A Step Back in Time. Just Don't Trip!!!

Yummy!
Kyoto was the former
Imperial Capital
of Japan.
Now it's a tourist paradise.
Full of  Buddhist temples,Shinto shrines & exquisite
Japanese gardens.
Not to mention Geishas.
It's also a foodie & shopper haven.
There were so many vintage kimonos
& obi's
available.
 In all colors and prints.
Buy them all !!!

Quaint.
We stayed in a traditional
Japanese Inn that
originated in the Edo period, known as
Ryokan.
I had a 2 room suite.
Check -Rice paper sliding doors.
Check-Tatami floors.
Check-Futon.
And a cedar wood bath that was
drawn ready
 & steaming hot every evening
upon our return.
Although the Ryokan had several rooms,
we never once saw other guests.
The owners were very careful about this.
It appears that they were there to host only
you and no one else.
Another not-to-be-missed experience.

Precious.
Seriously.
For all you photo enthusiast
out there,
your hands would tire from all
that clicking and weight
of the camera.
Your memory cards would melt.
Your eyes reduced to extra
tiny
apertures.
And your friends would have left
you.
Since by night fall,
 you'll still be on that street
you started off early in the morning!!!

Ancient.
This UNESCO World Heritage Site
has not succumbed
into being one giant tourist
trap.
Traditional culture & arts
 are still
practiced and preserved.
There are several schools around
where one could 
fine-tune 
oneself.

Delightful.
This incredible city is still awash
with traces from it's glorious past.
The Gion district is one fine example.
Narrow lanes.
Old wooden tea houses.
Antique shops.

"I Love The Fresh
Wind In My Hair
Life Without Care
Oh, I'm So Broke..."

Slurp!
Ramen.
A dish made up of Chinese style
wheat noodles, served in either meat
or fish broth.
Top this with soy & miso sauce.
Add heaps of scallion and sliced pork.
Sprinkle with dried chili flakes.
This popular cult staple can be found
on every corner.
Each one unique.
Each one special.
After my 12th bowl,
I now feel ready to appear on a
Ramen talk show!
Burp!

Endearing.
One day we got lost on the way back to the
Inn.
We stopped a lady on a bicycle,
to ask for directions.
A couple of hand movements here & there,
secured our confidence to move on.
Ten minutes later, we found our charming
lodgings.
Guess who was standing outside next to her
bicycle, both arms pointing to the
Ryokan,
not unlike some gentle
Singapore Airlines
cabin crew.

Zen.
Ok.
Did you that Zen is the Japanese
pronunciation of the Chinese word
Chan, which in turn is derived from
the Sanskrit word Dhyana.
It roughly means
 "Meditative"
or
"Meditative State".
Enough said.
( all knowledge from internet
is better than no knowledge...)

Full Bloom.
Let's just be content to look at
these
 pink flowers
since we missed the
Cherry Blossom
season by just one week.

Decor.
I firmly believe the
Japanese
are all born
with that
innate
specialness
that make them
Japanese.
Comprendo???

Fung Shui?
Kyoto is a walking city.
Clean.
Safe.
Arresting.
To get from
 A to B,
may look easy.
But trust me, you'll stop by
C,
then
D,
and before you know it,
done all the other alphabets
before you even get to
B.
Am I making sense here?

Fascinating.
How did this
one city
get it so right?

Hypnotic.
Luckily for us,
during the second
 "you-know-what"
it was spared from destruction.
It was removed from the
"you-know-what"
target list.

Satisfying.
Definition of a great holiday?

Exotic.
Here's another one.
Apparently, the original type of
sushi
 originated in
South East Asia,
then spread to
South China
before introduction 
into 
Japan?
( oh...more knowledge from
internet makes one almost full.)

Fair Maidens.
We were out strolling one day.
I was lamenting on the fact that we had not seen any 
Geishas.
Then low and behold...
Geishas everywhere!
Truly beautiful.
So gentle.
So graceful.
And what lovely Kimonos.
I was sure to ask permission
before
snapping away.
One of them gave me a quiet
nod of approval.

Noble.
How many hours did it take?


This is a scene from
My Geisha.
A 1962 movie with
Shirley Maclaine.
Now there's a fine actress!

Serene.
Sometimes, you feel
as if
you're in a movie set.
Madam Butterfly anyone?

Cute & Clever.
Being a retailer,
I was truly blown away.
Every shop had special
gift wrapping services.
( cost inclusive)
Everything was so
beautifully presented.
Making them all so extra precious.
At a price,
Seven Eleven will even do wrapping!

Cherished.
The thing about
Japan
is that it
makes you
conjure up
these
agreeable & satisfying
feelings.
Hard to explain.
I"m sure you understand.

Exquisite.
At every turn,
a remarkable
sight.
At every corner,
a comely
 surprise.

Light & Shadow.
At the Inn, we had a choice of either
Japanese
or
 Western breakfast.
Which do you think we took.

Breathtaking.
With most holidays,
a great deal of planning is
required.
In this ancient capital,
you can simple
go with the flow.

Time Travel.
In Autumn,
the hills around Kyoto
are
 a blazed in
 full
fall colours.
Totally awe-inspiring.

Glazed.
During our 4 days there,
we ate,
shop
&
experienced
some memorable moments
simply unique to
this place.

Magnificent.
The wind gently brushed
against
the
smoky clay roofs.
Producing a sound
so familiar yet 
unknown.

Silky.
Like a woman's hair,
cascading with full round sweeps.
Reaching out, you try to grasp
the inviting leaves.
But alas,
not this time.

Intimate.

A small glimpse into
a life that is 
alien
 to most of us.

Details.
Every action has an equal
and opposite reaction.

Graceful.
I saw this crane
dipping herself in the very clean
river.
I was so taken back by the blue
on the feathers.
So regal.

Room Service Anyone?
Well this was the setting
for our
Kaiseki Dinner.
This is a traditional
multi-course meal.
I think 13 in total.
The use of fresh seasonal
ingredients are a must.
It's really an art form
that strikes a balance
between
taste, texture,
appearance
&
colour.

Wow!
Our Kimono clad
staff
brought in these
dazzling assortment
of beautifully arranged
morsels of food.
One after the other.
The manner of her
presentation
was also integral to the meal.

Yippee!
Each dish was carefully explained.

Oooh!
All this left us speechless.
In between mouth full
of delicious unfamiliar
tasty-taste,
 we managed to
utter inhuman
sounds.
Japanese cuisine
doesn't get anymore
refined
than this.

And that was that!!!
Japan was such a unique experience
that I am keen to return.
Especially during sale-season.
Well...at least it's a
season for something.
What did I learn?
For starters,
to have
PRIDE
in all we do.
To execute everything we undertake to the
highest degree.
Not for others.
But purely for ourselves.
A job worth doing
is
a job
done well!!!
Kudos to Japan!!!
Sayonara!!!

"Pardon The Way
That I Stare.
There's Little Else
To Compare.
The Sight Of You
Makes Me Weak.
There Are No Words
Left To Speak..."