August 2008: Kyoto, Japan.

12 years ago when in Kyoto, I stayed in a tiny guesthouse called Toji-an in one of those old houses in the alley of Kyoto.
The pleasant surprise I found out while staying there was that it was almost next to a strip joint (DX Toji). What's more, Toji-an gave out discount coupons to the shows.
About 5 years ago, when I was back in Kyoto, I was able to seek out Toji-an, with no map, and nothing else except my memory.
No such luck this time. Arriving close to midnight, Toji-an was nowhere in sight. I have to settle for a business hotel for the night.

It was a freaking hot day in Kyoto, and so I opted for the air-conditioned comfort of the Kyoto International Manga Museum. Except for racks and racks of manga stored in its
basement, all other books (and there were many) can be picked of their shelf and read by visitors. Visitors can even bring the books out to the grass field within the museum compound and
read them under the sun. The fact that nothing except a flimsy fence seperate the field from the streets says a lot of how civic-minded the Japanese. I can easily name a few countries where
such a policy will soon result in lost books.