We spent 5 hours following Johnnie Hillwalker around the back streets of Kyoto. We certainly got a better idea about some of the cottage industry that has provided the economic foundation for Kyoto for many many years!
In addition to pottery, fans and temples there is an opportunity to try some lovely snacks. Kyoto sweets are great!
If you are planning to visit Kyoto we’d recommend it. Find out more at http://web.kyoto-inet.or.jp/people/h-s-love/
KDT
You hope to catch a glimpse of a Geisha or a Maiko as they flit from appointment to appointment in the Gion district. It doesn’t take long to realise that something fishy is up when you start to see maikos and for that matter samurais flit about the tourist sites! Is is true that there is an upsurge of interest in being a maiko? Is the western lifestyle being rejected?
No, not at all. All became clear when we spotted a well placed sign for Maiko Makeovers! For as little as $50 you can become a maiko. That might explain why so many “maikos” were snapping the tourist sights with their digital cameras. But hey, the other tourists followed these pretend maikos snapping shots anyway. It is a business that not doubt saves the real maikos from the hassle of tourist hordes!
Kym
What do you eat after sushi in Kyoto before stumbling back to the ryokan?
Ice cream Sundae at Karafuneya coffee, of course!
We came across a dessert palour (which also served spagetti…) on the way to the bus stop. They had 100 different varieties… thankfully we only had one each.
There is an amazing amount of pastry shops and cakes, which are really had to walk by.
We haven`t had a dud meal yet… lets not forget the food from the vending machines. I could definately live here just for the food.
We visited Kyoto International Manga Museum, which is located in a refurbished school building. It is currently featuring a exhibition on Kimabiashi (apologies for spelling – I`ve spent too long search for it on the internet).
You aren`t suppose to take photos.. but kym did with the phone… like a few others there.
The museum aslo houses a large library of manga books that you can read… although the majority of them are written in Japanese of course. The books are located all over the museum and there are people everywhere reading the magna… :)
HK
I am quite surprised at the quality of the mobile phone pictures. As you have probably worked out, while we are out and about we send snapshots from our mobile phone. All this so you can have up to the second coverage. Mobile phones ain’t any good for text so we are at a Manga cafe updating some posts.
As you can tell from this photo Kiyomizu Temple is quite beautiful with cherry blossoms just as it has been since 798. Of course like most buildings in Kyoto the were reconstructed at some other later date because of some disaster or another. In this case 1633.
We certainly had Melbourne weather yesterday. It was either shining sun, overcast or showering. It was a bit like playing pachinko.
