JAPAN: Strolling Around Gion

Gion is one of Kyoto's most famous districts. Originally built in the Middle Ages, it was an entertainment neighborhood for travelers and samurai. Well-known for its preservation of authentic Japanese architecture, Gion evolved into one of the most prominent geisha districts in the country. After a fun afternoon stroll through the beautiful streets of the neighborhood, we met up with the owner of our guesthouse who led us, and the other guests, on an evening walk. Ironically, the evening stroll took much of the same route we had just finished traveling, but it was fascinating to see the shrines from the daytime now engulfed in the darkness of the night. The illumination cast by dozens of paper lanterns created a vivid sensory experience. On the way back to the guesthouse, after scouring the darkened streets, we were even lucky enough to spot a geisha in full makeup and kimono through the window of a tea house.

Long ago were the days of cigarette machines in America, but Japan still offers convenient smokes on any street corner.

Who knew you could walk a pig on a leash?

A shrine...or temple. I don't remember.

Old, traditional Japanese architecture.

A house owner proudly displayed her collection of stone Buddhas...

in addition to her stone Hello Kitty!

An ancient pagoda

Now, I'm not exactly sure what figure this is. Nor do I know what the colorful spheres are that were hanging all around it. Nevertheless, it was interesting.

Kyoto loves ice cream and it's everywhere! A variety of unique flavors are available including green tea and something strange in a grayish color. I chose peach/vanilla swirl. Delicious!

We spent too much time shopping and ended up reaching this temple at exactly 6:00 pm... closing time. So, we enjoyed our ice cream while watching the guard try to get the visitors to leave; which proved to be a difficult and frustrating task for him, but free entertainment for us.

Giant Buddha on the hillside

The abundance of lanterns illuminating various temples during our night walk were captivating.

Unfortunately for us the shades were drawn, but the figure in the window really is a geisha. After watching for awhile (and feeling like stalkers) we figured she was preparing the room for a meal and entertainment.

JAPAN: Kyoto and Fushimi Inari

After leaving Hiroshima later than planned, we arrived in Kyoto at nearly 11 pm and headed immediately to our guesthouse. Located in Gion, Kyoto's old, unofficial "geisha district", our guesthouse was easy to find and conveniently located near the subway station. While visiting Japan it is common for Westerners to pay high prices for the experience of staying in a ryokan, or Japanese inn. Ryokan are most notable for their tatami mat floors on which guests sleep. Interested in the ryokan experience, but not wanting to pay the high price, we were pleasantly surprised to find the bedroom of our guesthouse fitted with tatami mats and futon mattresses.

The entrance to IchiEnSou Guesthouse.

Paper walls and sliding doors

The tatami mats with futon mattress—more comfortable than one would imagine!

The next morning appeared without rain and we were eager to get out and explore Kyoto. After grabbing breakfast at the local convenience store we were headed to the subway station when—out of nowhere—three geishas strolled by in their colorful kimonos and ubiquitous, round hairdos. I had just enough time to snap a quick picture from behind before they popped around the corner and out of sight. I would soon find out the elusiveness of a geisha isn't that far off from the invisibility of the ninjas.

See a geisha... check, check, check!

The Fushimi Inari Shrine was at the top of our list of sites in Kyoto. Made famous by its nearly 10,000 vermilion-colored torii gates, the shrine has made appearances in several movies including, Memoirs of a Geisha. The shrine is located at the base of a mountain in an area known as Fushimi-ku and is dedicated to the god, Inari. Because Inari is the god of business, each torii gate has been donated by a Japanese business owner in hopes of fortune and success.

Located at the base of the mountain is the main torii and shrine. Further up the torii-lined path sits the inner shrine (a two-hour hike) and situated at the top of the mountain are tens of thousands of mounds used for worship. The mountain-side scenery was ripe with life including the deafening cries of a million cicadas in the treetops. Walking through the torii tunnels was a unique experience as the natural sunlight was almost completely blocked by the canopy above. Daylight turned to darkness in some areas and I imagined the eeriness of completing the hike at night. After a short journey, we decided to forego the complete walk to the inner shrine and headed back to Gion for a city stroll.

Entrance to Fushimi Inari Shrine

Hundreds of prayers were written on white cloth and tied to a frame.

Considered a messenger, the fox is often found in Inari shrines and usually carries a key in its mouth representing business success.

A second-hand kimono tent at the base of the shrine!

Entrance to the 10,000 torii gates.

The name of each business is located on the backside of their donated torii.

A unique fork in the road...

The famous torii tunnel

Monk shoes outside of the shrine.

Female shoes outside of the same shrine. Not sure what title to give the females...

Souvenirs!

The Japanese cat, Maneki Neko, is thought to bring good luck and can be found throughout Japan at the entrances to shrines, restaurants, stores, and homes.

Of course, souvenir shops near the shrine would be incomplete without wooden torii gates in every size!

JAPAN: Itsukushima Island

View of the island and Torii from the ferry.

Itsukushima Island, also known as Miyajima, is located off Japan's mainland at Hiroshima and can easily be accessed by a short, 10-minute ferry ride. The small, sacred island— home to many temples and shrines— is only 12 square miles with a population of around 2,000. There are no traffic signals on the island and few vehicles. The houses and temples are hidden within the beautiful mountains alongside free roaming deer and monkeys.

Itsukushima Shrine, a UNESCO World Heritage site, is a Shinto shrine located on the peaceful island. Originally built in the 6th century, the shrine has been demolished several times. The current shrine was erected sometime in the mid-16th century in keeping with the design from its predecessor in the 12th century. Both the shrine and its gate (torii) are built into the water and dramatically affected by the strong tides. At high tide, the shrine and torii appear to be floating on the water offering visitors a magical view. However, during low tide the water recedes leaving a muddy floor below both the shrine and the torii. During this time it is possible to walk out to the torii and place coins in its cracks while making a wish. Because of its unique relationship with the tides, the view of the torii is classified as one of the Three Views of Japan (the other two include the sand bar Amanohashidate and Matsushima Bay).

During our visit we were lucky enough to view the shrine and torii during high tide. The tranquility of the area in combination with the forces of nature's tides gave the island an energy of its own. It was obvious why the shrine was built in that location so many years ago. Unfortunately, we were on a tight schedule and reluctantly left the island after our brief visit to only the one shrine. In my opinion, Itsukushima is a must-see for anyone visiting Hiroshima.

The ferry from Hiroshima to Itsukushima (Miyajima) Island

Itsukushima Torii

The entrance to the shrine

It is customary to cleanse your hands and face before entering most Shinto shrines.

The "offering altar" area where people of the Shinto faith drop coins into the wooden slats (foreground), clap twice, pray and then bow.

View of the shrine front from the Torii.