We only spent a night in Kyoto before racing off for a day trip to Nara (next post) and the one day we were allowed for Kyoto, we actually spent outside the city proper. So I can’t say we really saw Kyoto at all, but as it was raining, the Philosopher’s Walk would have been a bust anyway. Another city for a return visit.
That doesn’t mean we did nothing in Kyoto. Our dinner that first night was at the lovely Sodoh Higashiyama restaurant in Kyoto – an Italian restaurant in the former home of Seiho Takeuchi, a well beloved artist. Our tour leader was wild to see the gardens but we arrived at night and it was raining, so….
Never mind, we were still in for a treat. Apart from the wonderful food, Kyoko had managed – with great difficulty and prolonged negotiations – to book three geisha for our meal. Actually one maiko, one geisha, and one musician. This lass is the maiko.
This is the older girl, a fully trained geisha. (The pretty one, not the fat one with purple hair đ )
The maiko’s obi is longer, to indicate her youth.
They both danced for us, while the musician lady played the samisen (made from cat skin đ )
I will spare you photos and details of Mr Bogan treating them like prostitutes and taking the grossed liberties. They were all delightful, as you would expect since they spend years learning how to be, pouring our drinks, chatting and talking about their gorgeous hand embroidered kimono, and ornaments. It was only afterwards I realise that they had been flirting with all of us, as they’d been trained to do, which made it less appealing in retrospect. But I saw why they are paid so much to act as aesthetic ornaments to important celebrations. They were something else!
So was the hotel in Kyoto, with its beautiful lobby, cakeshop, and café
I don’t know what this gorgeous glass sculpture between floors was about, but it was lovely
The hotel was also conveniently situated for shopping, and I took advantage of that on our only afternoon in the city, while Doug and the others went off to see the Miyaki Odori show and cherry blossom dance. Much as I appreciated the skill of the geisha, the idea of sitting through two hours of atonal singing was more than I wanted to do! He said the show was good but the ‘tea ceremony’ before it was a joke
However, before that, in the morning, we were taken to the Golden Pavilion (Kinkakuji Temple). The place was overrun with schoolkids
This is a tree shaped like a boat, the gravel is meant to represent the sea.
A tea ceremony house
A spring for the tea ceremony water
the former Imperial Palace for honestly the world’s most boring tour, however nice the gardens were (you can’t go inside the palace)
And the former home of the shogun, Nijo Castle, where you can go inside, but you can’t take pictures of the gorgeous, meticulously restored interior.
Underneath the nightingale floor
Gate after restoration
Before restoration
The gardens were lovely
Lunch was at the Fortune Garden across from our hotel. It belonged to one of the European companies who traded in Japan, and acted as a company hotel. Yet another wonderful meal in a charming setting! We were getting spoiled by this stage đ
The second and third nights, Doug and I declined to join the others for group dinners – we were both utterly knackered – and fortunately, the hotel’s cafĂ© had ready meals and lunchboxes they were happy to let you take up to your room for supper. Positively encouraged guests to do so, in fact! And of course, we had our pick of yummy desserts to go with them. After the lavish lunches, these were perfect for our needs (and spared us more of Mr & Mrs Bogan who were becoming more obnoxious by the day đ )
Next stop, Hiroshima by bullet train.