Cherry Blossom night viewing

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25th March Night time Cherry Blossom - Kyoto #heygo http://www.heygo.com



Gion Shirakawa is in the entertainment district with traditional wooden houses, restaurants and teahouses.

The true magic of Kyoto comes out when dusk falls, transition into a magical nighttime town illuminated with paper lanterns mixed with argon lights.

The illuminated cherry blossoms give off an ethereal glow, are called yozakura—cherry blossoms at night.

Kinya our virtual guide took us for a night stroll along Shirakawa Street in Kyoto's Higashiyama Neighbourhood.

Kinya explained how the cherry blossom was highly regarded by Japanese people from old times & shared the philosophical connotations behind the scenes of the Japanese cherry blossoms.

We learnt about Geisha

The profession of a geisha was officially recognized in the second half of the eighteenth century. Geisha are women who dedicate their lives to Japanese traditional arts and put their talents to use entertaining customers on the occasion of banquets and performances.

Apprentice geisha, called maiko in Kyoto, often wear very distinctive makeup. Their faces are covered with a thick white layer, and they wear red lipstick. Black is also used around the eyes and on the eyebrows.

The rules on make-up relax more with age, unless you are a confirmed geisha, as geikos are forced to wear makeup. After turning 30 years old, a geisha can wear make-up for special occasions only, the idea being to make room for their natural beauty.

Geisha only wear silk kimono, closed by knotting a wide belt in the back, called an obi. The shape of the knot depends on the age of the geisha; a knot with a long train is displayed by a maiko, while a shorter knot will be used instead for an older confirmed geisha.

Similarly, bright colors and patterns are usually by worn younger maiko. The outfit is completed with white socks (tabi) and wooden sandals (geta).

To put on a kimono is a complex task and fabrics are heavy, so often a professional dresser attends to the geisha and helps dress them. This is the only man allowed to enter the okiya, the house where geisha live.

Kimonos are traditionally handmade and are of great value. They often cost several thousand dollars.

Geisha wear their hair in very sophisticated chignons held by traditional combs. As it takes so long to style, their hair must be kept perfect over several days, so they sleep by resting their necks on small supports.

Becoming a geisha is a lot of hard work and dedication that takes years of intensive work.

You are not allowed to photograph a geisha.

In Japan, it is an ancient tradition to watch the cherry blossoms. While the exact customs and activities have changed over the centuries, the basic principle remains the same. People meet with family and friends to eat and drink and observe the beauty of the magnificent but short-lived cherry tree flowers. This is called hanami.

Sadly this year the hanami festival was cancelled.

Hanami was first recorded as a major part of Japanese culture during the Nara Period, beginning in the early 8th Century. However, texts from the time describe cherry blossom viewing from as early as the 3rd Century, so it’s possible that it’s even older.

Originally, the cherry blossom season signified the beginning of the rice-planting season. People made offerings to the kami gods of the Shinto religion who they believed lived inside the trees.

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