Barefeet move down a hallway. On the walls, there are plaques that explain Hyakunin Isshu. Above, there are Sharp LCD monitors that explain how to use the "DS Navi." Announcements from loudspeakers reiterate repeatedly. Still, what's DS Navi?

According to the pamphlet I got at the door, the Ogura Hyakunin Isshu is a classical Japanese poetry anthology, which contains one hundred different poems, each by a different poet. The word ogura was added to distinguish the anthology, which was edited here, something like eight hundred years ago. The poems later found their way into a card game.

I look out at the rock garden to my left. The TV crew is shooting video. For something built on Nintendo money, there sure is a great deal of restraint. Not that I was expecting Mario to meet me at the door. But knowing Nintendo, here's got to be here somewhere.

A purple kimono directs me to a ramp that leads into a dark hallway. I follow it to a black counter, behind which is another purple kimono. She's handing out what looks like a diary. I get closer and see that it's no diary. It's a DS.

Kyoto's Packed Full of Tradition [Kotaku]

Send an email to the author of this post at .