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ultimateaclrecovery · 11 months ago

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Japan day 3

We out to Arashiyama on the west side of kyoto where we saw the bamboo grove, the temple gardens at Tenryu-ji, which were my favorite gardens. They were so pretty and so tranquil (we were there really early)

After we hiked out to the monkey park where there where so so many monkeys

We then took a bus to the saihoji temple or the moss temple. We got there before our reservation time so did a quick hike into another bamboo forest (and some city views after a very steep climb) and also saw this pretty bridge.

When we went in we started by copying sutras in the temple and then got to explore the beautiful gardens

We grab lunch and then head over to the golden temple

After the golden temple we get dinner at a place that does kyoto home cooking.

All the food of the day

Lunch was my favorite of pork cutlets rice and sauce but so so so good.

Dinner we got a sampler platter sake and purple French fries! The beer came in this hilarious glass.

And then for dessert we got taiyakis which are fish shaped custards and I was very excited.

Overly long travel diary

Anthony paid 500 each for temple garden

I paid 1000 Anthony 200 for monkey park

Bamboo forest. Supposedly over hyped but still very cool. Fun how it got dark in the forest.

Ryaku Temple gardens, lots of pretty leaves and a pond with koi fish

We are there so early that we see a lot of people working hard to maintain the gardens. It’s pretty empty of most people and very serene

We pause for breakfast in a little playground with a picnic bench. After I finish eating I go down the concrete slide. It’s funish but I tell anthony it was the most fun.

Hike up to the monkey park. There were so so many monkeys just hanging about. I loved seeing all of the babies and the younger ones playing. They would knock each other out of trees and chase each other around and hang off the fence ropes. You could feed them through an inside grate but we decided not to do this. Because it was up high we also got a great view of the city and surrounding mountains.

Then we head off by bus to the moss gardens. We were early so we headed off to a little hike where we saw more bamboo forest and went up straight vertical stairs and tree root stairs to more fun views. It was nice to basically have it all to ourselves and it was pretty. The leaves are just starting to change and some of them are such vibrant reds.

Then we went into the moss temple. You start by coping sutra at little tables. They give the calligraphy pen and a paper to trace and instructions that also give you the translation. I really enjoy it although my foot falls asleep. Then we walk around the gardens. They tell you not talk and it’s very tranquil. The ground is full of moss and there’s a pond in the center and a scattering of trees. There’s also adorable little bridges going across the pond to an island in the center. We take lots of pictures and enjoy the scenery.

I’m glad we got more snacks today.

Lunch 2970 for both

3000 yen to ic card

200 yen from Anthony to ring the bell. And then I get a postcard too. I like ringing the bell although I didn’t do very hard, I had been wanting to ring the bell after seeing so many so it’s nice to get to do in what is clearly an allowed way.

Golden temple

Anthony paid 500 yen entry each for both of us.

The temple is so gold and shiny. TKe terrible selfie pictures.

I get a golden temple keychain that I’ll use as a Christmas ornament for 400 yen

We then grab the bus back. We don’t make it on the first bus too full, but then we get seats on the next bus five minutes later which is way better anyway.

We try to find a bar from our saved list but are unsuccessful. We then wander for awhile trying to find a place that is both good looking and doesn’t have a long wait. We settle at a place that supposedly does Kyoto home cooking. We get a little sampler plate, vegetable tempura and French fries that turn out to be purple and are my favorite. The sampler has salad, tofu, chicken, some kind of fish and a potato salad that is sweet. We also get sake wine to go with it. We’re still hungry so we order more chicken and some rice balls.

After we get desert that is a fish shaped pastry filled with custard called taiyaki. It is so cute and I love it. My bf found a place that sold them just for me. We also walk around nishi market. It’s really cool but towards the end I definitely get overwhelmed by all the colors and sheer number of stores.

#travel diary #Japan #japan day 3 #day 3 #overly long travel diary #japan travel diary

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frayed-at-the-seams · 1 month ago

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Favourite BLs with age gaps (4+ years).

Here’s some of my favourite bl dramas where the age gap between the couple is 4 or more years. I chose 4 or more years because there is always a different feel to those who are 4 or more years older. There’s a lot that can be done.

Anyway, here it is. Enjoy.

- Minato Shouji coin laundry.

This is one of my top favourite shows ever. It’s a comfort show for me, although I recall the age gap of characters being 9 years put me off at first. Still, I tried the show and I am so glad I did.

The main plot of this show is the age gap. The issues between the characters stem from the age gap. With Shin being 17 when they meet and Minato being 27. I felt that the drama handled the age gap very well.

With the character of Minato, he does not feel creepy for being with a teenager. His character finds Shin attractive and that is where it stops. He is very strict about nothing happening between them while Shin is underage despite all the flirting and seducing Shin tries. Minato absolutely refuses to see Shin in a sexual or romantic way until he is of age despite all the other characters choosing to see their relationship as romantic. Minato continues to treat Shin almost like a younger brother despite it all, even when he gets flustered.

I was very glad to find a show where despite being attracted to a younger person, the character kept to their morals and waited until the person was 18+. Even when Shin has turned 18, minato waits until he has graduated high school.

While I would normally hate a drama with such a big age gap for the usual sexualisation of a teenager, this show didn’t do that. Whenever it started to lean in that direction, minato shuts it down.

Even so the dynamics between the characters was gold and there was a real growth and development for them. (Less so in season2 but we don’t need to talk about that). Shin learned that although he wanted Minato, he grew to respect the boundaries Minato set. While Minato learned to let Shin dictate what he felt comfortable with while also maintaining though boundaries. Throughout all of this the show maintained a light and almost puppy love atmosphere, perhaps to offset such a large agar gap.

I won’t lie and say that there’s not negatives to this show. Such a large age gap between characters itself is problematic. But despite my initial misgivings I really loved this show. The ages and dynamics work well with their characters and the actors did a great job.

Available on Bilibili and KissKH.

- Old Fashion Cupcake

Despite this show only having five episodes, it has a unique atmosphere and really works well in terms of pacing and storyline. It is a comfort show with a simple but engaging plot and it explores a story normally overlooked in BL.

This show is about 39 Nozue who is a boss of a team in a company that he has been working in for over ten years. He is feeling his age and getting stuck into a rut. This frightens him as it is affecting his mental health. When lamenting about how carefree a couple of teenagers look to his coworker, Togawa, he mentions how he’s feeling. Togawa suggests doing things that teenage girls would do (basically as a metaphor of breaking out of their comfort zones and trying new things). This leads them to a series of dates with a lot of desserts and eventually to love.

This story was so enchanting and sweet. While the characters worked so well together. The fact that both were independent adults meant that the age gap never really came into play other than when Nozue was joking about his age. The antagonist being more Nozue’s fear of leaving his comfort zone than their age gap and work dynamics. Also, they had such great chemistry that you forget about all the negatives.

Available on KissKH and Viki.

- The Eighth Sense.

Another all time fave drama of mine.

This drama was beautiful. With a unique and indie filming style and story telling you got a real sense of the characters and the cinematic style really worked.

While the age gap between Jihyun (20) and Jaewon (24-26) being a minimum of about four years (they never explicitly state it but it is said that Jaewon is around four or more years older) the drama revolves around Jaewon’s mental health and how it affects him. The characters grow through their own personal growths and it is only with these changes that they can be together. Jihyun learns to find his confidence and grows to be a self assured young man who knows what he wants, while Jaewon learns to know when to be a people pleaser and when to set boundaries and fight for what he wants too.

The way mental health was portrayed in this drama was the part that drew me in the most. It was glorified, or brought in for just some angst before being forgotten. It was a real and persistent problem to Jaewon and despite going to therapy, he had bad days and good. It fuelled decisions that he may not have made if he wasn’t feeling so self destructive and low. Even with the happy ending of the drama, his bad mental health does not go away. It remains something that he still deal with but with far more support and in a less toxic environment. It was a realistic portrayal of how things like trauma and depression can follow someone. It may not hang over their heads like a looming storm, but they persist like an annoying strand of hair. You may not notice it at first, then something can remind you and all of a sudden it’s there.

This portrayal of mental health and its effect on a character was raw. The romance interwoven between it was sweet and lovely to watch. This show really captures the viewer, though due to its unique style some may say that it feel disjointed.

Still, this show is unique.

Available on Viki and KissKH.

- Love Tractor.

A city boy goes to a countryside village to clear up his grandfather’s will and meet a young man who falls head one heals for him.

This drama is very cute and has a real ‘back to basics’ atmosphere. SeonYul (27 if I remember correctly) is a city boy through and through. At first this return to the countryside and all its old fashioned ways disgusts him, yet as time passes he begins to love the community and the peace it brings him. While YeChan (20-23 if I recall) is utterly smitten with this new face and takes great joy in helping him learn countryside life.

Is the plot complicated? No. Are there cliche tropes? Yes. Is YeChan a bit of a himbo? Definitely. (He’s more than just a himbo but he has his moments and we love him for it).

Either way this drama is cute and wholesome with two guys falling in love in the countryside. The age gap is barely ever mentioned other than a few stray comments. It’s not much of a plot point and doesn’t pose a problem between the characters.

In all, while simple, this drama was refreshing and an easy watch.

Available on KissKH and Bilibili.

- History 2: Right or Wrong.

Where Shi Yi Jie, a divorced teacher in his thirties with an eight year old daughter meets Fei Sheng Zhe, a college student in his early twenties. What starts as a simple child care job for Sheng Zhe becomes more as he slowly rebuilds and joins the little family.

I am not going to lie, at first this age gap and the power dynamics put me off. Yi Jie is a teacher at Sheng Zhe’s college, while not his lecturer for long (for one class which Sheng Zhe only had for a semester) the power dynamics that are involved put me off. Yet when I started watching this drama I found that despite Yi Jie being the older one, Sheng Zhe is the one who takes the lead in everything. Yi Jie is a bit of a wreck of a man before Sheng Zhe turns up.

He’s a workaholic with bad habits who often misjudges time and is late to collect his daughter. As the drama progresses Sheng Zhe convinces Yi Jie to take better care of himself and enables the father and daughter to bond more. What could have been a toxic mess turns into a wholesome found family with the pair raising the daughter together.

Any age gap toxicity was made null simply by their characters. Sheng Zhe being mature enough to handle the issues that could arise and Yi Jie allowing him to take the lead.

It is a sweet drama that does not shy away from the difficulties of maintaining a job while being a single parent with a messy divorce. Another great show by History.

Available on Viki or on Bilibili.

- History 3: Make Our Days Count (Second couple).

While the main couple of this show are both the same age. The second couple, Sun Bo (18) and Zhi Gang (26-30 though his age is never explicitly stated) have an age gap of around 8-10 years.

Again, much like other shows the romance between this pairing is mostly pursued by the younger.

Sun Bo works at his cousin’s gym part time where he develops a crush on regular and small time business owner and openly gay man Zhi Gang. He doggedly pursues the older, to which Zhi Gang refuses due to age gap issues. As a character, he is jaded by his past relationships and does not believe that a young man still in high school would want him. Eventually Sun Bo wears him down and they get together. (But not without a sex scene in the gym first. Which definitely surprised me on the first watch). However, despite all the angst between them, while the main couple end in tragedy (I still cry) these two make it into a lasting and healthy relationship. In history 4; Close to You (set around five years after MODC) they even make a cameo and get married.

For a couple that had the potential to be toxic and unhealthy, they actually surprised me and I grew to love their dynamic. Sun Bo is all enthusiasm and ‘follow your heart’ while Zhi Gang is a bit too restrained. He has experienced the downsides and consequences that following your heart can lead, especially when it comes to gay relationships and homophobia. The plot follows Sun Bo as he encourages Zhi Gang to take a chance on him.

Despite my misgivings it was lovely to see this couple get together and develop as characters. I loved both couples in this show and both couples made me cry at various points.

Available on Viki and KissKH.

- You Make Me Dance.

This drama, though short is sweet and adorable. There is a movie version of it available as well.

The plot covers Song Shi On (20-23), a university student studying contemporary dance, who is in debt. He has no family to depend on and no friends. Jin Hong Seok (27-30) works as a debt collector and has to go and collect money from Shi On. Instead of collecting money, he instead helps Shi On practise for an audition where he can get paid the money to repay his debt. While doing this, they fall in love.

Despite the age gap and power dynamics that could come to play in this show, the romance is equal and actually very sweet. It is two people, one who gave up on their dream and one who is fighting for his, bonding and living together. It’s a very short drama but ultimately about finding kindred spirits and the age gap doesn’t pose a problem. It’s actually very easy to forget the age gap between them as each of the character’s experiences mean that they are almost on equal footing.

Wholesome and sweet.

Available on Viki and KissKH.

These are all I can think of so far. May add to this list later. Hope you enjoy.

#bl drama recommendations #minato shouji coin laundry #the eighth sense #history 3: make our days count #love tractor #you make me dance #history 2: right or wrong #bl drama #taiwan bl #japan bl #thai bl #korean bl #old fashion cupcake

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