Gion

Having seen Kinkakuji and Nijō Castle, I tried to head for Gion. After about half an hour of wandering, I rediscovered my hotel. I also realized that I had picked a hotel about twenty minutes' walk from Gion.

>Along the way, I found a market street with small temples wedged between stalls. There were a couple of English signs, but my favorite was Mr. Young Men.

Gion is a district in Kyoto that is most famous for its geisha. Again, knowing next to nothing beforehand about the significance of the district, I strolled through it, admiring everything I saw.

...Well, almost everything. The sidewalks were absolutely packed with people. The waiter in me wanted desperately to treat it like a busy Saturday night and just weave through the crowds, but my backpack made that a little cumbersome. I eventually got past the main knot of people right as I got to the Yakasa Shrine. . There were several rickshaws available for hire, but, just like in Semarang, I couldn't bring myself to hire a human being to pull me in a cart.

The shrine was pretty, and had a couple of girls dancing in kimono. A path behind the shrine led to Maruyama Park. Gorgeous maples were everywhere, with pretty streams and evergreens complementing the vivid red leaves. As I walked along, taking in the sight of throngs of tourists and the smell of cedar, I suddenly began humming "Puff, the Magic Dragon". At first I thought it was just a random song in my head--I've got a soundtrack running, on endless loop, and I only occasionally turn the volume down--until I heard someone else singing it.

There turned out to be a guy in the park playing his guitar. Not just any guy, either--a white guy in a cowboy hat and leather jacket, named Christopher Worth. He had a fine singing voice and all, but hearing Peter, Paul, and Mary in the middle of a park in Gion was more than a little strange.

Moving along, I passed Chion Temple, where Jodo Buddhism was founded. I passed Choraku Temple, which Wikipedia doesn't have an article for, but (based on the signs) was founded in 805 by Emperor Kammu and Saichō, credited as the founder of the Tendai sect of Buddhism.

I started getting a little tired, so I began heading back to the hotel. Along the way, I saw a couple of girls dressed in the kimono and full white makeup of a geisha. I phrase it that way because I can't be sure what they were. When I showed the pictures to people back in Tsushima, several teachers informed me they were probably maiko, which is a level of apprenticeship. They might just as well have been normal girls who paid to be dressed up to look the part; an American friend of mine did this when she visited Kyoto. Regardless, it was pretty.

The crowd in Gion hadn't dissipated in the slightest, and I slowly trudged back toward the hotel. I swear I saw someone carrying a Krispy Kreme bag, but everyone I've asked says the only one in Japan is in Tokyo. That's a long train ride to tote a sack of donuts.