Kyoto is such an amazing place. I had an amazing day. Life changing, really.

After a few false starts, I figured out how to get to Mount Kurama. There is a temple and a trail I hiked that wandered through the mountains. As soon as I got to the temple I could just feel that it was a sacred place. Felt a bit familiar, too. I hiked the entire trail taking my time to stop at most of the shrines and buildings set up along the way. It was a bit surreal – magical, really. Once I’d hiked the trail I turned back around and hiked back to the town where I started. It took much less time on the way back.

Once I got back to town I went to an onsen in Kurama. That, too, was a great experience. It was basically a hot spring pool that you can sit in. The view of the mountains was amazing and it felt wonderful after being on my feet for so many hours hiking all around the mountain. The other thing about the onsen is that you’re completely nude while there. I got a towel that wasn’t really a towel – it didn’t cover anything, but it wasn’t supposed to, either. I felt a lot more comfortable being naked there than I thought I would. I think since there was nothing sexual about it. It’s not like being at the gym or a gay sauna where there’s a very real chance of rejection. This place wasn’t about sex or hooking up in any way so there was no fear of rejection. That said, there were about 10 different guys there in the 2 hours or so I spent soaking that I totally would have fooled around with. I tried not to stare, but it was hard not to look a little. Hot men always makes my gaydd kick in. And a few of these guys were really hot – and very naked. Anyway, all in all the day was amazing. I’m exhausted now and certain to sleep well tonight. I’m planning on getting up in the morning and maybe biking around Kyoto. I was thinking about taking a train to Nara, but I’d really like to research some things to do there first and have a plan. I’m not sure I’m up for making a plan at this point since I really just want to sleep.

I almost forgot – after the onsen I found a restaurant in the Geisha district and had a nice meal for dinner. I haven’t spent that much on a meal in a really long time. It was really delicious and well worth it, though. I’m totally glad I made that decision.

There is one other notable thing that happened today. I walked by this mercedes thinking about how I don’t see numbers everywhere here like I did in Thailand. When I looked at the license plate it was 14-8 and as soon as I saw the number it started spinning and flew away (in my mind’s eye, that is). It was incredibly beautiful to see it spin. I’ve never seen anything like that before. It reminded me a lot of being manic and throwing bottles in the air and catching them so I could watch them spin. And also the day I tried to draw the wind. It reminded me of that, too.

Gratitude List:
Coming home
Being able to be naked around people without extreme judgment of myself on my part
A yummy meal – if not a bit expensive