Once when I was in Switzerland, I had the occasion to be taken by good friends to a restaurant carved into the side of a mountain. I didn’t know the name of the place but I was awestruck when we approached it. I had a picture of it. I had that picture for at least a decade and had always wanted to see it.

It’s called Wildkirschli and it was beautiful.

So it turns out I had almost exactly the same experience in Japan. We are in Kyoto and right across the river from where we are staying is the Bamboo Forrest. Yes that Bamboo Forrest, pictures of which have lived on the Internet since it’s inception. Pictures I have seen and always wished I could go to the place. And that place was right across the river, perhaps a hour’s walk. Further more because of the virus, there would be fewer people there. We took the walk.