Kyoto is an anagram of Tokyo, but that’s probably where the similarities end. It’s a different world, surrounded at its far edges by green mountains. Wooden houses and temples rub shoulders on just about every street. Turn a corner and it feels as if you’re peaking into old Japan, before it discovered skyscrapers and flashing lights.
The rivers that run through the city are clean; children splash about to cool off from the oppressive heat, nets in hand trying to catch tadpoles and fish. It’s very common to see women in traditional dress, wearing the most beautiful yukata (summer kimono) as they go about the day.
Less common is spotting a geisha. In Kyoto they are called geiko, and many girls come here from across the country to train. We were really lucky to see one… After dinner one night, we glimpsed a geiko and her client stepping out of a taxi into an exclusive night club. The deep blue silk of her kimono, her perfectly painted white face and the way she carried herself were breathtaking.
This city has 1000 temples. At shrines, you can drop a coin into the offering box and make a prayer or wish. Drop in the coin, bow twice, clap twice, say your prayer, and then bow again. Clapping is said to attract the god’s attention. I think we may have mixed up the order a couple of times, but hopefully that didn’t scramble the message! mb
Fushimi Inari Shrine
Taking a moment to make a prayer
These tree log archways stretch all the way from the bottom to the top of the mountain. It took us an hour and a half to reach the shrine at the top
I like the stone, I like the moss, I like the writing. I don’t know what it says.
Girls keeping it traditional
I try avoid taking pictures of other people taking pictures, which can be difficult in Japan, but I really like this pic. We are pretty lucky our stay in Kyoto coincided with a festival, for three days before the parade they display these floats, allowing the locals and tourists to come take pictures and have their books stamped. You can feel the excitement in the air. rb
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