Kyoto

Nov. 4, 2006

I had heard so many great things about Kyoto that I had to visit and autumn was the time that many people had recommended. I visited a friend who graciously took me on a walking tour around some fantastic sights and wall-to-wall temples. That is exactly what it was. Kyoto was the ancient capital of Japan for centuries so that many wealthy people were living there and often would bequeath their villas to become temples. There were also plenty of temples constructed to serve the wealthy living in the city.













I just fell in love with the city on the first day. Kyoto is n the valley so there are mountains all around the city creating a lovely hillside panoramic view. The city was created from scratch so it is one of the few cities in Japan that is grid like in construction. And there were throngs of tourists, Japanese and foreigners, taking in all the wondrous sights. We visited Kiyomizu Temple, Gion (the geisha district), and so many places actually that I cannot remember and some, I never even found out what they were called. It was a bit of a whirlwind and the pictures will have to tell the story.













I visited the entertainment section of town, famous for geikos, the Kyoto expression for geishas. There were mostly tourists about and this area really comes to life in the evening, which I would check out later on.











I was fortunate to eat at the most delicious ramen shop in Kyoto and it was fantastic. The business men sitting next to me insisted that I try out the green Japanese kim chee. Yes it was absolutely smashing. My pal, Marcin, blending into the scenery.












A very famous theatre, made more famous by the fact that Kodo played here. I had to capture this traditional shot of women in beautiful kimonos (something I saw a lot of in Kyoto compare to other places or the rurals) passing a Buddhist monk doing his ritual begging. Pretty immaculate looking for begging. I could not keep my whites that white.










There were several shops selling beautiful ornate fans like this one here, for serious money. I was stunned by the price and exquisite beauty. A high tourist traffic area that was indeed beautiful and traditional. Don't mess around here, as the sign reinforces. Does not matter who you are!

I caught some Buddhist bell tolling, which I was thrilled to see. There was also an Iaido (martial arts of the sword) demonstration that was taking place, which we stopped to watch.

The walking goes on and on and there are so many pictures of beautiful temples and shrines yet to come. As well as the tourist geishas!