A route to Kyoto Station through lanes near my first Kyoto hotel

Lovely to get back to the welcoming bows from reception... and the breakfast of Japanese (and European) treats. Almond pudding ... yum!  Definitely a  recipe to find and attempt.

From the train, you see acre upon boring acre of tile-rooved stone houses and apartment blocks - though the laundry-filled verandas with futons hanging by massive plastic hooks provide some interest. You rush past solar panel farms, manicured unidentified vegetable crops and stylish bridges spanning  rivers where fishermen stand mid-stream.  It is surprisingly green but  it all seems crowded and impersonal.  On foot, the narrow lanes of wooden latticed houses - with lovingly tended pots and trees coaxed to fit tiny spaces beside doorways - have a cosy, intimate feeling.  It was wonderful having the confidence to explore. I found an excellent wool-shop but the wool was very fine and the phrase book and google translate didn't help, so I bought neither wool nor buttons.