No sooner were we off the bus and walking into the Gion area than we saw a real Maiko! It was very cool and my mom was especially happy to see the Maiko since she had undergone a similar transformation. She sped by us and we hustled as well since we were trying to get to Gion Corner in time for the show that was starting in 15 minutes!
We made it just in time and sat through the one hour presentation of various cultural performances from court music to a tea ceremony to comedy plays. It was interesting to see these aspects of Japanese culture but it is not something that you will need to see more than once.
After the show, we walked slowly through Gion back to the bus stop.
Totally random, but as we were waiting for a bus, what seemed like a religious procession went by. The group was marching down the street chanting while one gentleman was carrying a large and heavy bamboo log that was lit on one end.
It was great to see this procession, though it did slow bus service down considerably and we were getting a bit tired at this point. But we had one more stop. It was now approaching 8pm and we really needed to pick up some dinner. I had read about the Nishiki market and how it was a great place to walk around and purchase/sample lots of great food and other souvenirs so we made our way in that direction.
Unfortunately when we go there all we saw were closed stores:
So at that point we decided to call it a night. We were within walking distance of the Hotel Monterrey so off we went. We stopped at a supermarket that was two blocks away from the hotel and picked up some sodas, water and sandwiches. When we got to the hotel, we were hungry and tired but had to go through the check-in process at that point. Thank goodness, our luggage had arrived so there would be no improvising of outfits for the remainder of the trip!
One thing that I have not mentioned is that at both the Century Southern and Hotel Monterey, since there were three of us, the hotel put three beds in the room! When walked into the room at Century Southern and then again at Hotel Monterey, I questioned if I was in an episode of I love Lucy! LOL. Funny, it didnt phase my parents at all! The only downside with three beds is that it took up precious space in the rooms.
We got to eat, relax and then it was off to bed.
UP NEXT: Shrines, shrines and would you like some beer with your orange juice?
We made it just in time and sat through the one hour presentation of various cultural performances from court music to a tea ceremony to comedy plays. It was interesting to see these aspects of Japanese culture but it is not something that you will need to see more than once.
After the show, we walked slowly through Gion back to the bus stop.
Totally random, but as we were waiting for a bus, what seemed like a religious procession went by. The group was marching down the street chanting while one gentleman was carrying a large and heavy bamboo log that was lit on one end.
It was great to see this procession, though it did slow bus service down considerably and we were getting a bit tired at this point. But we had one more stop. It was now approaching 8pm and we really needed to pick up some dinner. I had read about the Nishiki market and how it was a great place to walk around and purchase/sample lots of great food and other souvenirs so we made our way in that direction.
Unfortunately when we go there all we saw were closed stores:
So at that point we decided to call it a night. We were within walking distance of the Hotel Monterrey so off we went. We stopped at a supermarket that was two blocks away from the hotel and picked up some sodas, water and sandwiches. When we got to the hotel, we were hungry and tired but had to go through the check-in process at that point. Thank goodness, our luggage had arrived so there would be no improvising of outfits for the remainder of the trip!
One thing that I have not mentioned is that at both the Century Southern and Hotel Monterey, since there were three of us, the hotel put three beds in the room! When walked into the room at Century Southern and then again at Hotel Monterey, I questioned if I was in an episode of I love Lucy! LOL. Funny, it didnt phase my parents at all! The only downside with three beds is that it took up precious space in the rooms.
We got to eat, relax and then it was off to bed.
UP NEXT: Shrines, shrines and would you like some beer with your orange juice?
