17 March Fushimi Inari Shrine and Thousands of Torii Gates

The 17th of March was my last day in Kyoto, I had originally planned to spend a night staying in a temple, however due to the need to have access to Skype as the disaster unfolded in the Fukushima area I opted to stay another night in the Hostel. My adventure for the day was another iconic destination for tourists who visit Kyoto. Even though I spent a week in Kyoto in 2009, I spent most of that time in Arashiyama and the outer suburbs, and thus missed a lot of the main 'attractions'.

Fushimi Inari Shrine is often referred to in brochures as the Shrine of a Thousand Gates, however when you are there you realise that there are MANY thousandS of torii gates. There are enormous ones that are a few storeys high and tiny ones no bigger than my hand, and they are EVERYWHERE. I spent about 3 or 4 hours walking up and down pathways all around the mountain side and I still did not see every torii gate in the area. The main shrine is said to bring luck or wealth to businesses, so the torii gates are actually donated by businesses who want some luck. I took hundreds of photos and a couple of videos, but as they will probably mostly look the same I will just include a smallish selection of photos and one video at the end.

*An actual photo of me, just to prove I really was there* 

*This is my favourite photo, it gives you a better idea of what it felt like to be there, in the forest walking under these bright orange gates that form a tunnel*

*These were mini torii gates, about 20 or 30cm tall, which were hanging on racks*

*View of Kyoto city from the top of the mountain*

*Fox statues are common at Shinto Shrine*

*I walked along the left hand tunnel, and the video of that walk is below*

 

16 March Traditional Arts Performance in Gion

On the 16th of March not much really happened during the day, I contacted my travel insurance company, and the airline to try and change my flights without having to pay extra. I also spent a lot of time on Skype trying to reassure everyone that I was fine, and that their entire country was no affected in the same way as the North East. While it will not be remembered as the most enjoyable day that I spent in Japan, it did end well.

While on the walking tour of Gion we had been shown a large theatre in which traditional performances were held. I decided that given how much I enjoyed the Maiko dances in Atami, that I would like to see some other art/music/dance styles as well. I cannot remember the name of all of the different performances, and I may have some wrong, so please correct me, if you know the correct terms.

*The streets of Gion on a rain soaked night*

*Bunraku Puppet show*

*The beautifully painted/embroidered stage curtain*

*Tea Ceremony*

*Two Geiko playing Koto*

*Ikebana, Flower arranging*

*The 'Hayashi' band for the 'Noh' play*

* Noh actor*

*The Noh performance*

*Another style of play, a comedy*

*Maiko dancing*

15 March Exploring Gion

On the 15th I went on a guided walking tour of Gion with a lovely girl from the Hostel. She showed us some of the wonderful old streets of Gion, the 'Geisha District' (In Kyoto they refer to the traditional performers as Geiko, rather than Geisha though)

*Filling up the daily shrine/temple quota* 

*Our friendly guide explaining that the characters above the doors list the names of the Maiko (apprentice) and Geiko.

*Some ladies in Kimono*

14 March Kyoto Imperial Palace

Before Tokyo was the capital city of Japan, the center of Japanese power was in Kyoto. The Imperial Palace and Nijo Castle were the two main articulations of this power, and both remain, virtually untouched by time, in the center of Kyoto. During World War 2 when many Japanese cities and cultural sites were destroyed Kyoto was spared, and for me, the untouched nature of the city is a large part of its appeal.

On the 14th I hired a bike from the hostel and set off along the river. It was a beautiful day and the river was looking very beautiful. I found the Imperial Palace without much difficulty and booked myself in for the next group tour, as this is the only way you can access the inner areas of the Palace grounds. While I waited for the tour to start I ate lunch at Mos Burger, and then explored the beautiful outer gardens of the Palace.

*The Emperor's Gate, no one else was allowed to enter this way, not even the Empress*

*It doesn't show up well, but that was real gold, sparkling in the sunshine*

After the tour I decided to spend the rest of the afternoon at Nijo Castle, as the plum blossom was flowering there, and I had heard there were beautiful paintings inside. It did not disappoint, and I think I enjoyed it even more than the Palace, as you were allowed to walking inside the castle, and there were many girls in Kimono who were walking in the gardens, making me feel as though I had been transported back in time. Unfortunately I was not allowed to take photos inside, but you can see some photos here: http://www.rohm.com/rohm-saijiki/nijoujou/4_coseup/closeup_01.html

*The front gate*

*The amazing carvings inside the gate*