[Travel] Out and About in Kyoto, Japan

I have some friends joining me the following day but for now, I have the whole day to myself so I set out early in the morning for a photo walk. I asked reception to encircle Gion area in my map and I figured I’d just go wherever my feet would take me. Wrong decision. Of course, I only realized that after my trip when I discovered I missed some key areas but I guess I now have a reason to go back.
 
My guesthouse neighborhood.

My guesthouse.
So anyway, my guesthouse is located in Miyagawa-cho so I decided to walk along Kamo River before I head for Gion. I just stepped out the door when I spotted four women dressed up like Maikos. My initial thought was that they were tourists playing dress up but then it was too early so I thought they could be headed to a Geisha school or whatever it is they call it? Haha I followed them anyway. Stalker mode on. Also, another thing I noticed right away is how there are vending machines literally in every corner. Dispenses hot drinks too. So cool.




Even though it hadn’t peak yet, I was still really fascinated with the colors of autumn. We don’t have fall season where I come from so you can imagine my excitement lol. Once I figured where Gion is, I decided to come back after its dark to try and spot some real Geisha. Up ahead I saw a familiar shade of vermilion which turned out to be Yasaka Shrine. They had brochures but all of them in Japanese. I was in a dilemma since I don’t have any idea what it is I’m looking at. The bane of DIY trips. I wasn’t counting on this extra day so I thought I’d just wing it.








So apparently, Shinto Shrines are more on fortune reading, prayers and wishes. I’ll make a separate blog on it since it’s impossible just to say a few words about it. Moving on, I stumbled upon Maruyama Park. I didn’t know it was Maruyama at the time. And I also didn’t know it has the famous weeping tree. Man, I took a lot of pictures too and none if it captured that tree. I wanted to break down and weep haha.
Yasaka Shrine






For some reason, the image below is one of my fondest memory of Japan. When I got to this area, it was deserted. Just the taxi driver and me. I was like walking in a dreamlike stance then and seeing this taxi and the Japanese driver, I was like, oh yeah, I’m in Japan! T.T

I like this one too, how the shade goes from green, to pinkish, orange, and almost red.

Maruyama has the perfect spot for people watching too. I loved watching high school kids just hanging around and couples garbed in traditional Japanese kimono.











After Maruyama Park, I just kept going. I really had no idea where I was. I wandered across a cemetery and I worried I might be trespassing since it wasn’t too big and it was inside an enclosure. Could be a family cemetery? After a few minutes, a car arrived and a family got out with pails and cleaning stuff. So I guess it really is a private place. I can see they were curious as  to what a foreign woman could be doing there by her lonesome and I returned their looks with just as much curiosity written all over my face. They didn’t say anything though which is just as well since we wouldn’t understand each other anyway. ^.^





I saw a Western guy for the first time and so I asked him to take my photo. I was actually surprised that about 90% of the tourists were also Japanese and some Koreans, Chinese, and Malays. I asked him where we’re at on the map and moved on. Somehow, I ended up in Kodai-ji although I didn’t get in since I was gonna visit the following day with my friends (which didn’t pan out due to time constraint). These were all taken outside Kodai-ji. There’s the usual cleansing basin, wish plaques, animal guards, and a series of bells that you supposedly have to turn simultaneously and then make a wish. At least that what I saw the others do and I followed suit haha.









Farther down the road, there are vendors selling dried fruits and even baby maple trees. It was also here that I realized that my map was missing. I made a u-turn for Kodai-ji and lo and behold, a pair of Geisha walking towards me! They could just be tourists for all I know but I didn’t care. No one was stopping them, no one was taking their photos. But I was just so excited that when they were near enough I motioned with my camera  and they stopped! And then I got my million dollar shot. It was almost serendipitous. I even had my 50mm lens on. After that, some Chinese tourists also stopped by for a photo shoot and I handed them my cam and got my picture taken too. I went back to Kodai-ji, failed to find my map, shrugged my shoulders and went back to where I was. The two Geisha’s haven’t gone far. I almost felt sorry for stopping them. But hey, if it wasn’t me, I’m pretty sure someone else will. And, I’m not gonna share their photo just yet cos my next entry is a whole album of Geishas. I spent some time in Gion that night and I was lucky to see several of them.







I wandered on without a map but I didn’t really care. Soon, I retraced my steps back to my guesthouse after buying some stuff in Lawson. Yes, I missed Ninen-zaka and Sannen-zaka. Funny thing is I even went back to Yasaka Shrine that night too but there wasn’t much to see. And I was too close, too close. If only I soldiered on. I only saw this map months after my trip and I was a bit regretful. I did walk by Nene-no-Michi Lane which I believed was the street just after I went down the steps from Kodai-ji, where I met my  Geishas. Also, it has to look like Kiyomizu-michi right? Did I really miss a lot? T_T

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