K is for Kyoto

Kyoto

Kyoto is located in the South of Japan's main island, Honshuu.

It is synonymous with Geisha and the old world culture of Japan. It was previously the imperial seat, now located in Tokyo. I have visited Kyoto three times now and loved it each time. It has some of the most famous temples in Japan, including the Love Shrine at one of the biggest.

This square is made using kimono silk from Japan. You see the red umbrellas at a lot of locations in Kyoto, usually outside tea houses and at shrines.In Summer the weeping willows that line the banks of the river spill green down from the trunks and you can walk through them like curtains.

I remember seeing a geisha (maiko) walk down the street in Kyoto the first time I visited and being stunned by her. She was tiny, in a bright blue kimono, but she had such presence even though dozens of people were pointing, taking photos and crowding around her. Despite it all she kept a small smile on her face and kept walking on to her destination. It felt like a special moment to have seen her in the real world.

K for Kyoto