Back to my days in Kyoto, I really miss this place so much. I was looking through my pictures and realised I didn't took many photos there, lol. I was too busy enjoying the scenery and eating. Now I regret it a little :v
I remember when I passed Gion, I met so many girls in traditional clothes and also Geisha. They look so elegant and blend well with the surrounding. Just like if you're watching Japanese old movie, but this is better than HD version, lol it's live!
Gion is actually a Geisha district in Kyoto but the Geishas there called them selves as Geiko instead of Geisha. And Geisha isn't a prostitute, they're an artist or you can say an Entertainer.
I heard Gion is famous with their Matcha, so I was looking around for Matcha store and plan to bring some home for omiyage.
There was one awkward story, I passed a Matcha store and it looks like it still not open yet. But I thought like maybe it was because of the store front design, so it looks closed. The store is actually looks like local house. I slowly opened the door, peek inside and said 'ano.. hito ga arimasuka?' with a really small voice almost like a whisper.. -____-
There're 4 people inside, they're sitting together on the floor and it seems like they're drying tea leaves. We stared each other for a few seconds.. and it was so AWKWARD lol. They look so lost and confuse LOL. /i'm sorry
I wanted to say something that time but I was so confuse and feel so blank! Then I said 'gomennasai' with a small voice and slowly close the door and ruuuunnnnn. XD
There're many shrines around there, many people go for pray and share their wishes by hanging different colour of small pouch. I saw many happy couples too, haha.
I also saw many traditional store like machiya or ochaya, food and toys. This scene reminds me of one best seller manga, 20/21st Century Boys. They're look soooo vintage!
After some walks here and there, I finally found the real matcha store and it's legally open haha unlike the previous store I've visited LOL. The seller is an old granny and she can't speak english lol it was a little bit hard to communicate, but I managed to explain what I wanted with easy japanese and body language LOL.
All the matchas are homemade and natural quality.
In the main road, the building is also looks traditional. It's like a merger between traditional and modern culture, I find it really precious.
I also tried Sakura Ice Cream from Haagen Dazs, it was so good~~! It smells so flowery because of the Sakura flavour. It's not too sweet and the texture just great.
This is the road I passed during my walk to Nishiki Market, there're so many stores along the road like fashion boutique and accessories. And it's really clean there, I didn't see any trash or litter on the way.
I think Kyoto is the best to enjoy with our parents, because it's a calm area and many traditional building. But I don't think it suits little children cos they will find it really boring. If you want a peaceful place where you can enjoy leisure time, try visit Kyoto in Spring~!
