Kyoto...

Good morning from freezing but lovely Kyoto!　We have been here for a few days already, trying to keep warm, getting lost, exploring temples etc. so too busy to blog. It's our neice's 1st　Birthday today - so Happy Birthday Ruby! We expect a picture of you wearing your outfit and clutching your lovely Totoro soon! Andy may go on about Robots and dolls wearing rude clothes, but Totoro is by far the best thing about Japan. He's this massive rabbit/bear creature which has magical powers who comes to your aid when you most need it. He travels by cat bus and lives in the forest with other, smaller versions of himself and he's very comfortable to sleep on. No, I haven't been on the sake, other people have seen him too, so I know he's real.

Anyway, we are staying very near Gion - a district which all you geisha fans will have heard of. Although there are only about 1000 geisha remaining throughout the whole of Japan, we have still managed to spot about three or four. You see several others who are just dressed up for the day - quite a few shops offer this service, along with full make-up and wig (for about 60 quid, Bison), but the difference is quite startling. For those who are unenlightened, geisha literally means artist (they are definitely not prostitutes). The geisha world has long been shrouded in mystery, and this reamins today. They only come out at dusk, where you will see them being escorted to their appointments by their maiko (apprentice geisha, or "little sister").

Appointments are usually at the teahouses frequented by men of considerable means, where it is the role of the geisha to provide witty conversation, complements and pour drinks for their clients. There will usually be a spot of music - most geisha play the shamisen, a three-stringed instrument, and dancing - usually a traditional fan dance. It will cost around $3,000 to spend the evening with geisha and so is only really the passtime of successful Japanese business men - a Westerner would not be allowed into a teahouse.

It takes several years training to become a fully-fledged geisha. In years gone by, daughters of poor families were often sold to ochiya (giesha houses), with the expectation that they repay their up-keep and kimono once they started earning big money. I doubt this is the case today - more that young women choose this dying art-form as a way of life. The best way of ensuring long-term success and a good income, is to find the best possible danna, or patron. This does come at a price, however. For the most successful and elligible maiko, there is often some sort bidding for their mizuage (virginity). This is often a very substantial sum of money (I don't know Bison) and secures the future of the geisha and her ochiya. 　

Anyway, they wouldn't give me a job, so it's back to nursing in 2007. They are pretty much the same job anyway. Similarities I have observed:

You go to work when everyone else is out enjoying themselves
You spend your time at work in the company of men of considerable means (James, Mike, Cameron, Elliott, Stuart)
You have to shower them with complements and pour them drinks to get anywhere (that'll be the doctors)
It takes several years of training
You have a danna (Andy)
The earnings are similar
The outfit is almost as exquisite

So, on with our adventure. Kiyomizu-dera was where we spent our first day.　　This is a massive temple, originally built in 798 (but reconstructed in 1633) is affiliated to the Hosso school of Buddhism and is one of the most famous landmarks of the city. Aside from the main hall which is set in the hillside, there are many other smaller shrines. Below the main hall is a waterfall - Otawa-no-taki - believed to have healing properties if the sacred water is drunk. Another shrine can ensure you success in love. All you have to do is walk the distance between two stones with your eyes closed (about 18m)...but Andy failed miserably after about 5m. Lets hope that prophecy will not be fulfilled, else it will be a lonely year ahead...

We then had a meander through Maruyama park, whose spring-time centrepiece was looking bit folorn in the cold winter light. Everything looks quite nearby on out map, but it's actually a massive city and so by the time we reached Chion-in, it was closed. Undeterred, we visited this temple again yesterday. Built in 1234, you are welcomed through the largest temple gate in Japan. A famous priest named Honen founded the Jodo school of Buddhism here. He fasted to death but today it remains the headquarters of the school. There were a few priests milling about and lots of visitors praying. It's nice to visit some original buildings - obviously everything in Hiroshima was rebuilt after 1945, and many famous buildings and temples have been burnt down and rebuilt, but Kyoto was largely intact after the war.


Please enjoy our slideshow from Kyoto!