lost again on the backroads of kyoto

practically all the backroads look like this >_<

they are not marked by road names, and the homes hardly ever have house numbers on them. furthermore, the roads are not "gridded" like new york city's ~ read: good luck if you get lost. 

when i made to back to katsura station from campus by subway and the hankyu, i was sure that everything would be okay and felt proud for being able to navigate the subway systems without screwing up.  well, i definitely "thought" too soon. long story short, i got horribly lost on the 5-10 minute walk home. i asked for directions, and the two women by the side of the road had no idea either. i took out the map with the marked route home that akp provided each of us and showed it to them. it was confusing, and even they couldn't comprehend it--- so one of them actually took me around to try and find my house. after getting even more lost, she stopped at a little shop and asked for directions. 

the shopkeeper took out what appeared to be a directory ~ but not only was this book like an address book, it showed plots of land with the owner's name and address on it. lucky me, nakamura is a very popular name... there were a ton of people by that name on my road alone. we eventually found my host family on the map, and the very nice lady actually walked me home. when we got to my house, she realized that she knew my family and has had some connection to my host sister mari. i couldn't understand what she was saying, so i still don't know how she knows my family. maybe she said she was a teacher? i don't know >_<

oh well. thanks to kawamura-san, i finally made it home! :)