May 20 Second full day in Kyoto

PLEASE NOTE: I have not had the chance to watermark all of my photos, and it will take me a great deal of time, as I published this and my other blogs between 2010-2017. I ask you to respect my property. Feel free to use them as long as you credit me as follows: Photo by Jody McBrien, learningtheworld.org. Thank you.


We made less ambitious plans for today, as Yoshio invited us out to dinner with him this evening and we want to be rested. We started out mid-morning for Nijo Castle in central Kyoto. It has beautiful spacious grounds with several wonderful gardens. What I love about Japanese gardens is that they are designed to look a bit different as you walk around them. Every angle seems to recreate the garden.

Bridge over the first mote to the castle 

Castle entrance gate

Gate detail

In one of the gardens

Bridge over the second mote

Nijo is celebrating its 400^th anniversary with an art exhibit in its Tora-no-ma, which serves as the entryway to Ninomaru Palace. This is where visitors would have waited to meet with the ruling shogun. The paintings are of tigers (tora) and leopards (hyo). The relaxed tigers are intended to show the power of the shogun, “the master of the palace with the power to tame ferocious beasts” (from the visitor information). No photos allowed.

We took our time on the grounds, then hopped on the subway for our next goal: finding a kimono for Dick so that we can be a pair at the Halloween party we will attend in October in Sarasota.  I found ads for a couple that sounded reasonable. First, though, we recalled how hot our upstairs room would be at Yoshio’s so decided to take our time. We stopped in a Japanese restaurant we found near the shop. The far less adventurous one when it comes to food, I ordered a grilled pork cutlet. Dick ordered Udon noodles. He enjoyed them but could not get them to stay on his hashi (chopsticks)! A fork was hard enough. I took some fun photos of him figuring it all out.

Then we headed down a narrow street and found Ochicochiya, a used and new kimono shop. I need to mention that used kimonos are not a bad thing and are typically of far greater quality than what most of us could buy new. New silk kimonos of quality range from $2,500 US and up. A beautiful 80-year old one is likely to cost less than $100 US and still be exquisite. They are kept very carefully, and silk is so durable. They are better than buying a new $100 one made of polyester and possibly not made in Japan.

We found a nice one for Dick, then I found one I thought Bryan would enjoy (Winter solstice is coming, yes?!). Then I looked for Kat and found a truly beautiful one I think she will enjoy. All three are silk. Those, along with the silk obis and cords were under $300. I decided I will look for a silk jacket for my mum that she will use.

We returned to Yoshio’s, took a second shower, and proceeded to sweat while we waited for dinnertime. Yoshio’s friend Ando was running about a half hour late, so we headed out again at 7:30.

First we went to her shop. We learned that she is an award-winning designer of kimonos and an artist. She had part of a 17^th century kimono framed, along with many beautiful artistic textiles and canvases of landscapes made from tiny pieces of old kimonos.

from a 17th century kimono

made from pieces of old kimonos

She left for a moment then came back with a gorgeous pink silk kimono that she proceeded to dress me in. At the used shops, the salespeople do help you with the obi, but this was a major dressing in a kimono, the way it would really be, the way requiring a second person is needed to get it right. Sugoi (Japanese for WOW!) It is quite an event, and she had an exquisite obi designed to go in my favorite tied style. I sure wish I had known this would happen. Of course, the price was so low, so I was now in possession of a 4^th kimono in one day. The beautiful one Dick bought me is black, and the two women’s I found today are floral, so I will give Kat the one I bought earlier in the day (it is smaller, after all), and keep the other for myself. If only there were opportunities to wear and enjoy these beautiful clothes in the west.

Yoshio is in the background

Finally, with stomachs churning, we left for dinner. We wandered down Ponto-cho, a clean, narrow street in Gion that we learned is lined with homes of wealthy merchants, where the maiko go to entertain at their parties. We passed a couple maiko coming or going from such parties. We stopped at one of Ando’s favorite restaurants, but it was fully booked. And then, we lost Ando. We had no idea where she went! Yoshio tried to call her, but apparently she did not bring her phone.

I could see that this was making Dick feel a bit on guard. I tend to trust people and recognize that Japan is fairly free of crime, but this seemed odd even to me. As it turned out, of course, all was well. Ando finally found us. She had scurried off to manage a reservation for us at another Japanese restaurant. I did not eat the sashimi, but I enjoyed the tempura and a wonderful salad with chicken. Victor and Ando told us that if we can come back, they will introduce us to maiko they know. Sounds great, but I don’t think we will get the chance.

After dinner, Ando and her husband drove Dick and I and my new kimono ensemble back to the Airbnb, where we crashed.

NOTE: June 2018 date on post is republish date, not date of the event.