"To awaken quite alone in a strange town is one of the pleasantest sensations in the world. You are surrounded by adventure. You have no idea of what is in store for you, but you will, if you are wise and know the art of travel, let yourself go on the stream of the unknown and accept whatever comes in the spirit in which the gods may offer it." Freya Stark

Nijo-jo Castle

Most of the morning was taken up with writing postcards and finding a post office. I had decided that I wasn't going to go on a mad dash around some of Kyoto's 2,000-odd temples (I had seen so many already on this trip, and they were beginning to feel like cathedrals—"See one and you've seen them all!"), but pick something interesting and explore that in detail. Also, it is just so hot and humid here, and walking around for a few hours takes quite an effort. It’s the humidity that gets you! During lunch, in a small family-run restaurant around the corner from the hotel, I checked my map and saw that the Nijo-jo Castle (another one of the "Historic Monuments of Old Kyoto" named as a World Cultural Heritage Site") was within walking distance, so that's where I headed. The castle was built by Ieyasu Tokugawa (his name crops up all over the place!) to defend Kyoto after the capital was transferred to Edo (Tokyo) and to host audiences with the shogun.

The streets around here remind me very much of Germany, in fact the road to the castle looks just like Vahrenwalderstrasse in Hannover without the tramlines in the middle (and a medieval Japanese castle, of course...). The entrance fee was ¥600, but it was a quiet day for visitors—there were only two Japanese tour buses outside and about six classes of schoolchildren, most of whom were gathered at the ornate Kara-mon Gate, posing for pictures.

This castle dates from the early part of the 17th century. It consists of Ninomaru Palace and garden, a guardhouse, the outer and inner moat, and the remains of the donjon (keep). A Japanese castle is quite different from westerners' ideas of castles. For a start it's all only one story high and there are no battlements. Inside the walls the buildings are constructed solely of cypress wood. The rooms are completely bare. Although there is practically no furniture, the layout of the rooms was designed to overwhelm visiting feudal lords with the power and authority of the Tokugawa Military Government. During audiences, the Shogun sat cross-legged on a slightly raised dais, facing the lords who knelt some distance away. Similarly bare were the living and relaxation quarters. For eating, a low table was brought from the kitchens, while I presume futons, stored in closets at the back of the building, were brought out every evening for sleeping. There was no heating in the castle.

I had to remove my shoes before entering the castle. This castle, like some other buildings of the period, has "nightingale floors." These are specially designed floors which squeak (sounding like nightingales) when anyone walks on them. This means that enemies (including stealthy ones like ninja) can't sneak in quietly. There are having clamps on the floorboards and nails holding the clamps in place. When someone walks on the boards, friction between the clamp and the nail causes the squeaking.

On the walls are screen paintings from the 17th century—not all are originals, as some have been moved to museums. The paintings of tigers and leopards are amusing. Because there were no tigers or leopards in Japan in the 17th century, the painters had to imagine what the animals looked like from the trophy skins brought back from China and Korea. There is also damascene work around the walls featuring the three aoi (heart-shaped) hollyhock leaves, which was the Tokugawas' emblem.

Some of the rooms had mannequins set up in court dress, including lords in formal dress. Afterwards I explored the extensive gardens surrounding the castle. The gardens were planted around several small ponds and were designed and built at the same time that the castle was constructed

After the castle I walked into the town centre, then went down to the Kamo river to chill out with a couple of cans. Later I took home a take-away snack to watch the highlights of today's games on TV.

The Beautiful Game

In Group G, Ecuador upset Croatia by winning 1-0, its first win of the tournament, and sending Croatia (semi-finalists in France in 98) out of the tournament.

Also in Group G, Italy narrowly avoided joining France and Argentina on a plane home after being outplayed by Mexico. A last-gasp equalizer from substiture Del Piero saved the Azzuris' blushes and drew 1-1. Knowing that in the other group game last-placed Ecuador were beating Croatia 1-0, both teams simply passed the ball around for the last five minutes. Mexico topped the group with seven points.

In Group C, Brazil blasted five goals past Costa Rica to win 5-2 and top the group. In the same group, Turkey beat China 3-0 which meant they ended up on the same number of points as Costa Rica, but progress due to goal difference.