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half tatamis, with a square hole sunk in the middle of the floor for the charcoal to heat the water for tea.  We saw Heian temple, with its beautiful garden, where every stone and tree has a name of its own, and where one crosses the pools on curious round stepping stones.  Then we went to the Chionin Temple, which is surrounded by a wide wodden verandah, every board of which squeaks.  "If you walk quietly," our Buddhist guide told us, "you will hear the nightingales singing underneath."  And as a matter of fact, the chirping of the boards was not [[strikethrough]] unlike a [[/strikethrough]] un-bird-like.

That evening the mayor of Kyoto gave a dinner for us at Okinatei (The Old Men).  He himself was not present, but his secretary was, also the Minister of Education, A representative of the Tourist Bureau, and Mr. Nagato.  We had sukiyaki, and saki, and geisha, and a very pleasant and dignified evening. 

February 9.  Kyoto.

Went for a walk, and did some more shopping in  Shinmozen.  Went into Nomura's silk store, more to see his famous old brocades and beautiful screens than to buy but picked up a pair of brocade sandals and a few furoshiki, and Bill bought two Fuji silk shirts.

After lunch we hired a car, and drove to Nara, about thirty miles through lovely country, and little villages where the road wound between tiny houses and shops that were so close together you could almost touch them on both sides. 
 
 Nara itself needs a week or more, instead of a couple of hours.  We had a clear, sunny afternoon, and the feeling of peace and quiet that pervades the old, old, forests was simply indescribable.  We did not see the Todaiiji Temple, where the big Daibutsu sits, bigger even than Kamakura but less impressive becuase it is indoors and surrounded with a little too much in the way of gilt lotus plants and dangling decorations. 

Then we went in search of the tame deer, and found in a park leading to a shrine were there are literally thousands of stone lanterns. What an effect there must be when the lanterns are all lighted, as they are once or twice a year! The deer were embarrassingly tame, almost knocking one down in there eagerness to eat the little rice cakes that we brought to give. They would stand up and put their front legs on your chest, push their noses into your pocket, or give your belt a firm tug with their teeth. Very pretty, and in an entrancing setting. 

In the evening, back at the Miyako Hotel, Dr. Kawamura came to call. We had been hoping to see him ever since we had been in Japan, and enjoyed having a brief visit with him. 

February 10. Kyoto. 

Accompanied by Dr. Kawamura and his assistant, Mr. Hazama, we caught an early morning train for Osaka, a forty-minutes ride from Kyoto. 

With Bill's usual luck, the first thing we saw when we came