Maya picked us up for lunch, we went shopping for kimonos, and then for a stroll along Philosopher’s Walk.
Maya and Adam were at Renmin University together — she’s been studying Mandarin for some years — and she lives in the Kyoto area. Adam told her to expect our call, and after some Skype messages, we finalized the plans on the phone. Maya picked us up after our visit to the Nijo Castle, and we went for lunch. She prefers Western food — presumably she gets better Japanese food at home — while we wanted something more local, so we settled on one of the restaurants in Takashimaya.
Diana and I have been travelling around Kyoto on foot and by bus, so going by car is different. Maya parked the car on one side of the Kamo River, and we crossed over to the shopping area.