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Each time I go to Kyoto I always return home both tired
and energized. Quite a contradiction, I know, but I
can't find any other way to describe it.
Weary in body, but fresh in mind.
There is something quite cleansing for the soul about
wandering around ancient places. If you take the time
to stop and really observe the rhythm of daily life
at old temples and shrines you can almost hear the voices
of ages past speaking to you.
It is a sad fact that Kyoto is disapearing little by
little as modern devlopments continue to threaten its
soul, but if you take the time to get good and lost,
there is still plenty of the old city still remaining
for the adventurous traveller to discover.
I have started to think that I must have lived there
in a past life or something. I just feel so at home
there.
--
The day I arrived in Kyoto (Friday) I met up with David,
a long time Sushicam visitor and we spent the day wandering
through some of Kyotos finer Temples and Shrines. In
the afternoon David treated me to a walking tour of
Gion hosted by Peter
Macintosh, a long term resident of Kyoto and no
doubt one of the the only Gaijin in Japan that has been
able to so deeply enter into the secret world of the
Geisha and Maiko of Kyoto.
A huge "Domo Arigatou Gozaimasu!" goes out
to David for that treat.
Peter's
evening walking tours of Gion start at 4:30 and
run for an hour and a half. He takes you through two
Geisha districts and provides a running explination/narrative
of everything you see along the way. He is also able
to answer any questions you may have regarding Geisha
and Maiko. It is time very well spent and I highly recommend
you take the tour if you ever go to Kyoto.
If you want to see some absolutely stunning Geisha
and Maiko photos, check out Peters
photo gallery. The unparalelled access he has with
Geisha and Maiko means he is able to capture images
that are truely remarkable.
After the walking tour David and I capped off the evening
with a few drinks at The Hub, an Irish style pub in
Kyoto. (I know, not very Japanese, but it is a fun polace
nonetheless)
--
For some odd reason, the fall colors in Kyoto are very
late this year. Many maple trees are still totally green,
even though the peak color season should have already
passed a couple of weeks ago. Most likely it is due
to the fact that it has been an unusually warm Fall
and it usually takes a good cold snap to shock the leaves
into changing.
There were select trees in their full autumn glory,
and some temples were nice (Tofukuji in particular)
but on the whole it was pretty bland. (Although I did
zoom in on some of the better color samples and was
able to get some good fall foliage shots, I was unable
to get any sweeping vistas of red and yellow.
But looking on the bright side, this just means that
I MUST go back again next fall...^_^
--
I wish I could post full resolution versions of these
photos for you all. So much detail is lost when I shrink
them down for display here, it really is a shame.But,
since my dream/goal/target is to do the photography
thing full time some day, I need to make sure I don't
release my original files.
To get things rolling again I have even started working
on my stock photography website again over the past
few weeks. I'll post the URL so you all can check it
out once I get it a little more complete.
--
The second monthly Sushicam
Prints Raffle is drawing near its close. Entries
are being accepted through December 7th and winners
will be selected on December 8th.
--
A parting haiku in celebration of my most resent sojourn
to Kyoto:
"Centuries of age
Captured in a moments glance
How I miss Kyoto..."
Comment 13
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