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Blogs from Gion, Kyoto, Kyoto, Japan, Asia - page 6
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November 18th 2008
With only 2 days in Kyoto we could not do the city justice. Literally 100's of temples and fascinating alleyways and streets to explore. However, we did our best. We also had the pleasure of meeting up with 2 of Rami and Rob's friends Tomo and Nicola whose company we enjoyed whilst they very kindly treated us to a superb authentic Japanese and gave us tour of the Gion district taking in the sights.... read more
Traditional Crafts & Manga...Kyoto rocks!
Published: September 13th 2008Asia » Japan » Kyoto » Kyoto » Gion
September 12th 2008
12 Sept 08 Today was another lazy day...to a point. It was overcast so the bright (beautiful) sun didn't have us up at the crack of dawn. Still, the girls left early this morning to visit a school to check out the lunches' situation. By all accounts they had a lot of fun and the 3rd graders were so cute that Rachel wants to bring 10 of them back with her. I agree with the concept, but boggle at the quantity! In fact, she said tonight that her as-of-yet-unborn kids are getting sent to Japanese boarding school so they'll be like these kids. High, if slightly strange, praise indeed. I slept in and then blogged. This is fun, but it takes more time than I expected! Plus, I'm running at the mouth like crazy. Just consider ... read more
August 23rd 2008
They say Kyoto is the most visited tourist destination on the entire planet, eclipsing heavyweights like Paris and New York. Even so, we have yet to spot more than a handful of Westerners. With countless World Heritage listed temples and shrines, the mysterious Geisha underworld and a multitude of calming Zen gardens, Kyoto is in every sense the most traditional of all Japan's large cities. Our Japanses-style guesthouse is in a fantastic location and the cheapest in town. (Who could go wrong for AUD $25 a night?)Management didn't even bat an eyelid when Dave's hair blanketed the tatami after reaching epic lengths. Too tight to pay for a professional cut, he let Pen loose with the kiddie-soft left-handed scissors for the first time in her life. (You be the judge of the results via our blog ... read more
August 16th 2008
Okay, I know that I wasn't going to post anymore Osaka or Kyoto blogs, but this is one that I couldn't omit.... Four wonderful, adventurous, and exciting years have passed while I have lived in Japan, and although I was constantly trying different things and visiting new places, there was one thing that took me forever to do.... become a maiko!!!!! After studying and observing Japanese culture for so long I have always wondered what I would look like dressed as a maiko-san (geisha-in-training), and so on August 16th (my second last day in Japan), I finally decided to visit a studio in Gion. I arrived at 9am and spent the next hour or so choosing my kimono, getting my make-up done, and having a wig pinned to my head. The white powdery make-up was thick, ... read more
July 15th 2008
I Headed out with the head teacher of my school to Gion, to see the massive hikiyama carts. They basically shut down that area of the city for 4 days, all the roads are closed, and you can see men and women in traditional summer robes, known as Yukata. It was really nice yet strange to be out with head teacher. I mean I usually see him at school. but part of me felt guilty and wondered 'Is it okay for me to be out drinking with my boss?' I love Japanese people. They are breaking stereotypes every day. We walked along eating karaage (fried chicken), drinking biru, and we even went to a small restaurant and ate Hoke (a fish that comes from the Hokkaido region). I even had an impromptu Japanese lesson.... Subject-Object-Verb, ... read more
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July 2nd 2008
This is definitely my last entry. Im sorry I didnt update more recently but we've been jammed packed nonstop for many days now. Several days ago (Friday) we rode the bullet train to Hiroshima and it rocked our socks! I believe the average speed of these trains is 300mph - man do I wish we had these back in the States. We stepped off the train and the leaders waved goodbye to teh delegates as they were whisked away by their host families. Each student was returned to us Monday with a new appreciation and understanidn of the lifestyle in Japan. I heard many a stories about trying new foods, playing kimono dress-up, great moments at a karaoke session, days at the beach, lots of laugther with their host brothers, sisters, and parents and a few ... read more
May 17th 2008
Kyoto is really beautiful with too many temples and pagodas to see!! Steve can hardly write his itinerary for trying!! It has been great weather, we have finally used our sun cream!! Also we found a sweet Japanese man who showed us around!! He pointed out the real Geisha girls from the fakes!! We have 5 days but to see everything you need 6 months I think....... read more
April 18th 2008
Hello Everyone, This will be the first of a few blogs that should arrive in the next few days. Japan is such a fascinating place and we're trying to fit in so much in a short space of time that we wanted to try and keep up to date with progress rather than waiting until China when we might have less chance and the internet speed could be slower. We've been here for three days and our heads are spinning: it's pretty hard to get used to somewhere totally different having spent the last three and a half months in the comfort of the English speaking world. We arrived on Wednesday afternoon and got a bus to our hotel without much trouble. The hotel was a treat for my birthday on the 17th and was really ... read more
April 10th 2008
Sadly the heavens remained fully open all night and we woke to sniffles all round. We took a bit of time getting ourselves together and by the time we had enjoyed some excellent coffee and toast in the ryokan it had dried up a bit and we were able to head for the western hills of Higashiyama where the vast majority of Kyoto's treasures are hidden. Taking a beautiful trail through the cherry blossom we made our way to several of the larger temples on the western slopes with some beautiful gardens and views over the city. We were very fortunate to literally bump into a geisha doing a bit of temple hopping herself and I managed to get atleast one shot. Sanj took a slightly paparazzi approach and was rewarded with some beautiful shots. We ... read more
April 9th 2008
Up way too early (445 AM) to get to the Tsujiki fish market before we head out of town. Sadly didn't read the LP carefully enough and our 30 minute walk was rewarded with a small sign reminding us that the market is closed on the second and fourth wednesday of the month. Hopefully we will have the time and wherewithall to get back their on our way home. Went back to the hotel for a bit more much needed sleep before finally getting all our stuff together and heading for the train station. Ridiculously easy to get some tickets for Kyoto and we are flying along in the shinkansen as I write this. Been treated to a few excellent views of a snow clad Mt Fuji as we speed along but sadly the speed of ... read more
