the scope of its popularity here in Japan. There is Manga for all people covering a range of areas and age groups. Just to see people reading is something that we have partially lost in Western culture. Another area that fascinated me when I first walked through the site is the education area of the site. They have school books from the 30’s & 40’s and while not as overtly militarised as school books from Germany from the same period, the military influence is very much present. The idea that the express purpose of the old school and museum both centre around education made the actual premises very apt by maintaining that sense of learning. Another thing that caught my eye was the original manga that the Phantom Agents originated from. I think it was the helmet that caught my eye but when I looked at it further, it became more and more familiar. I later found out that the manga was actually the Shonen Ninja Butai Gekko Kanzenban Vol. 1. Basically the Phantom Agents in their literary form, an important find for someone who was on the cusp of the baby boomer period. There was also a Mighty Atom sighting or two throughout the museum and a Gundam thrown in for good measure.

We headed back to Osaka for some dinner and a little bit of rest. The latter we achieved but being a Saturday night in Osaka, made the former a valiant but futile adventure. All I can say is thank god for Lawson’s and a comfortable apartment to ward of the cold. Tomorrow I might get my wish to conquer Mt Inari fingers crossed.