There’s been a lot of talk about Kyoto this week, which is kind of confusing. I’m actually going to the city of Kyoto next week. So it’s annoying that people are going around using Kyoto as some kind of shorthand for the cure to global warming. I’m sure it’s an honor and all to name such an important agreement after an historic Japanese city. But that city still exists. So please, at least call it the Kyoto Protocol, Kyoto Treaty, or Kyoto Accord. Or at least something other than just plain Kyoto. Thank you.
In Japanese they always refer to it as 「京都è°å®šæ›¸ã€which means “Kyoto agreement” or the like (you can probably tell, “document that was decided at a meeting”). Otherwise would sound really, really weird, since yeah, it’s a city right there that everyone knows.
I must admit hearing some of the American radio that likes to yammer on about “Kyoto is now in force,” sorta amuses me, thinking literally. As if the place comes and goes like Brigadoon… maybe it only exists when I’m there on vacation!
Will you have time to tour around the city any? If you do, I find the 清水寺 (Kiyomizu dera) a nice temple to visit ‘cuz it’s on a hill and has a nice view. On the path down from there is a shrine to luuuuv, there are all kinds of crazy love charms and amulets and crud for sale, always packed with schoolgirls!
(http://livejournal.com/users/akibare)
I’m there Feb 20-25. Feb 20 is travelling, Feb 21 is meetings, Feb 23 I’m going to take the Shinkansen to Nagoya to see a Dreams Come True concert, Feb 24 is meetings, and Feb 25 is LONGEST TRAVEL DAY EVER. So I might just have time on Feb 22 to go see the schoolgirls… err, I mean the water temple.
(http://livejournal.com/users/jlick)