Monday, November 10, 2014

Kyoto: Old Kyoto Streets in and Around the Temple Complexes


After templing, the girls needed some resources to get their energy back up so we found this neat place off the main street of the old part of Kyoto that we had ventured into as the guide book told us to do. Super cool way to dine - tatami (bamboo mats) for comfort, own room with sliding doors opening the room to the garden outside.


Emmerson and her soba plate. Both girls are in chopstick training and are progressing adequately.


Emmerson working the chopsticks. She is a minnow at chopstick use if using the YMCA swim class assessment model. I remember back in the day in NY, mom would take me into Newburgh (which was a rather scary place - so many directions I could go right about now but will focus on the YMCA tangent) for swim lessons. I was in the minnow class and desperately wanted to get out of that category and out of that whole situation, actually. After swimming, mom would have me sit under a hairdryer to dry my 9 year old locks which I found rather disturbing. Also, the whole YMCA pool and locker was kind of dark and dank and just unpleasant - and I was only a minnow. I did want to become a dolphin or shark or at least a flying fish but not enough to protest when all of a sudden we ceased to continue our trips to the Newburgh Y.... Not sure how to twist this picture without a lot of work so just tilt your head.


Street in the old part of Kyoto adjacent to the temple complexes in the east part of the city.


It is touristy but also residences and businesses intermingled with the more tourist oriented shops.


Cool, old Kyoto street buildings.


Really neat side alleys off the main street where lots of residential establishments existed. I am imagining this was not cheap real estate ......




Emmerson posing dutifully next to a statue.


Dutifully posing ...


Neat Japanese garden where the design is supposed to reflect  large Japanese landscape. So this is an island with mountains and lots of forest. The smaller rocks are the sea.


Here is a blow up of the forest - each tree is a little piece of moss.


Most likely not real geishas but possibly ... they are rare breeds now a days but if you were to see one this would probably be a prime spot. Most likely, they are models dressed for a photo shoot.


But maybe not! She sure looks full on geishaish. I am not going to go into a big explanation of geishas as I am assuming most who check this will know what a geisha is and why so few exist anymore. 


One of my favorite sequences - I saw the dressed up ladies in the back and wanted to get the girls in a photo with them.


So they are dutifully waiting and posing and waiting ....


And yes! Thank you girls, the photo I wanted to get. 


And then they just did what they do - I think they simply had enough of posing as this was completely unprompted.


Someones front entry way. Sure would like to trade places with them for a bit.


Cool street.


Another residence in the side streets.

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