I'll be splitting my Kyoto entry into two, just to prevent my posts from being far too wordy.
I'll cover Kiyomizo temple, souvenir shopping, and the life of a modern day geisha in this entry and shopping and
the best unagi ever in the next. :)
We took the shikansen (bullet train) from Shinfuji station
to Shin-kyoto in the morning to see more of traditional Japan.
Tip: Shikansen tickets are not cheap. Each of our one-way
journeys cost between 10,000 – 11,000 Yen, which is around 100 USD. Tourists
are entitled to discounted fares, but you can only purchase the rail card
outside of Japan. So if you’d like to make use of it, buy it before you fly in.
You can find more information
here.
A 7-day pass is 28,000 Yen, which if we had purchased, would have saved us
around 2500 Yen (25 USD).
 |
| Cherry blossoms at Kiyomizo temple |
Another tip: Change money at a bank and not a Travelex and
definitely NOT in the hotel. The rates in banks are a lot better.
First stop after changing money was the Kiyomizo temple. The
walk up to the temple itself is really nice with small shops on both sides
selling souvenirs that are nice to look at. There are also many shops that sell
this rice cookie called yatsuhashi and
you can try loads of samples for free in these stores. You also get people
walking around in kimonos – usually people who hire them out for a day so they
can take ‘nicer’ photos with the cherry blossoms.
 |
| Kiyomizo temple |
Tip: I would advise against shopping for souvenirs on this
street as we had to learn the hard way that a lot of these things are even
cheaper in the airport. For example, my uncle bought a porcelain Kabuki mask
for around 3000 Yen, which we later saw at Osaka airport for 1700 Yen!
You should also try the matcha green tea ice cream in one of
the stalls on that street. Try the stalls further down the street (closer to
the temple), because the ice cream tends to be cheaper there.
Our next stop was to Miyado Odori in Gion to have tea with
the geishas and watch them perform a traditional dance. The geishas, referred
to as maiko girls, by the locals are
still around today. They usually live on Gion, old Kyoto, and roam the streets
after sunset. They spend a lot of their time learning dances, songs, and
instruments. In fact, they showcase their talents in Miyado Odori.
 |
| Miyado Odori |
According to our guide, they only perform for around 2-3
weeks in the entire year so their shows sell out fast. Tickets are not cheap
either. For 2000 Yen you can get tatami mat seats on the balcony. It’s pretty
far up and the show is around 1-hour long so sitting on these mats could get
uncomfortable. However, to be entitled to the better seats in the stalls or
circle you need to purchase a ticket to the tea ceremony, which you should
attend 1-hour to 45-minutes prior to the performance.
Here’s a low-down of the prices and show schedules if you are interested:
The tea ceremony was nothing but a common tourist trap.
There was little ceremony to speak of. You get crammed into a bench full of
strangers while two maiko girls are on stage. One is preparing tea, and the
other is serving. It takes a total of about 5 minutes where they ask you to
down your flavourless matcha tea and eat your mochi before they usher in the
next group. At least they let you keep the dish they served the mochi on as a
souvenir.
 |
| You can explore the garden of the maiko girls while waiting for your tea ceremony. |
 |
| The picture I'm sure you've all been waiting for since the beginning of this post. |
The performance itself is worth the good seats. It is
absolutely entrancing if you are into unusual theatrical performances and the
like. It was fascinating watch how they moved and how they never changed their
facial expression. It was as if they were wearing masks. I will not lie… some
people around me did fall asleep, but if you’re a drama geek like me, I’m sure
you’d appreciate it.
After the show I just had a stroll around Gion, known as the
old part of Kyoto, and savoured its beauty. It’s like travelling through time.
 |
| The streets of old Kyoto |
 |
| Old love meets new love on the streets of Gion |
No comments:
Post a Comment