Next on our itinerary was Kyoto. It is said that you need to see Kyoto in every season to truly understand it's beauty- I've been there in the oppressive heat of summer and now I was to see it during it's most popular time. To see Kyoto in the magnificence of spring was absolutely wonderful. I love Kyoto and look forward to going again.
From Osaka, we took a short train ride to Kyoto, where we were met by our new guide, Miyuki. Miyuki is my age and was a delight to have as a guide. She was looking forward to meeting me (because we are the same age) and I had a great time with her. I think this was her first time being a guide, but I think she did a great job. The vibe with her was completely different than the vibe with Takeo. Takeo was very much a tour guide, he knew a ton of information and wanted us to move as fast as we could to see everything. Miyuki, on the other had, was more like a friend showing you around her home town. Which for Kyoto, I think is the way to go. Anyway, Miyuki took us to our ryokan, or traditional japanese inn, and got us settled in our room.
The ryokan we stayed at is called Tamahan and is located in the Higashiyama area of Kyoto. This is the perfect location as it is right in the heart of Gion, and very close to several temples. Our room was a traditional room, meaning that it had tatami floors and we slept and ate in the same room. But it had a nice sitting area and bathroom area that was more 'western' in style. We had a hot bath drawn for us every night and we could walk right out into the garden if we wanted. Oh, the other nice thing about ryokans is that they provide you with yukata to change into. Yukata are lighter weight kimono and you change into them once you arrive at the ryokan. This is the reason why so many Japanese people can travel with little to no luggage. They wear the yukatas in the room and gardens and the ryokans provide soap/shampoo/toothbrush/etc. Anyhoo, the place was very very nice.
After some tea and sweets, Miyuki left us for the night. Oh, side note, we sent our luggage from Himeji to Kyoto directly. But when we arrived at Tamahan Dad's large case was missing. Well, we made a phone call and within an hour or so the luggage was delivered! Very efficient way of traveling.
For dinner on our first night in Kyoto, we had dinner at the inn. The kaiseki was served in our room on a low table. It was very formal, our "maids" brought the courses in and explained a little about each course. The food was amazing!! And we finally got to have some wine- which thrilled Dad!! Afterwards, we went out and walked around Gion a bit.
Gion is the traditional geisha and entertainment quarters of Kyoto. You can still see geisha (though they prefer to be called geiko) and their more elaborately dressed apprentices, called maiko, walking from their quarters to teahouses and private parties. Not to be confused with "onsen geisha" (those that offer sexual favors), geiko and maiko are professionally trained in the traditional arts of Japan. Song, dance, playing the shamisen, etc. They are hired to entertain at private parties and functions.
A quick tour of Gion took us back to Tamahan and our awaiting futons.
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