Kyoto Weekend

Aboard the bullet train early morning on September 21

Kyoto Station

Entrance to Kiyomizu Temple

Overlooking the amazing horizon from atop Kiyomizu Temple

For 2 days, we crammed in a lot of sights and of course a lot of walking in Japan's former capital, Kyoto. With a population of over 1.5 million, Kyoto seemed a lot more urbanized than I imagined. When we arrived by bullet train after a 2-hour ride, I was in awe of Kyoto Station's modern architecture. The station was huge! In our travels, we learned much of Kyoto's rich history. After checking in to our ryokan, a traditional Japanese hotel room, we headed to the Kiyomizu Temple where lush forests surrounded the perimeter. Narrow sloped streets lead up to the temple with several souvenir shops all around. I'm sure the folliage will be a phenomenal site during the autumn season.

After an early tonkatsu dinner (pork fillet), we then headed down to Gion where we saw real geisha walking to famous teahouses. We were amongst other foreigners snapping photos of geisha as they swiftly walked pass the crowds heading toward their engagements. Just around the corner, on Shijo St., we found ourselves walking through the crowded shopping districts and Kyoto's Craft Center. After all the walking, we finally found Island Parlor, a posh restaurant/bar where Rodney had gone to the first time in Kyoto in 2003. There we enjoyed great beer and appetizers for a hefty price. The bar's deck overlooked the Shirakawa River, where there happened to be a filming crew shooting a movie scene that night. It ended up being a late night but Markus was a trooper.

Geisha heading to teahouses in Gion

Markus browsing through souvenir shop

Kinkakuji Temple (Golden Pavilion)

Our next day consisted of visiting more temples and shrines. The first stop was the Kinkakuji Temple, known as the Golden Pavilion - a definite must-see. The castle's second and third floors are literally covered in gold leaf on Japanese lacquer. It's a gorgeous site especially with its reflection off of the Kyoko-chi (Mirror pond) surrounding the castle. Visitors were not permitted enter the castle, but we thoroughly enjoyed our walk through the Zen gardens.

Zen garden scapes

PEACE!

Entrance to Nijo-jo Castle

Other sites we saw included the Nijo-jo Castle (photos were not allowed to be taken within the building), Yasaka Shrine, Kyoto Tower, and more Zen garden.

Outside Nijo-jo Castle's well-manicured gardens

To complete our trip, I had the Maiko geisha makeover done at the Yume Koubou Studio. Maiko is the term used to refer to apprentice geisha. The make-up artists literally used a brush to paint the my face and neck white. I was able to select my own kimono and obi, out of hundreds they had available. Although it took over an hour to get made-up, fully dressed and photographed, it was really a neat experience. I do have to say that the wig felt like it weighed a ton and the kimono was tied up very tightly. Needless to say, not very comfortable at all. I couldn't imagine putting forth these efforts of getting dressed on a regular basis. The photographer was kind enough to let Ritchie in the studio to take pictures after he was done.