Hasu Transitoire (The Transient Lotus)

Day made by the simplest of moments... The elderly woman on the corner of Karasuma Oike selling vegetables from a cart - I almost passed her by but had to turn around and grab organic cucumbers, tomatoes, ginger, eggplant. She broke off a chunk of ginger and gave it to me, looking way up to my eyes with a great smile and blessing that "this is gold!" A futuristic incense store called l isn I've visited once before and followed sense memory to find again. It was just as I remembered, like something out of a science fiction movie, but all in the name of incense. Divine! I bought a replica(nt) of a smooth wooden boat incense holder and a new collection. Unlike purses or shoes, incense is one of the few things I have little resistance to purchasing. They sent me out the door with gracious smiles and a "summer present" of citrus scented tissues. Waiting at the bus stop amidst kimono-clad women, perfectly sweatless and impeccably dressed women, map-wielding tourists

Walking through the thoroughfares of Kyoto, some familiar from memory and others dreamscapes come to life, brightens my heart today. I know this is the place I am meant to be. Happiness. The present. You can literally feel history walking through Nishiki market in the heart of Kyoto. "The Kitchen of Kyoto" has been around since the 1300's, changing with the times but still retaining a unique character. Smells, sights, sounds overwhelm with depth and magnetism. I get to live here?!?!