Old books, and lots of them

At David's recommendation, I visited Jimbucho today where the antique bookstores are. Well! I went without eating, drinking, and smoking for six hours as I lost myself completely in the dusty annals of time (I love that line). It was phenomenal, the stacks of editions, right up to the ceiling, hundreds of books I knew then millions in Japanese, and scrolls, and prints and old manga and maps and just beautiful. The piles, the matching editions, the labelling, I was so taken, my jaw wouldn't close. When you have easy access to so much, do you start to take it for granted? I just went from one to another, bought a couple of small things, and wandered through the day in a heady state of excitement. I got the guide to the area and there are 18 pages of listings, 14 per page, thats 242 bookstores!!! Many porn ones which I couldn't bring myself to enter, but I was feeling pretty wide eyed just looking at what they had on the stalls outside. There was one giant old world map in one window, and it just captured my imagination, I couldn't make out what the hell I was looking at, but it was incredible. Also many many thousands of Yen, I could just take it in with my wee eyes...
I went to an art shop there, and once again felt the shame of my ignorance. The many floors of the real deal shouted out to me, the printing equipment, the wood carving tools, the copper plates and wood blocks I just never imagined so much was available...everything, they had it all...brushes, inks, brush holders, all the things I covet in the museums, this was sort of primary source! I was dumbstruck, I just wanted to turn to someone and shake them, OMG! Stuff I never knew existed, but seeing it makes all the sense in the world, I am just a naive country bumpkin indeed.
My excitement level has gone back into overdrive, I can't believe how well I am surviving on just 6 hours sleep per night, I try to sleep later, but just can't. I wear myself out during the day, but that means nothing, the energy in this city drives me crazy, it can be so good, I just sit on the train grinning ear to ear like a big idiot, and what do I care? I'll never see any of these people again! It is so great being free, I just want to yell out, "I love you" when I get off the train, but fear it would alarm too many honeys.
Yesterday I ran for the train and got my bag caught in the door, and wouldn't you know, the only thing in there that was at all fragile was my camera, and it was the only thing that got wedged in the door, and it isn't feeling too well right now, so I must perform emergency resuscitation on it for my future sanity.
Tomorrow I am off to Kamakura, a place with a special shrine, about an hour out of the city, might even spend the night there, thats how free I am!