We also visited a few renowned temples, the first of which was Kiyomizu-dera (http://reginachow.blogspot.com/2009/12/kyoto-part-1.html).

Next up was Kinkakuji, otherwise known as the Golden Pavillion. Kinkakuji is a Zen Buddhist Temple that houses Buddhist relics. The top two storeys of the pavillion are lined with pure gold. The pavillion, as its name suggests as well, is extravagance exemplified.

We also caught up with Grace’s friend, Tomomi, who travelled all the way to Kyoto to meet us. The kind and friendly babe treated us to a delicious meal at Hilton Hotel.

Ravenous, we gobbled up our appetizer and pasta before it struck us that we hadn’t taken any photos! Here’re the only food photos that we took for that particular meal.

After the satisfying meal, we ventured into the departmental stores and shopping malls that paved the streets near our hotel. What I love about Japan is that the departmental stores carry more affordable second lines of reputable designer labels. One of my favourites has got to be Lavin en Bleu, the second line of Lanvin that was apparently created solely for the Japanese market. Of course, there are also coveted Japanese designer labels such as Comme des Garcons, started by Rei Kawakubo in 1973.

The next day marked the end of our Kyoto tour. We had our last meal at Sukiya, a fast food chain similar to Yoshinoya, but much nicer! I particularly liked the yummy curry rice and salad. Besides the normal-sized portions, they also serve mini portions for patrons who have smaller appetites!

On the way back to our hotel to retrieve our luggages, we bumped into two of the cutest, most fashionable Japanese children! Don’t they look like they were wearing clothes that came right off the runway? Check out the hair too!

I just LOVE them to bits!

And there you have it, our final destination in Kyoto, the Shinkansen (bullet train) station!

Geishas, simply put, are women of the arts. This geisha above is a senior Geiko with with more than 20 years of experience.

Here’s a guide to identifying Geikos (courtesy of Grace):

Hair:- A Geiko wears a few pins and a kushi which is generally plain in style and not covered in silk in her hair.

Make-up:- They wear white make-up that leave no bare hair line with minimal amount of red outlining the eyes and eyebrows. They will also paint her lips almost in full.

Kimono & Collar:-Geiko’s kimono has shorter sleeves and is usually of a solid colour with a subtle pattern towards the bottom. Geikos also wear a wide, yet simple white collar.

Obi:-Geikos wear a narrower obi of a subtle pattern and generally tie it in the style of the refined Taiko box bow.

Lady Luck was shining on us that day as we we caught sight of another Geisha after our sumptuous dinner, which I will talk about later. On our way back as we walked through the brightly-lit alley, I saw a beautiful figure clad in colourful finery. I immediately grabbed Grace’s hands and shouted “Geisha!”, before gesturing to her excitedly that she should get her camera ready to snap, snap, snap!! What an eventful night it was!

Here’s a guide to identifying Maikos (again thanks to Grace):

Hair:- Maikos wear a wide variety of hair ornaments called kanzashi. They are often more elaborated & colourful than those wore by the geiko. This maiko is wearing a “hana kanzashi” created from squares of silk by a technique known as tsumami. Maikos wear different hana kanzashi according to the season and this one is wearing the winter theme where tortoiseshell and coral kanzashi are are worn.

Make-up:- Maikos paint their faces white & leave a W shaped line of bare skin around their natural hairline. Their eyes and eyebrows have a noticeable amount of red. With both her lips painted, I think this maiko is a senior maiko as junior maiko can only paint their lower half lips.

Kimono & Collar:- Maikos’ kimonos are more colourful with long sleeves that hang down near their ankles. They also wear a thick heavy embroidered collar which is predominately red, with a smattering of white and silver patterns on it.

Obi:- A Maiko’s obi is long and wide and covers a good proportion of her torso from her hip bone to her breast. The back of the obi bow dangles down to her ankles.

So now, back to dinner. We had no idea which restaurant to go to, but we eventually stumbled upon a gem.

We ordered the set menu, called “Kyo-zanmai”, which translates to the “Taste of Kyoto”. It was a steal at 3,800 yen (approximately SGD60).

For starters, we had 3 seasonal dishes, namely radish, dou miao and tofu. Unlike the Chinese tofu, this one had a very dense yet smooth texture.

Next up was pot-steamed hotchpotch – clear soup with tofu and minced crab meat.

The sashimi was very sweet and fresh. We had toro, tai, ika and bean curd skin served on a bamboo dish.

Yakimono – Chargrilled Tajima beef and Kyoto vegetables

Tofu

Tempura

Seasonal rice with Japanese herbs, shiso and fried anchovies. This was a unique dish and absolutely tantalizing to the taste buds.

And finally, we had green tea ice-cream from Gion’s famous cafe, Tsujiri, which specializes in green tea.

Our first stop in Kyoto was Kiyomizu-dera – UNESCO World Heritage Site. Kiyomizu means clear water and it’s name in Kanji is 清水寺. All these photos are 3 months overdue and my memory is clearly fading with time. Thank goodness Grace posted all her photos up on facebook, complete with descriptions so I can leech off her! ;P

We had to climb up a steep slope to reach the temple. It was a slow climb as we kept getting distracted by the little shops selling traditional gifts and snacks.

No idea why they stood so far away initially but they moved closer when it was their turn to take photos with us. Haha.