Kyoto, Deer, and Beer, Oh My!

Things are definitely getting a little jam packed here. We're finally starting to see that New Year's rush. We believe this is due to us entering cities that have a lot of shrines, so locals are traveling from various places for their beginning-of-the-year prayers. It's been lovely to see. A combination of celebrations, street food, lanterns and decorations, all adorning the streets near shrines. A lot of these shrines are in central city areas, making them accessible to everyone. It reminds me of the mandirs (or temples) in Mumbai, India I would go to with my mom on auspicious holidays. They were usually in the middle of the city, very crowded, but everyone was there for the same reasons and for blessings/prayer. 

The day after Disneyland, we caught a 9AM train to Kyoto from Tokyo. The bullet train was comfortable, affordable, and (obviously) quick. Once we got to Kyoto, we fought our way through the traffic with all of our luggage (going to hopefully figure out how to travel much more smoothly with all of that next time) to our hotel. After a quick nap, we hustled over to a pre-booked tour of the Gion district and Geisha history. This was another recommendation and hit from Divya and Sheel, so thank you!

The tour was 1.5 hours long through the Geisha district. Our tour guide walked us through the history of Geishas and described how they are still a practicing culture today. Although the way the practice started isn't the most flowery, it has now turned into a very cultural and respected profession. Girls (Geishas now are 99% women) are required to decide whether or not they want to commit to the field at 15 years old. After that is just the beginning- they are put through a rigorous 5 year program where they are subject to many standards, and even afterwards they are still not guaranteed to graduate as Geishas. When they are students during these 5 years, they are considered Maikos. The main profession of Geishas is to entertain, and since their founding, it has been mainly to perform for businessmen and their "tea parties” where they make many important decisions. 

It was so interesting to see how in a major city like Kyoto, there is still a prominent part of the deep history embedded in the culture of the people. Although the Geisha population is said to be dying, it appears the Japanese government and peoples are still finding a way to preserve this culture. 

The tour ended at Yasaka shrine. We continued to enjoy the street food and joined many locals paying their respects and prayers. Everything was decorated so wonderfully for the New Year. We ended the night in preparation for our following day trip to Nara. 

I loved Nara. The main city attraction for tourists is the bowing deer which, if you want a video, please ask me for. They do bow, and it’s adorable. The animals have definitely become a bit domesticated in the area, but I think they added such a wonderful, natural aspect to the temples and shrines encompassing the city. We paid visit to the Great Buddha in the Todai-ji temple that has such a vast history. It has been rebuilt several times, but still today, it is so expansive and beautiful. 

There was a long wait to get home from Nara, so Chris and I had a couple beers at a fun brewery before departing. Even though it wasn't the fanciest place, they made sure to give their food pairing recommendations. It also had a automated self-pouring machine to serve the beer. Alas, as we showed our friend Connor, it still needs to work out some kinks before replacing our beloved bartenders. 

Once we got back into Kyoto, Chris and I went to Nishiki Market. Most of the market was closed because it is still New Year's week, but we indulged in some cheap sake and street food. We even stumbled upon a whiskey tasting that was super affordable, and even included a 18 year aged Japanese whiskey that is normally unattainable (at least for us). All to say, we definitely enjoyed ourselves. 

Currently, we are waiting for our laundry cycle to finish (coin laundry in our hotel: score). What a fun day though. 

Thanks for sticking through this blog by the way. We love and miss you all.