Gion is Kyoto’s ideal district to stay. It’s the old section with most buildings only 2 or 3 stories high and is best associated with geishas. If you want to see geishas, don’t go where the tourist are swarming. I’ve had many chance encounters on deserted side streets.
With a week left, it’s now or never. A good meal is in order. Trip Advisor’s restaurant map lead me to a promising restaurant. Not surprisingly reservations were completely full. However, charming me was promised a seat at the bar shortly. The food, drink, and ambience was all I had hoped.
Bunraku National Theater is famous for its puppetry productions. Months before coming to Japan, Eddie and I surfed the web with great interest. I actually know someone majoring in puppetry at college. With last minute encouragement from Namiyo, I went! This morning I snagged a ticket on line, traveled 1 1/2 hours on multiple trains to Osaka, and saw a four hour production. I gasped when a nursemaid tries suicide by knife! It takes three persons to operate puppet. Sesame Street was never like this.
The Gion District of Kyoto is one of the oldest and is associated with Geishas. Just blocks from my inn are the two streets most attached to Geishas. They slip along these streets with eyes cast straightforward looking at no one and seeking no attention.
Using an electric wheel to make a bowl also made a beautiful memory. The truly talented person was my instructor who continuously refined my bowl. Transferring fingertip muscle memory used to shape pastry dough gave me a bit of an edge.
Keep walking and you loose the gaggle of tourists. The brilliant chartreuse green maple leaves rival the cherry blossom trees.
Why did I take so much time planning my morning outing using paper maps, GPS, and Google maps? All I needed to do was follow the gauntlet of tourists.
Namiyo wizzed through the grocery store gathering dinner that required no cooking in their guesthouse. Dinner was a makeshift affair with the best of company. Our last meal.
Fushimi Inari Taisha’s inner shrine is reachable through a tunnel of thousands of Torii gates winding up a mountain. Tens of thousands rock alters are along the path.
Tofuku-ji Temple is a Zen Buddhist temple. I felt dwarfed beside the enormous building, its wooden boards and posts. It was as though I was a Lilliputian in Gulliver’s Travel.
Linda Scandore 