One above and five below pictures are from a city called NARA...half hour SS ride from Kyoto...its full of UNESCO wolrd heritage sites...this temple called TODAI-JI...its a largest wooden building in the world containing Great Buddha figure weighing 450 tonnes made from bronze and gold...the biggest in the world!
...all kinds of charms for sale at the temple...
...One of TODAI-JI many entrance gates...
...TODAI-JI...
Todai-ji surrounded by hundreds friendly deers. 
Golden Pavillion -KIKNKAKU-JI-one of Japans best known sights-covered in gold foil, tiles also made of gold.It looked stunning-but there were thousands others with their digi cameras!In 1950 a young monk consumated his obsession with the temple by burning it to the ground(fully re-built in 1955)-the monks story is fictonalised in Mishima Yukios THE GOLDEN PAVILLION.
My gang and I fighting the crowd to get this snap!
Simply stunningly beautiful!
Enjoying watching hundeds of KOI in stuuning Japanese garden next to HIMEJI CASTLE.KOIs are considered to be a brave,tenacious and vigorous fish! little wonder why the Japanese loves them so much!
Splendid HIMEJI CASTLE known as WHITE EGRET-the biggest castle in JAPAN -it is totally made from wood-an hour SS ride from KYOTO.On the way- through train window- we saw the worlds longest new AKASHI KAIKYO SUSPENSION BRIDGE,3910m span links island of Honshu with Awaji-Shima-we also passed through KOBE.
Just look at this beauty! its a mean machine!
My favourite SHINKANSEN---its a NZOMI 700 MODEL-latest -but new one comes out in 2008-400km an hour plus.All engine are modelled on an animal for their aero-dynamic capability-which animal is this?
GEISHA!!! These women are just awsome-you have got to admire these girls-they are so talented and sooo gracious and totally confident in their ability.Real beauties!!! We were lucky to see 3 together going to an appointment at a famous teahouse followed by some 30 professional photographers and me!
GEISHA!!! These women are just awsome-you have got to admire these girls-they are so talented and sooo gracious and totally confident in their ability.Real beauties!!! We were lucky to see 3 together going to an appointment at a famous teahouse followed by some 30 professional photographers and me!They are treated like super stars and with total respect in Japan.
The kimonos costs are 80,000US plus but many big shot clients give them as presents to their geisha.
The kimono colours,flowers etc are worn according the season.
Memoire Of Geisha is a good book to read and good movie to watch too.
Client pay up to 8000 US to spend an evening in the company of one or two geishas at a teahouse or restaurants.
These kimono -clad women versed in an array of visual and perfoming arts,including playing the three-stringed SHAMISEN,singing old teahouse ballards and dancing.
An evening with geisha at teahouse begins with exquisite KAISEKI(Japanese cuisine which obeys very strict rules of etiquett for every details of the meal,including the setting)meal.While client eat,geisha perform fan dance,pour drinks,light cigarettes and engage in charming banter.
Geisha numbers are ever-decreasing,only 1000 or so in Japan and of that about 150 in Kyoto.
Geisha 
Famous red teahouse on a famous Kyoto street.
Geisha going to an appointment in a Kyoto street.
Japanese garden at back of HIGASHI HONGAN-JI Buddist temple.
Him just likes being in the garden on a hot day with cold beer in his hand!
Mother and daughter reflecting on a bridge!
Dragon pool at above temple-at all shrines and temples you have to wash your hands before entering -shoes also comes off .
Inside the temple-most Buddist temples and Shinto shrine
Arriving at TORIL of SUMIYOSHI TAISHA Shinto shrine(this shrine associated with the sea and sea travel-for safe passage) for OTAUE SHINJI festival- followed by official photographer!
OTAUE SHINJI festival held every June 14th near OASAKA in Imperial rice fields - it was all day affair for us as P loves festivals ! It celebrates coming of the day to plant rice fields-it also commemorate the establishment of the Imperial rice fields.
Traditional costumes for villagers in old days.
More rice planters in traditional costumes.
Boys dressed up as Samurai warriors.
The kimono colours,flowers etc are worn according the season.Memoire Of Geisha is a good book to read and good movie to watch too.Client pay up to 8000 US to spend an evening in the company of one or two geishas at a teahouse or restaurants.These kimono -clad women versed in an array of visual and perfoming arts,including playing the three-stringed SHAMISEN,singing old teahouse ballards and dancing.An evening with geisha at teahouse begins with exquisite KAISEKI(Japanese cuisine which obeys very strict rules of etiquett for every details of the meal,including the setting)meal.While client eat,geisha perform fan dance,pour drinks,light cigarettes and engage in charming banter. Geisha numbers are ever-decreasing,only 1000 or so in Japan and of that about 150 in Kyoto. Geisha Famous red teahouse on a famous Kyoto street.Geisha going to an appointment in a Kyoto street. Japanese garden at back of HIGASHI HONGAN-JI Buddist temple.P loves gardens(& gardening) Japanese gardens are her speciality.
Him just likes being in the garden on a hot day with cold beer in his hand!
Mother and daughter reflecting on a bridge!Dragon pool at above temple-at all shrines and temples you have to wash your hands before entering -shoes also comes off . Inside the temple-most Buddist temples and Shinto shrine are working temples and shrines with monks.
Arriving at TORIL of SUMIYOSHI TAISHA Shinto shrine(this shrine associated with the sea and sea travel-for safe passage) for OTAUE SHINJI festival- followed by official photographer!OTAUE SHINJI festival held every June 14th near OASAKA in Imperial rice fields - it was all day affair for us as P loves festivals ! It celebrates coming of the day to plant rice fields-it also commemorate the establishment of the Imperial rice fields.Traditional costumes for villagers in old days.More rice planters in traditional costumes.Boys dressed up as Samurai warriors.It was a good day for us seeing this festival and it gave us some insight in to Japanese way of life.Japan is a very regious country-Buddism and Shinto greatly influences Japanese culture.
Shinto or THE WAY OF GODS -Shintoists believe in a pantheon of gods who represent elements of the natural world-a devout Shintoist may believe in a local spirit,global gods and goddesses,spirit of a nearby waterfall,uniquely shaped rock or a Shinto deity.Todays royal family of Japan is said to trace its ancestry to the goddess of the sun and thus Crown Prince Of Japan is regarded by Japanese as near enough to being a living god and is respected as such.
5 comments:
KYOTO....we left FUJI by SS ...spent 6 days in KYOTO...this is Japans cultural capital with over 2000 shrines and temples and has 13 UNESCO world heritage sites and more to follow..it is also GEISHA capial of Japan...we spent 3 nights in a nice ryokan near KYOTO station(by the way new Kyoto station is also a tourist site...it has over 65 platforms and its 14 storey high ,just full of glass and open space and almost half a kilometer long...its just amazing with full of eataries and shops and allsorts)
We did a walking tour organised by a Canadian married to a former geisha girl and has his own teahouse in geisha district...and it was very informative and we saw geishas going about their work from one teahouse appointment to the next ...they really are amazing people....spent their life in school learing thier trade and also earn very good money too...by the way geisha are not prostitutes..they are woman versed in arts,dramas,singing,playing musical instruments,dancing and thus entertaining their clients.
We spent other three nights in a nice 4 star hotel on the last minute cheap deal thanks to whaif.com...it was pure luxury!!!! we have got same cheap deal in Hong Kong for a week and cant wait!!!
Kyoto is really cool place to hangout...it has that aura about it and just pure magic of geisha,shrines,temples and mountains... we could have spent many days here...it has some amazing sites and many other places are only an hour ride on SS from Kyoto..we went to see Himeji castle in Himeji,spent a day at rice planting festival in Osaka, went to NARA...NARA is another place with many UNESCO world heritage sites..Kobe is very near too(massive earthquake in 1995 killing 6000 people).
Other thing is Japan is eathquake country...and many minor tremors occues daily which one cannot feel but they all know another big one is just round the corner..we are out of here on 26th!!!
Dipak...
by the way in all our pictures you may have notice that we all seem to be wearing same sets of clothes!!! this is because we are each carrying only two sets of clothes...Dipaks and Ps backpack weighs 14kg each and we both carry 3kg in our rucksack while V carries 4kg on her back ..so total weight we are carrying between us is 38kg!!! we have two rules..1..if you cant fit it in your backpack then sure as hell you dont need it...2...if you cant carry it then sure as hell you dont need it... our backpacks are 55 liters in volume and wont fit more than 15kg...so we each have 2 trousers,2 shorts,4 undies,4 tops,few toiletories,medicines,rain shield,thermals,travel books ,shoes and sandles,3 pairs of socks,camera,laptop,wires,fleece and thats it...all clothes are cotton and light weight...so now you know why we look as though we are wearing the same clothes in all our pictures!this travel is very liberating cause one realises that you dont need to take 30kg for a 2 weeks holidays on Costa Del Sol!and you can travel on real mininum... by the way we wash our clothes using washing machine every 4 days as all hostels have this facilities.my luxury item is my Chanel aftershave and Ps is her deo..
Dipak,
When in HK you must experience the tea houses namely Maxims Palace in City Hall(252111303)and Ming Cha(25202116)Highly recommended!Remember the Sky Bar in Bangkok?Well HK has a similar place in Kowloon called AQUA SPIRIT located on the 30TH FLOOR OF ONE PEKING(34272288)Be there by 8 or you will miss the Worlds biggest sound and light show!Then go for dinner at "Huotong"(34288342) on the 28th floor downstairs to wow priti!The Hong Kong Museum of History is worth a visit as it covers 155 yrs of British colonial rule(Free on wed)Good luck
Naresh
Dipak...
Hello my friend...you are forgetting this is a journey of seeing,breathing and feeling the locals...we cant be seen in places like Maxims Palace and Aqua Spirit...THE SOUND AND LIGHT SHOW is one of the most spectacular view in the world and we watched it from THE PENISULA! BRILIANT! We took a Peak Tram to reach Victoria Peak for more spectacular views! Got Nam visa today...35 quid each...robbery...blew a hole in our daily budget!...was saving it up to take P to Sky Bar in Bangkok for romantic dinner but now pizza n chips back on menu!!! kidding!!!
Post a Comment