TRAVELLIVE 11-2016

The author is wandering on the street of geisha.
AND GION - THE LAST STREET OF GEISHA
As beautiful as the settings of classic
movies, Gion greeted me with
traditional wooden houses with small
bowls of salt in in front and charming
girls wearing kimonos in the narrow
streets. If you are lucky enough, you
will meet a geisha and maiko wearing
traditional kimonos and make - up like
fine porcelain dolls.
Geisha, or geiko in Kansai local
language, refers to artists who are
trained to perform various types of art
and follow strict rules of costume and
communication to perform in upper
class’s parties. I loved standing right
at the crossroad and watching groups
of people crossing the street, some
men in black suits are rushing to go
somewhere or a boy quickly holds his
friend’s hand when the traffic light is
going to change color...
As a big city, the former capital of
Japan in Edo period, Kyoto, however,
feels like a small town. And Gion
is a signature “Kyoto” street with
traditional tea houses, lattice doors,
Gion Minamiza Theater. The expensive
Hanamikoji road with machiya
restaurants is a place to enjoy luxurious
kaiseki ryori parties. Immersing
yourself in the crowd strolling down
Gion street is a special experience.
About 8 minutes from Gion on
foot is the Fujukuen tea factory in
Uji. My friend told me that that it
is the most famous and oldest one
(226 years) in Kyoto. A middle aged
tea master welcome us and they
showed me how the Japanese respect
simplicity, from the tea bowls with
patterns representing the 4 seasons
to the suitable way of stirring tea and
temperature of water to make tea. In
Uji culture, the concept of enjoying
tea is known as the garden in the sky,
based on the Shichu-no-Sankyo spirit
of the tea ceremony. In these final days
of the year, why don’t you travel to
this city, spend a tranquil day enjoying
a bowl of matcha, and contemplate
peaceful nature by your side?
* Shichu-no-Sankyo: a phrase which
evokes a sense of tranquility amidst
the chaos.
Save hundreds of
dollars during your
trip in Japan with:
ü Kansai One Pass: the powerful
card for visitors to Kansai only.
It allows you to freely travel by
express train (JR), subway, train,
and bus around Kansai. There is
no expiration date for the card;
therefore, save it for your next trips.
The card also gives you numerous
privileges when buying souvenirs
in duty-free shops at Kansai
International Airport and buying
tickets at famous destinations.
ü Kansai Wide Area Pass: a
great choice for a journey through 8
destinations Osaka - Hyogo - Kyoto
- Nara - Wakayama - Shiga - Fukui
- Okayama. It allows you to travel
by Haruka (Kansai Airport Express),
local train, Shinkasen Express, and
Limited Express Train at the price of
9000JPY (sold in Japan) or 8500JPY
(sold in other countries).
ü Kintetsu Rail Pass: the pass to
travel to Osaka - Kyoto - Nara - Ise
Shima - Nagoya by Kintetsu train in
1; 2 or 5 days at respectively prices
of 1,500JPY - 2,000JPY - 3,800JPY/
adult and 750JPY - 1,000JPY
- 1,900JPY/ child. Particularly, the
5,860JPY pass includes express train
tickets, vouchers for two turns to
KIX or Chubu Central Airport, and
free use of the bus for 5 days.
TRAVELLIVE 111