CJ Jean and I got up very early to catch the Shinkansen to Kyoto. We enjoyed the very fast 2 hour train ride at 180 mph and were happy to arrive so quickly at Kyoto. Of course Karla and Jean were excited to see real live Geisha Girls and so we were off in search of our up close and personnel encounters with the mystery girls behind the white made up faces.
We arrived in Kyoto and were greeted by perfect weather and lots of new sights for our eyes to see. Jean and I thought we died and went to heaven when we passed a pastry shop that had all kinds of huge fresh fruit pies. We vowed right then and there to be sure to stop and get one before we left to go back to Yokohama. YUM!!
Next we hopped on the shuttle bus to the Righa Royal Hotel, where we dropped off our bags, bought a day bus pass and then made our way to the Gion district in search of Geisha's, Geikos (what they really like to be called) and Miekos (apprentice geikos).
First we made our way through a very big Shinto Shrine where I captured a photo of CJ and Jean with a couple in traditional Yukata robes and their Ricksaw driver. We then walked down the street to Gion Corner and to our surprise and delight we ran into the first of our many sightings and encounters with Geiko Girls two stood chatting outside the entrance to a tea garden. YAHOO!!! It was so exciting for me and I felt like a real paparazzi. FUN!! We watched girls walk down the streets in the daylight and then as night fell we saw them return to the streets all made up with their painted white faces and hair adorned with many a bow, comb, bangle. It was VERY EXCITING!!! My camera of course did not reboot and click fast enough and so I didn't get as many good pics as I had hoped for. I did enjoy myself though.
In the daylight we made our way through the different geisha districts and shopping areas. I still can NOT believe how much shopping is done here in Japan, it is CRAZY how many shops there are, everywhere? We also walked along the river and watched an old lady feeding some very big birds hawks or falcons of some kind. Hunger took over and we stopped for a Delicious meal of pork loin and croquettes. It was a fun meal as we had to prepare our own sesame sauce for dipping the tender and very succulent pork slices coated with some kind of flaky batter. They gave each of us a mortar and pedestal and we ground up our sesame seeds and then added two kinds of soy sauce to it. Jean had crab, CJ had soy/mushroom and I had potato/veggie Croquettes. The pork and Croquettes were also served with thinly grated cabbage and some yummy dressing and pickles too, which Kyoto is known for. It was mighty tasty and fun.
After dinner we went back to Gion Corner for the traditional Japanese Arts show. CJ and Jean were pooped from walking and so they waited in line at the hall for tickets while I made my way down to the street and was ecstatic when I came upon a house where the Geikos were leaving and getting into taxis and some went walking right past me on the street all made up in their makeup, silk gowns, geta wood sandals and white tori socks. FUN FUN FUN!!!
I then made my way back in time for the show...and yes it was hard for me to pull myself away. The show was enjoyable and Jean got to participate in the tea ceremony with a lady from Switzerland. We saw a tea cermony,Japanese dancers, flower arrangements made, puppetry, noh skit. After the show, Jean and I attended another Tea Ceremony and learned the art and rituals of a Japanese green tea ceremony. It was very interesting and quite different then the chinese tea ceremony CJ and I attended when we were in Sweden last June. I found I like chinese green and ooolong leaf tea better than the powdered and foamy green Japanese tea.
When the show was over we made our way back into the lit streets of Gion Corner and caught many more glimpses of the girls going in and out of the different tea houses and restaurants. CJ and Jean were tired and so they made their way back to the bus and the hotel, I on the other hand was too intrigued with all the goings on and so I stayed and walked the streets some more getting glimpses of this very different lifestyle. I had nice visits with other "paparazzi" from Switzerland, France, Germany, Canada... had many more pics to take and just had fun watching the girls moving to and fro.
Finally pulled myself away so to catch the last bus back to the hotel. I did not want to walk across town in the wee hours of the morning. When I got back to the hotel I had a whole other experience trying to get into my room. When we dropped our bags off earlier in the day on arrival to Kyoto we could not check in and so I did not know what room we actually had. I had hoped to quietly sneak in the room as I figured CJ and Jean were fast asleep. The guy at the front desk told me the room number, wouldn't give me a key and so I went up and knocked on the door. No one answered. So I went back down to the desk and asked for a key and explained to him how I had hoped not to wake them up. He finally gave me the key and when I went back up and put the card in the door and when I pushed it to open it was double bolted and I could here people talking in Japanese. They sounded scared. :-( So I apologized "sumimasen" and quickly shut the door and went back down to the desk and once again tried to explain what happened. They called that room and asked for Chuck-san but all they got was Japanese people talking. So now I/we had woken some strangers up and scared them half to death.
I then pulled out CJ's business card and they finally got me the correct room on the 6th floor not the 8th floor. Before I went up I had them call the new room and sure enough Jean answered and luckily they were still up.I still wonder what that poor couple must have thought when some foreigner was trying to get in 2 different times and interrupting them in the middle of the night? Crazy!
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