Japan
Kyoto
The gorgeous city of Kyoto is located
in the magnificent Tamba highlands,
surrounded by three majestic mountains
the Higashiyama, Kitayama, Nishiyama,
and is nestled in the Yamashiro Basin.
It is a three hour train trip away from
Hakone, the last stop on our trip so
far.
Click here to see an interactive web
map of our trip.
Nijo, the spooky and eerie as well as
wonderfully beautiful Shogun Castle is a
must see while in Kyoto. Constructed
between 1601 and 1626, the castle is
made of wood and thin paper screens. Its
inhabitants must have frozen given its
paper and wood construction. It seems as
if people had minimal privacy too as all
the walls and panels slide open between
rooms. The garden outside offers various
rock and tree gardens done in a very
pristine Japanese style. One will often
catch a peek of gardeners hand
manicuring trees. High on the tall
castle battlements it is common to see
eagles battling each other overhead.
Nijo, Shogun Castle
The other must see location while in
Kyoto is the Gion district. Originally
developed in the middle ages, this
atmospheric place is located in front of
Yasaka Shrine. Built to accommodate the
needs of travelers and visitors to the
shrine, it eventually evolved into one
of the most exclusive and well-known
geisha districts in all of Japan. The
geisha in the Gion district do not refer
to themselves as geisha, but rather Gion
geisha use the local term geiko. While
the term geisha means "artist" or
"person of the arts", the more direct
term geiko means essentially "a child of
the arts" or "a woman of art". Take a
ride on a rickshaw, drink green tea, and
walk down streets filled with shops
selling all kinds of strange oddities.
Gion geisha
If you do not see Kyoto, you will
have missed a life opportunity.
Join me on the next leg of our trip
in my next article on Land of the Rising
Sun; Japan.