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Published: November 8th 2009
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Geishas and Schoolgirls
Outside Nijo Castle Kyoto This is week 4 in Japan and we are starting to feel like old pros with this whole Japan thing. We are able to find a roof every night and put food in our bellies. Everything else is gravy. True in life and in travel!
Day 1 of week 4 is a very exciting day because we head to Kyoto and get to stay at the Westin Kyoto. This is where English royalty stay when they’re in town. The Toyoko Inns been very good to us but you won’t find the Queen staying there!!! It’s always good at a Starwood Hotel because Glenn’s a platinum member and he gets some free peaks. However, what are we most excited about??? Not having to pack for 4 days!!!!! Pure luxury!
Kyoto is a beautiful city with tons of palaces, temples and shrines. My favourites include the Temple of the Silver Pavilion, Kiyomizu Temple, Nijo Castle and walking around the nightlife district of Pontocho and Kiyamachi. However nice seeing the sights were, the most interesting thing for me was spotting Geishas out and about! I was so excited to see real Geishas. One night I went to the Gion area where they
Golden Pavilion
Where the Shogun lived in retirement. were reputed to entertain their clients but I didn’t see any. Disappointed, I wandered over to the nightlife area nearby called Kiyamachi. As I was walking down the street, I saw my first Geisha! She was with a client (middleage Japanese man in a white shirt and dark suit). She was hailing a cab for them. I tried to discreetly take a photo but the flash gave me away. It would have been a great shot except some passerby wandered right into the frame. I was pissed! Don’t worry kiddies. Life was to give me another opportunity! As I was leaving Nijo Castle one day, I saw 2 more Geishas!!! They had been waylaid by a couple of Japanese school girls for photos. Well, this was a prime opportunity to get off a few shots of my own. I’ve got to say I really like the photos. The contrast between the subjects was so interesting. “Old”. Young. Traditional. Modern. Have a look at the photos.
Kyoto also provided an opportunity for us to try another Okonomiyaki. This one was Osaka style where the egg is mixed thoroughly into the toppings and really holds everything together. Something like quiche with
a lot more fillings.
From Kyoto, we took the train to Osaka for 2 days. Glenn compares Osaka to Hamilton. It’s near a lot of culture but doesn’t have a lot itself. This town is all about business and the pursuit of food. Osakans consider themselves foodies. High. Low. It doesn’t matter as long as it’s good! There is a Japanese saying that a Kyotoite will spend his last yen on a kimono and a Osakan will spend his last yen on food. As I mentioned in an earlier blog, there is a rivalry between Hiroshima and Osaka regarding Okonomiyaki. Osaka claims to have made it popular among the masses. In fact, we’ve heard it said that Okonomiyaki (translates to “as you like it”) is considered the Soul Food of Osaka. There are 4000 Okonomiyaki restaurants in Osaka. That certainly does indicate its popularity. In Hiroshima, they claim they’re raised Okonomiyaki to an art form. Each ingredient is cooked separately and then layered one on top of another. The chefs do have to be very skilful to keep it all stacked neatly without any leaning to one side and falling over. Glenn and I have eaten Okonomiyaki in both
cities (plus Kyoto) and our winner is …….Hiroshima!!! They were both delicious but think it may have been the whole experience in Hiroshima that tipped the scales in its favour. First of all, we had it there first so there was the excitement of discovering and trying something new. Also, the ambiance and experience at the restaurant was better. Restaurant is not an accurate description of the place. It was one stall on the 6th floor of an office building filled with stalls all selling Okonomiyaki. There was a lot of excitement and energy in the air. Also, all the customers sat along the grill and got to watch the chef cook. It was very theatrical and definitely added to the eating experience. It also didn’t hurt that we struck up some fun interaction with the other diners at our stall. So in the end, we had to give the gold medal to Hiroshima.
Osaka is also famous for its Octopus Balls. It is a savoury doughnut with a piece of octopus inside. It is one of their favourite street foods and is more delicious than it sounds. In fact, we even saw it on the streets of Seoul
while we were there. Glenn discovered a Belgian waffle kiosk beside our hotel. They made their waffles fresh and coated them with caramel, white chocolate and milk chocolate. They also had good old plain ones. They were so good we had some everyday we were in Osaka.
I also tried to send a parcel of souvenirs home but it was going to cost me $100. Not only that, I would have had to fill out a form the length of my arm itemizing everything and its weight. It was just too much hassle. It was easier to carry the extra weight around.
This takes us to Week 5 and into the islands of Okinawa! Stay tuned for Pig Face and Whale Sharks.
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