Shizuoka & Kyoto: (Temples, Shrines & Maiko-san)
We took the Shinkansen about one hour to Shizuoka to meet Nobuko Kawashima, another of Yasuko’s friends, and hopped off the train long enough to have some delicious sushi, a cup of tea and a chat (they did the chatting). Then we got back on the train for the one and a half hour trip to Kyoto.
The traditional atmosphere of Kyoto is obvious as soon as you get off the train. We went to the central shopping district around Hankyu (private) Railway terminal and the usual cluster of department stores and endless arcades. Yasuko did a bit of shopping and we dined in one of the many traditional Japanese restaurants (one with tables and chairs).
Next day we went on an adventure tour riding down the Hozugawa rapids. The ride to the top is in a converted coal train which follows the river up and then transfer by bus to board the small boat handled by a crew of three. The boat trip was originally used for cargo transport but is now just for fun. It seems like we can’t escape the drought wherever we go. Our boatman said the river was down by about half a meter and the trip time of nearly 2 hours is now about double what it is with normal water levels. It was a fun trip, but unfortunately the colour change is a bit late this year due to the warm weather, but still very pretty with a few thrills for good measure.
In the evening we went to the Gion (geisha) area and hung around for a while hoping to catch one of the geisha or maiko-sans coming out of their houses, but we had no such luck and went for beer and unagi (eels) instead.
Before leaving, we kept up with our divinity and visited the Kyomizu (Buddhist) Temple. The temples are closer to heaven because they are built at the top of the highest (and steepest) hills, so it’s good for the body as well as the soul. To keep our divinity levels even we also went to Yasaka Jinja (Shinto Shrine) near the Gion area. Yasuko went to do a bit more shopping and was lucky enough to find a Maiko-san on her way to the shrine and managed to get a quick photo.
Then it was back to the station for the one and a half hour trip to Kobe.
