A Halloween Weekend in Kyoto ... and I did manage to get dressed up!

This weekend, I visited Kyoto: a place I've been dying to visit every since reading 'Memiors of a Geisha', and subsequently reading anything about Kyoto I could get my hands on. I love cultural stuff, and Kyoto seemed to be chalk full of it. Let me tell you, I wish I could have spent a month there, let alone two days!

Sian and I ventured south on a overnight bus from Tokyo. The bus took about eight hours, but the trip could have truely been made in less than four. Ever couple hours, the bus would stop in the middle of nowhere for 20, 30, 40 minutes. We weren't quite sure why, but with our legs feeling extremely cramped by the end of the trip, we were a bit annoyed. Anyhow, we slept lightly.

We arrived at Kyoto Station at half five in the morning. After struggling to find our way to the hostel, and stuggling to stay awake on the subway (a trying feat) we finally struggled into the place around seven. Our hostel was a small one, only 2 rooms (male and female), and 10 beds in each room. It was adorable, though, and clean, and the location was awesome: right in Gion! We unpacked and showered, and headed straight to Starbucks. I had been combating intense cravings for a ginormous hot espresso beverage for a week or so, and it had almost gotten the best of me. A Venti Carmel Macchiato and hot sandwich later, I was cured. Let the fun begin.

We planned out our two days, and the set off on our rented bikes (only $1 for the day!) to see the first half of the sights. Biking north, we first visited the Heian Jingu Shrine. It was large, and very orange. Also, beautiful. Here we saw little children dressed in traditional wear, and were interviewed by several school groups asking us about our hometown, and favorite foods in Japan.

Next, we continued north to the start of the famous Philosophers Walk- a cobble stone river trail up to the Silver Temple. The 1.5 mile walk was simply beautiful, and is supposed to inspire wisdom and clarity. The leaves were gorgeous, and the area was quiet and tranquil. I think this was one of my favorite parts of the trip!

Our trek was rewarded (if not rewarding enough in and of itself) by the beautiful Silver Shrine. The gardens surrounding this famous temple were astounding. There was a great view of Kyoto from the evelated parts.

After the Shrine, we biked back down to Gion and grabbed some more coffee at a local cafe. The lack of sleep was starting to get to us - but I had a big event planned. I got my makeup done, and was dressed up as a geisha! SO FUN! It's an extremely complicated process- both putting on the make up and getting dressed. The dress itself has about 10 layers, and is pulled really tightly across your midsection to promote good posture. You don't look too thin in it, as there are so many layers and blocks and towels... but you are straight. I thought this was an interesting contrast to the corset.

After this, we had some dinner at a cheap Thai curry place, and walked around Old Gion for a bit. It was beautiful at night, but we were very tired. We hit the hay early, in anticipation for a big day to come.

Sunday, after more enormous lattes and adding a fellow traveler, Gilles from Holland, to our team, we first explored the Yasaka Shrine, just down the street from our place. It was very beautiful, again, and we found many souveniers for sale. I managed to pick up a few christmas presents here.

Then, we walked through Old Gion, geisha spotting along the way.

Just beyond Old Gion is the famous Kyomizu temple, located high above the city and offereing a great panoramic view. Kyoto is so Picturesque - it has beautiful tree topped mountains and hills, and the population seem to really appreciate and treasure it.

At this point it began to rain, and we pulled out our umbrellas. One funny thing about Japan is that EVERYONE has an umbrella when it rains. I don't think I've seen one Japanese preson run thorugh the rain with their bad abover thier head, or just pull thier hood up to keep dry. They all have these really nice, wide, umbrellas.

Anyway, it started to rain as we made our way to Fushimi, the gates. It was a 10 minute train ride South. SO COOL! There are over 5000 gates, which have been donated by patrons of this shrine. we walked for about 30 minutes before reallizing that it would take another hour to reach the top. We stopped and had some Udon, thick noodles in Broth, at a traditional tea house. We sat on cushions on the floor, and took our shoes off at the door. The view from the restaurant was beautiful.

We attempted to make it to the Golden Shrine, located in the north western part of the city, but arrived just after closing time. Instead, we met some friends for dinner and drinks, and I headed backto the station to catch my bus back to Tokyo. I, unlike my friends, had to work monday. I slept sound ly most of the way back- but was exhausted all day at work. I fell into bed monday night, totally beat, but totally satisfied. Great trip!