I'm crashing in Otsu tonight, mostly because I don't have the energy to trek across Kyoto looking for someplace decent (and not outrageously expensive) to sleep.
On my way here from Shigaraki, I ran into an old guy on the train who happened to speak far better English than I speak Japanese, so we talked a bit about the area. Apparently Otsu is really popular with foreigners—specifically those from Michigan, since Lansing is one of Otsu's sister cities. The wiki article for Otsu notes that the famous Japanese poet Basho once described that Otsu merely smells like fish. I can't help but think the same is true for Lansing.
On an unrelated note, I had dinner at a hotel restaraunt (I'm sortof out in BFE) and ordered "Bagel Hot Sand" and received a pita pocket stuff with chicken and bacon. I sat and ate for 15 minutes and watched a non-stop stream of high-schoolers stream in through the front door and up to the 3rd floor convention room for some sort of dance thing.
Lansing does not smell like fish. In fact, no distinctive smells to report.
O rly?