TryonTheWorld: July 2023

艾薇兒 Mina saiko, arigatou

Lets clear the air. I am not a weeb. I am not into some weird Japanophillia. You won't catch me shoving Hello Kitty shit in your face. I am a serious person who came here purely for the cultural immersion of Japan's Golden Week and sight seeing.

All of that is a lie.

Ima Hello Kitty QWUEEEEEEEEEEN!

My 7 year old niece was having Japan Week at school, meaning I was finally able to be the cool guncle who was in Japan sending her pics of all the things she was talking about.... take that John Kittle.

How I looked this whole trip.....

Seriously, everything felt properly photogenic.

I'm a train girl, look at me being all mysterious....hey fun fact, some train cars in Japan are women only.....you know whats silly? If you get on at some stations, those lines don't add up to those at other stops and eventually you're the only man in a car full of ladies. 😬

FUCK ME UP!!!!!💓

And it doesn't end there! Kyoto has a billion shrines and temples to see....this post is 90% pic dump.

Shosei-en Garden

*adds to tinder profile, updates bio* "I'm worldly"

Me asking random people to take pics for me and forcing feedback while I look for other places to pose

i was fortunate enough to not miss both the 800th celebration of Jodo Shinshu and the 850th celebration of the birth of Shinran Shonin! (like duh, why would i)

There is an incredible feeling of power and transition - what felt like an endless line of people take a symbolic journey around the temple. You can't take photos inside, and of course out of respect, I kept pics as a whole at a minimum.

Higashi Hongan-ji Temple

Kyoto Gyoen National Garden

See that? PUT. A. BIRD. ON. IT

the 30 yr old gay smile

Obsessed with the stories carved in everywhere

door porn

Shōkoku-ji Temple

was a little weird this temple was almost completely empty.

堀川遊歩道 Park under Takeyamachi Bridge

Just random stuff around Kyoto.

So. Art.

The incredible basic bitch drive to take photos at Fushimi Inari was the sole influence behind this trip. For YEARSSSSSSS I envied people posting on IG with these orange pillars looking all coool, unbothered, wordly, trendy and hip. Yeah, fuck sake. It was MY time to shrine.

(hehe)

Fushimi Inari Taisha

Nah yeah, it was fucking awesome. When you start off at the entry it's so terribly packed with tourists holding their phones up that its hard to believe this is the same place... you really just get pics of people and their phones...the trick to this is to keep walking....and walking....

and walking...

and walking.

eventually you're half way up a mountain and you're met with large spans of empty pathways free of other influence hungry photographers (like me)....this...this is your moment.

Take selfies, make tiktoks, stop and read a book. Hell, anything.

I went to a lot of great restaurants and bars...my fave was this gay bar called Apple. Due to how packed in things are, it was a bitch and a half to find....but its small, intimate, lovely, and fantastic. The owner is incredibly kind and helpful, 10/10 would recommended. In a silly way, it was a bit of a bummer to be there and the other patrons be from America ---hey, it was something.

THE FOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOD