Arashiyama Hanatouro 2010 - Guide Review

One of the most famous annual winter night festival, Arashiyama Hanatouro is now in the middle of excitement!! I've guided the tourists from Canada the other day and enjoyed Arashiyama Hanatouro as nice finale of the tour!

The festival will be closing soon till this weekend (19th of Dec). If you're planning to visit Kyoto in this timing, just don't miss this special night illumination!

My one day highlight is usually be started with Arashiyama area to enjoy fresh air in its great nature, and ended up at Kiyomizu temple/Gion area to enjoy those beautiful traditional scenery with wonderful sunset! But only in this tour, I made the plan of the tour completely upside-down!

We started the tour from Kiyomizu temple area, enjoyed both sightseeing and souvenir paradise!! :)

-click on each picture to enlarge-

 After enjoyed our lunch at the quiet comfortable traditional restaurant, we've moved on to the most excited part of today's tour,

YES Arashiyama Hanatouro!!! Illuminated Bamboo!!! 

In Japan it's quite normal that small children take train or bus to school on their own. I'm always asked by the tourists when we come across such students if they are safe enough???  YES, of course most of the parents are giving their child a mobile phone or a pager for emergencies, school teachers or local people are trying to take care to watch. But this is still one of the biggest SURPRISE for overseas people!!

Autumn Colors Guide Review - Ryoanji and Takao Area - Jingo-ji, Saimyo-ji and Kozan-ji temple of World Heritage.

Kyoto's Autumn Colors has just started from last week finally! From the northern part little by little.

For a guide of nice Argentina girls, I've picked up Takao Area in the northern part of Kyoto to catch the first Autumn air! It's said that Kyoto's Autumn Colors will be begining from Takao area.

Because of the abnormal heat in this summer, I've worried about a little what would happen to this year's Autumn Colors, but no worries needed, we're welcomed by a gorgeous burning colors.

Here is the Guide Review Album of 13th of Nov.

Because Takao is in the northwest, we've started the tour from Ryoanji temple at first, the temple is open from 8:00am, so I recommend you to visit Ryoanji in the early morning, so you can enjoy more relaxing and spiritual way of viewing. You can take JR Bus from Kyoto station.

Japanese Maple (Momiji) is very tiny, so we can enjoy more detail gradation of colors than western Autumn Colors.

After refleshed spiritually in the great rock garden, we've taken the JR Bus just in front of Ryoanji temple.

In this best maple season, the bus was completely packed with the passengers like the train of rush hour, seemed no space at all to allow us to get in, but we're squeezed ourselves into the edge of the rear side of the bus. Thank you, the door was anyhow closed successfully!!

Now let's move onto the Takao tour into the world of burning color!

Hozu River Boat Tours Movie

Wonderful Boat Tour at Hozu river in Kyoto!

 In a trully fine day, I've enjoyed guiding the nice couple from America.

We've started the tour from exciting Hozu Boat Tour followed by
Romance torroko train ride from Arashiyama.

Completely relaxing joyful time on the boat! Perfect refleshing! :)

Gion Higashi Kouta (Song), Maiko Dancing with Green Tea

If you have enough time on weekend in your Kyoto travelling, I recommend you to include this Maiko Dancing in your Kyoto itinerary.

The other day, I've guided the tourists from America in Gion and by their request to see Maiko, we've enjoyed 'Meeting with Maiko' tour. She has performed for us the most popular dance at this Gion Kobu school, telling you how Kyoto is beautiful in each season in different way...

She has been just three months since her debut as Maiko, very fresh, but her performance was wonderful. Because she's already trainned for one year before debut.

I was so attracted by her each soft movement of hands and face... Actually this dance includes a small love story, too, so her facial expression includes a little shy sometimes... so cute.



For enjoying dinner with Maiko/Geiko in an authentic way, it's quite expensive like more than 600$ including the dinner, Kyoto Kaiseki. But in this 'Meeting with Maiko' tour is just 4800yen for abt one hour tour in Gion.

You can't have dinner, but enjoy nice green tea (Matcha) and then, authentic beautiful Maiko dancing like in the video up close. and enjoy taking picture with her at the end.

If you have enough itinerary and really interested to see Maiko so close in a relaxed way, not like a paparazzi chasing on the street, I recommend you to enjoy this tour. Maiko doesn't speak English, so you need an interpreter for this tour.

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Kiyomizu temple Festival, "Seiryu-e" (Blue Dragon Dance)

"Seiryu-e" is very famous annual festival at Kiyomizu temple in Spring and Autumn.


Very lucky, I could record this video when I'was guiding the tourists at Kiyomizu temple in this Spring.




Seiryu, a dragon, is said to drink the waterfall in Kiyomizu Temple.

Colorful parade of the blue dragon with people in traditional costume.
So spiritual and authentic mood...
Just join this festival in coming September and purify your body through powerful dragon dancing!

In Spring
15th, 16th and 17th of March and 3rd of Apr

In Autumn
15th, 16th and 17th of September.

Time: from 14:00pm
Location: at Kiyomizu temple.


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★ Kyoto Souvenir - Japanese Doll Kokeshi

When you travel overseas, especially such with different culture and history like Kyoto, one of the most excitement from the trip is "Souvenir", isn't it? In Kyoto there is a lot of unique souvenirs to attract not only the overseas tourists but even us, Japanese. :)

During the tour, I always enjoy helping the guests to find the souvenirs for their friends, families and themselves! When I've guided Italian couple one day in March they told me they'd like to buy Japanese dolls. Roughly, there are two types of dolls as recommended, wooden traditional Kokeshi or Maiko doll.

They preferred Pretty Kokeshi, so I introduced the store I visit often in the tours on the way to Kiyomizu temple. Kokeshi is one of the most popular souvenir as traditional doll in Japan.

  

In this store, there are lot's of selection, various colors and designes.

Each doll attracts you in different smile, so every body says hard to choose!!! I really understand! :D

And the couple has finally selected two different dolls for their friends.

Each dool is handmade. They may look simple at a first glance, but if you look in detail, they are really nicely made in a different shape and color. It's wooden, but not heavy at all, so you can buy several different models if you want!

After enjoying the tour and souvenir hunting, we were walking in a quite happy mood on the way down to Gion area through Yasaka shrine.

 To tell the truth, as a coincidence, that day was the wife's birthday!! In the afternoon he told me he'd like to order cake while enjoying lunch. But unfortunately, there's no coffee or cake at traditional Japanese noodle restaurants, so given up. I remember the story by sudden in the street, so I introduced the most popular cafe in the area to celebrate her birthday.

Tsujiri is one of the most popular cafe in Kyoto. The queue is always looking endless every day at the main brance in Gion. So I selected the another secret branch near from Kodaiji temple! Luckily, we've found the chair! :)

      

The husband and I have sung a Happy Birthday Song for her at the table! It was a bit cold weather, but we've enjoyed really warm happy mood, and of course Tsujiri's Matcha flavor "Parfait". ;-

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