I am just about to finish my second day in Japan, still a bit jet-lagged and well fed from today’s welcoming reception at the University of Kyoto.

Yesterday we arrive at Osaka airport and made our way straight to Nara, where we checked in to Chiaki’s very nice guest house. After a little introduction to the house and the city, she offered us three bikes and we made quite a tour throw the Nara park, visited the Great Buddha Hall and some smaller temples and had some Japanese food at a food festival.

Today we started the day with a beautiful breakfast prepared by Chiaki and including everything from sausages, over egg, to soup, bread, jam and even a desert … hmm! The weather was slightly less optimal (rain all day), but we still made a little bike tour to see a few gardens and a bit more of the town. In the afternoon we took the train to Kyoto and moved into yet another traditional (though this time quite luxurious) Japanese house (we even had Champagne in the fridge).

After a long introduction to the house and all the features (yes, also here the toilet is capable of many things), we went for the reception.