Kyoto: Will The Real Geisha Please Stand Up?
Ah, Kyoto. Japan's former capital is chock full of history, must-see temples and sites, amazing food, wannabe geishas and hordes of tourists. We spent three days and nights stuffing our faces with everything we didn't try in Tokyo and worked it off by hitting the pavement to see some of Japan's oldest and most beautiful and important relics.
We began our first night at Giro Giro Hitoshina, a modern Kaiseki restaurant recommended by my sister. We had the best seats in the house at the counter where we were able to watch the hipster chefs prepare our meal! We bonded with a group of drunk old Japanese ladies next to us who kept telling us that we looked like "brotha-sista." See the gallery from our awesome meal below.
We managed to visit many of Kyoto's historical shrines and temples scattered throughout the city. We were surprised by how vibrant the colors were and how beautifully kept everything was. Check out the gallery here of our discoveries around Kyoto:
On our second day in Kyoto, we decided to take things slowly and relax. We began the day with an early lunch at Shoraian (gallery below), a secluded and zen restaurant tucked away in the mountains that focuses on everything humble tofu has to offer, mixed in with tons of other goodies as well!
After lunch, we headed to Arashiyama, the famous bamboo forest nearby. It was stunning and exactly as I'd pictured it, albeit a bit overrun by tourists (including us!).
Arashiyama, Kyoto's bamboo forest.
In the afternoon, we headed over to the Higashiyama District, a well-preserved historical district lined with small shops and cafes that truly transports you to old Kyoto.
Later that evening, we explored the Gion District, where many people hope to catch a glimpse of a "real" geisha heading to an engagement in the area. The Gion District is filled with traditional machiya houses that have been converted into restaurants and teahouses, where geishas act as expert hostesses and entertainers. It seemed as though one out of ten people in Kyoto was dressed like a geisha, including tourists and locals going about their daily lives. Click through to see if we were able to see any of the REAL geishas in Kyoto!!
Japan has so many traditional foods in its arsenal, and having had some amazing sushi, teppanyaki, kaiseki, tempura, shabu shabu, tofu, and ramen so far on the trip, we were eager to see what else we could try before leaving Japan. Much of our time spent in Kyoto was spent doing just that. The gallery from our food adventures (oodles of noodles!) can be found here:
Sayonara Japan! It has been an unforgettable two weeks for us, and we feel as though we saw so many wonderful places, people and things that define Japan. We are already planning our next trip back to this unique and beautiful country. Next stop: Bali!
-Michelle