The reviews were not very engaging, but we still took the chance and went to the Manga museum. It’s a very nice museum, actually, for all ages. It’s quite big, with different rooms, exhibitions, activities and thousands of manga books – in Japanese but also in other languages.

There were schools visiting that day, it was very lively. Also the museum is located in an old elementary school, that’s nice in itself – it makes a special atmosphere. While there, we attended a traditional street show, Kamishibai, the ancestor of TV as the comedian presented it. We all got small presents for our good answers. The kids drew manga at a computer station. All in all a nice experience for the family.

We had lunch at a nearby McDonald’s – I know it sounds strange, but it was a promise made to Hugo a few weeks’ back.

Sarah went with the Harper girls to the Kyoto Handicraft Center where they learnt to paint Japanese fans.

With the boys, we went to the Nanzen-ji temple, on the east side of town. It was a very relaxing time, in a beautiful and peaceful place, in the shadow of both the forest and the mountains – the word ‘Zen’ fits perfectly to describe the place. The walk from and back the bus stop was also nice, through rich or less rich neighborhoods, but all very Japanese in their own way.

We finally met everyone at diner, at a typical sushi restaurant with a conveyor belt and a Shinkansen train for special orders.