The last couple of days in Kyoto have been great. I really enjoy this city. It it so drenched in Japanese culture, you can`t look anywhere without seeing a temple, castle or even a Geisha. And even though that sentance may imply Geisha are everywhere, they definitely are not. We haven`t seen one anyway. Even in the district where they are more commonly seen, the Gion district, they are still hard to come by. The closest we got to a Geisha was seeing a Maiko, A Geisha in training. We once snatched a brief glance but even in those split seconds, the amount of grace and beauty that Maiko had was unfathomable.
Although Kyoto is a traditional city, it still has a popular youth district and many bright lights coming from the abundance of shops and pachinko parlors. Yes it is traditional but it is also fun and lively. Just the right mix in creating the perfect city.
The day after the Imperial palace we had to leave the current hostel, which I am convinced was hell, and move to the hotel we booked in Kyoto. We booked the hotel before the trip and with a name like "Kyoto Royal Hotel & Spa" we had high expectations. And boy, did they pay off. We look out of place here I`m not going to lie. This hotel is huge, and a large majority of it is gold. I`m pretty sure I would have to sell my soul to be able to afford a cocktail at the bar, and even if I did that, I`d still be a few yen short. It`s very beautiful.
After booking into the hotel we headed to a once a month market held in Northern Kyoto. This market appears on the 25th of each month and sells a load of japanese goods from Kimonos to fans. After almost dying in the heat I decided to buy a nice masculine fan to cool me down. It is my purchase of the trip so far. It hasn`t left my side and is pretty much open non stop. The heat is still quite unbearable. The weather reports keep saying it`s going to rain so I keep feeling a little cheated when I open the curtains in the morning to a blaze of fire. However, the market was a great opportunity to just walk around and not spend much money and it was very emjoyable. It is held next to one of the major shrines so even when the bussle becomes to much you can slip away to the shrine to avoid the crowds. It proved to be a great day.
The day after that was a strange day. Not in that things were bad, just in that we kept appearing in the right places at the right time. On a "spur of the moment" decision we headed to a shrine near the hostel we previously stayed at, (the hell hostel) and just as we got there this loud music started playing. We had no idea going on, and the confusion on our faces was probably really obvious. However after a minute of the music two huge wooden doors slammed open and right before our eyes we witnessed a Japanese wedding. It was incredible. It looked a bit like an arranged marriage, (mainly because the bride and groom didn`t look very happy, and they didn`t even look at each other) but it was so great to be there at that moment and witness how things happened in a different culture. It was quite a beautiful wedding and it must be traditional to have them at shrines.
Just after that we headed to a mausoleum of a very appreciated buddhist. And whilst we were there we witnessed another ceremony. This one looked like a ceremony celebrating the buddhists life and it was all very quiet and reserved. I even made sure I turned my phone off, just in fear that I somehow distrubed such a sacred practice.
Yesterday we headed to Nijojo Castle. A Castle in the heart of Kyoto which served as the Shogun`s living and business quarters a couple of centuries ago. This was the first castle that allowed us entry into the living space and I particuarlly thought that was great. Walking through the rooms and seeing which room was used for what things was very educational. Also the gardens of the castle were very beautiful and saturated in nature. It`s so nice to see things that are so different to our own culture. I like that i can appreciate them for what they are and that they don`t bore me.
After the castle we headed to the "largest wooden structure in the world". It was Nishi-Honganji. A place of worship for Sect-Buddhism. A type of Buddhism which I especially enjoy. (See my next post for more on Buddhism). There was another ceremony going on whilst we were there and it was nice to stand on the outskirts and watch the monks pray to Buddha.
Finally. Today we went to the Golden Pavillion. A massive temple that is literally, yep you guessed it, Gold. It`s magnificint. It`s bright and most of all, it`s probably worth quite a few bob. If you come to Kyoto, go to the Golden Pavillion, my bad english simply won`t do it justice.
I apologise if this post seems a bit all over the place. We have done so much in Kyoto that it`s difficult to try and fit in descritpition`s of places without saying too much that I bore you. Thanks for reading.
The Adventure Continues.
Sayounara. Arigatou.
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