Before returning the bicycles and hopping on the bullet train towards Hiroshima, we squeezed in some more Kyoto time. The girls had our hearts set on shopping and since the boys weren’t too keen on that, we parted our separate ways. The boys went off to see more of Kyoto’s impressive sites while we returned to Gion to peruse the charming shops.
Tips:
*Yasaka Shrine is a Shinto shrine in the Gion District of Kyoto, Japan
*The shrine was also once known as “Gion Shrine” and is one of the neighborhood’s most iconic landmarks
*Gion is Kyoto’s most famous geisha district
*The best chance to see geisha is at dusk, especially on weekends and holidays
Related Blog Posts:
Shop Photography Prints:
The sweet aroma of these freshly baked corn chips lured us right in to a fancy little candy and snack shop.
I wanted to taste everything!
After leaving the candy shop, we saw two gorgeous women dressed as geisha getting out of a rickshaw. They were absolutely stunning! Gion is Kyoto’s most famous geisha district and many tourist dress as geisha for the day. If you see women dressed as geisha during the day or talking and taking photographs it is almost certainly not a real geisha but a tourist. There are only about 1,000 real geisha left in Japan. Although seeing a real geisha is rare, it is not impossible. The best chance to see geisha is at dusk, especially on weekends and holidays as they make their way to work.
Shopping in the Gion District. I love that the original beauty and traditional architecture of this neighborhood has been preserved.
Pottery statues of Tanuki:
We bought lots of omiyage to bring back for family, friends and colleagues from this adorable candy shop.
Young men dressed in traditional Japanese clothing:
This guy was so awesome:
Cole and his brother spent the morning at Nijo Castle. The floor boards in the castle actually squeak to alarm castle residence of intruders. The castle’s pretty gardens:
They also visited Daitoku-ji (大徳寺), whose rock garden is considered one of the best.
And finally, To-ji (東寺) or “East Temple”. At 54.8 m high, the pagoda at To-ji is the tallest wooden structure in Japan. The grounds also feature gardens and a pond full of turtles and koi.
In the afternoon the four of us rendezvoused at the scenic Kiyomizu-dera (清水寺) which sits on the hillside above Gion. The temple’s main hall has a large veranda which offers amazing views of the city.
I love seeing girls dressed in yukata:
Wikipedia describes, “Beneath the main hall is the Otowa waterfall, where three channels of water fall into a pond. Visitors can catch and drink the waters, which is believed to have therapeutic properties. Drinking the water of the three streams is said to confer wisdom, health, and longevity. However, some Japanese believe that you must choose only two; if you are greedy and drink from all three, you invite misfortune upon yourself.”
Next we visit Hiroshima! More to come…
