Kyoto: In search of Old Japan

Visiting Kyoto had been on my wishlist ever since I set foot in Japan, but time- and budgetary constraints prevented us from checking it out until a few weeks ago. During our trip to Kobe in May I did hop over to Kyoto for about 4 hours, only to be rudely confronted by countless grey concrete buildings, hords of school groups, non-stop rain, and tacky souvenir shops. Hm, was this the Imperial Capital travel guides wax lyrically about?? Although the disappointment was hard to swallow, I decided not to jump to conclusions & give the place another chance when the opportunity presented itself...

And thanks to Vaughan's mum coming all the way from New Zealand, in October we had the perfect excuse to take a week off and explore Kyoto and some other parts of Honshu, hoorah! This time I tried not to have any preconceived notions or high expectations, so images of elegant geisha, tranquil temples and traditional teahouses were banned from thought alltogether! This lack of high hopes turned out to be the right approach, as it enabled me to be delighted by countless sights during our 3,5 days there :-). Because despite the relentless and rapid modernisation (Kyoto Tower for instance makes you want to weep!), this city still has many charming, relatively unspoilt areas, as long as you're willing to stray off the tourist track. I fell in love with the tree-lined canals, the tiny hidden temples, the quiet back alleys and the ancient artisan shops crafting paper fans, lanterns, Buddhist prayer beads and green tea containers. Reading Victoria Abbott's Untangling My Chopsticks made me enjoy the experience even more because it provided a whole new understanding of Kyoto's religious history, the city's culinary customs and the importance of the traditional tea ceremony. For some reason books about travel destinations always have that effect on me, and this one made me want to stay in Kyoto for several months and discover all these intriguing aspects for myself!

The famous area of Gion, where maiko (geisha-in-training) and geiko still entertain businessmen in highly exclusive restaurants and tea houses. Foreigners can only enter these establishments through personal introduction or by paying ridiculous amounts of money. We had neither so ended up doing some 'geisha spotting' in the main street instead!

Both these maiko were on their way to appointments & walked in an incredibly fast pace considering the hight of their geko (shoes). It felt very awkward gawking at these women but they are so beautiful they look like living works of art. I was too shy (and slow) to take any decent pictures, but Vaughan managed to keep his cool and get these shots :-).

Fellow Japan-blogger Mboogiedown is fascinated by the world of geiko & maiko, so check out her blog for truly amazing photos and expert knowledge (I'm just a novice!).

Johnnie Hillwalker's (real name: Hajime Hirooka) guided walk might not include toilet stops or a lunch break, but he offers an excellent trip off the beaten track through one Kyoto neighbourhood, at slow pace and full of interesting information. Highly recommended!

Vaughan's mum Karen and me resting the legs & having a cup of tea after 5 hours of walking.

The teashop displayed the astounding attention to detail that is so typical of Kyoto.

Kiyomezu Temple has to be one of the most impressive sights in all of Kyoto, a truly awe-inspiring structure with stunning views over the city. Too bad thousands of other travelers feel the same way, so chaotic tourgroups & chattering schoolkids made it hard to 'feel the serenity' and fully soak up the atmosphere. Guess that's mass tourism for you...

Drinking this spring water at Kiyomizudera has a sacred meaning so hundreds of people were lining up to take a sip.

Ginkakuiji Temple, with an exquisitely raked stone garden

Invasion of the School Groups: aargh...