A walk round Gion, Kyoto
We wake at eight with Jen ringing our room to see if we were ready for breakfast; give us 15 minutes we say.
Outside it is raining gently, but maybe it will stay dry for us, we hope anyway.
Kyot is the cultural capital of Japan, and it is famous for many things, but one of the most well known things is the area of Gion which is the Geisha Quarter, but in Kyoto they are not called Geisha, but Geiko. I think it should be photogenic, so it is agreed that we go there as soon as we have cleaned our teeth, nice and clean.
We flag a taxi down to take us to Gion, but its not far and we probably could have walked there in less than 20 minutes. Anyway, he drops us off at the start of the most ancient street, and good news is that the rain has stopped if only for a while.
We have no maps, or we do but they are uselsss or next to anyway, so we walk along the street, investigating the narrow side streets which look from another age, if not a different planet. It is stunning, and not too busy as it is still early.
At the end of the street there is the entrance to something, a wide gate and a path leading to some aqncinet buildings; it is a Buddhist temple complex, so we pay to go in, and find that there are few others, and with the subdued light outside make for some stunning shots. It really is like a different place, with everything placed just so, as everything seemed to have its place to be. We were just glad to be there.
After an hour we leave but nearby find another temple complex, but this one housing a photographic exhibition; so we pay to go in and find the building, gardens and works of art wonderful. However, I nearly fall onto the precious moss-covered garden, and then we mistake an image placed on the path as part of the exhibition, which it was, but meaning not go go further, but we saw others had walked pat it, and on it, so we did. There was a shriek, and one of the curators came running and escorts us back.
We see she is flustered, and we seem like clumping country bumpkins in these delicate surroundings, so we decide to leave and see what else there is nearby.
Of course we all come here to see Geisha, and there are some delicate ladies in kimonos walking about, but not all are Geisha, as we think costumes can be hired, and certainly some are clearly brides having some wedding pictures taken. Anyway, it is all so wonderful and once again exotic.
We find a coffee shop on the main street in which to have lunch. And coffee.
A walk round Gion, Kyoto
We wake at eight with Jen ringing our room to see if we were ready for breakfast; give us 15 minutes we say.
Outside it is raining gently, but maybe it will stay dry for us, we hope anyway.
Kyot is the cultural capital of Japan, and it is famous for many things, but one of the most well known things is the area of Gion which is the Geisha Quarter, but in Kyoto they are not called Geisha, but Geiko. I think it should be photogenic, so it is agreed that we go there as soon as we have cleaned our teeth, nice and clean.
We flag a taxi down to take us to Gion, but its not far and we probably could have walked there in less than 20 minutes. Anyway, he drops us off at the start of the most ancient street, and good news is that the rain has stopped if only for a while.
We have no maps, or we do but they are uselsss or next to anyway, so we walk along the street, investigating the narrow side streets which look from another age, if not a different planet. It is stunning, and not too busy as it is still early.
At the end of the street there is the entrance to something, a wide gate and a path leading to some aqncinet buildings; it is a Buddhist temple complex, so we pay to go in, and find that there are few others, and with the subdued light outside make for some stunning shots. It really is like a different place, with everything placed just so, as everything seemed to have its place to be. We were just glad to be there.
After an hour we leave but nearby find another temple complex, but this one housing a photographic exhibition; so we pay to go in and find the building, gardens and works of art wonderful. However, I nearly fall onto the precious moss-covered garden, and then we mistake an image placed on the path as part of the exhibition, which it was, but meaning not go go further, but we saw others had walked pat it, and on it, so we did. There was a shriek, and one of the curators came running and escorts us back.
We see she is flustered, and we seem like clumping country bumpkins in these delicate surroundings, so we decide to leave and see what else there is nearby.
Of course we all come here to see Geisha, and there are some delicate ladies in kimonos walking about, but not all are Geisha, as we think costumes can be hired, and certainly some are clearly brides having some wedding pictures taken. Anyway, it is all so wonderful and once again exotic.
We find a coffee shop on the main street in which to have lunch. And coffee.