The lovely thing about Kyoto, is the people really enjoy living here, whether its visiting an abundance of Shrines and Temples, Shopping, or upholding the art and mystery of the Geisha.
Our days are coming quickly to a close in Kyoto, so making the most of our time left, we enjoy more of what this city has to offer…
- Taking the rainy day suggestion and heading to the International Manga Museum in the heart of Kyoto. After a shaky start of having a slightly different perception of what a Manga Museum would be (namely, this was more a library than a museum), seeing all the people sitting there poring over the books, just made me want to read them too, so thats just what I did, through the pictures at least. Getting a chance to see the special exhibition on the creator of Anapanman was pretty special, and being Manga-ed, pretty cool.
- Wondering round a local flea market, with HEAPS of Japanese antiques and nik nacks where I bought a Kimono Jacket (not sure what they are called) for a heafty £5 (Happy, you know me!!), and we passed (more than once) a table selling military antiques like bullets/shell casings/the odd machine gun (brows lifting, eyes popping) WTF!!!
- Taking a short trip across town to the Ryoan-Ji Zen gardens for a little contemplation and meditation in the sun.
- Walking down the most famous street in the Gion district (Lets just be clear, ACCIDENTALLY), which keeps tradition close to its heart, and time keeping even closer, as when the clock strikes 6.30 pm in this street of Gion, so too do the Geisha and Maiko heading out to their evening appointments. I feel quite excited to be seeing this, they are mesmerizing to watch, everything is so precise, with some of them waving to the mainly female tourists that have been waiting in the shadows looking nonchalant for this event to happen before effortlessly hoping into waiting taxi’s, or slipping down side streets disappearing into the night. As much as I wanted to, I felt compelled not to raise my camera like EVERY other tourist there, but just observe this beautiful art form right before my eyes.
- Having a special experience of Kyoto by going to a Traditional Tea Ceremony. Not only did we experience this, but we are taught how to do it, and all while wearing a traditional Kimono – COOOOLL! Extremely poised and enjoyable, but another moment of feeling like a giant again – how small was that lady!!
Ahhh Kyoto…I WANNA LIVE HERE!!!
WheresRu 