Kansai Overview.

( Day-by-day descriptions cut for length. )

Overall, the trip to Kansai was really wonderful. We saw many fantastic sights, met several charming people, and ate well of the regional (and seasonal) foods. The cherry blossoms weren't blooming yet, but the plums were still out, and when there's cherry blossom ice cream to be had the blossoms themselves become kind of superfluous for me. ;>

I did note, however, that there were several instances of really unpleasant exchanges - which I cannot but attribute to racism. I was rather shocked by them, as I can think of only one instance where such a thing happened in Kanto and I've spent way more time there than I have in Kansai. In terms of politeness/kindness, many visitors compare folks in Kansai in an overly favorable light to those in Kanto, but I just don't see it myself. (Although, for anyone out there about to have a knee-jerk reaction to what I just said: I recognize that the people I encountered do not represent the sum total of people in the region. But the tendency of discrimination there seemed much more pronounced to me than in other areas of the country I've visited.) I keep trying to like Kyoto and its environs wholeheartedly, but every time I go there I seem to have a real mixed-bag type of experience. I really hope I can figure out a way to station myself in Tokyo for my dissertation work...