Apparently Ben and I had been hanging out on the wrong side of the river in Kyoto. The charm and beauty of the West side is a rare (but worthwhile) beast, requiring some extra work to uncover. The East side, however, is overflowing with it, fully marinating in all it's glory. And it knows it too. We had multiple (real) Geisha sightings, and posed with meiko (geisha in training) at one of the many fabulous temples in Kyoto. Ironically, as we watched everyone clamoring for a picture with the harrassed geisha, I saw an old Japanese woman ask to pose with a group of sullen punky looking American teenagers. And then more groups of Japanese women lined up to pose with them too!
After the temple, we wound our way down to the flatland of Gion, the historic capital of Kyoto's cultural scene and Geisha. Our guidebook announced that we were on the "most beautiful street in Kyoto" and I think it was right, but the beauty was so understated and minimalistic that I didn't realize it until we were back on the conventional streets. Behind the wooden slats and fences, we could catch glimpses of little entry ways with miniature fountains, arranged stones, moss gardens, and a row of shoes on the edge of a tatami floor. These were the hidden exclusive tea houses of Gion, where new patrons must have a personal introduction to even get in! Most didn't even have signs, leaving the outside world completely oblivious.
Unfortunately, I think we were about a week early to appreciate the full splendor of Kyoto, as we could see all the buds on the cherry trees, but none were really blooming. I tried to imagine what the celebrated gardens would look like, and I'm sad we couldn't actually see it. However, I do love the quietness of the touristy areas now, and can only imagine the chaos of these areas when the sakura season peaks.
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