A Visit to Gion, Kyoto - Being Transported Back in Time

The second place we visited in Kyoto was the Gion District.















It was a short car ride from the Imperial Palace and we were glad that we chose this place as one of our three attractions to see while
we were spending the day in Kyoto.

Houses Built on the Shirakawa River- Gion, Kyoto

We fell in love with this area immediately when we came across this beautiful scenery!

Did we discover the Venice of Japan?

The scenery was very pretty and old fashioned.

We Caught a Glimpse of a Geisha in Gion

Then we learned that ``Early in the 20th century, rows of restaurants and hotels where Geisha and Maiko entertained guests stood on both sides of the Shirakawa River.










 Parts of these buildings were built over the river, so the water literally flowed under the pillows of some of the guests sleeping in these places.

Unfortunately, during World War II, state authorities demolished all of the buildings on the northern side of the river to prevent the spread of fire in case of an air raid.`

We came across this inn on the river and inquired about the price to stay for a night.

 It would cost between Can. $ 280 - $600.00 per night per person including dinner, depending on the time of the season!

Gion Shimbashi - The Gion New Bridge

We stood on this street for a little while admiring the natural beauty of the landscape.




We felt like we were transported back in the time of Samurai.









 And then, just flashing in front of our eyes, we saw two ladies dressed in beautiful kimonos walking past us.

The few days while we were in Tokyo, we saw huge highrises,  electronic gizmos but not too many people dressed in any Japanese traditional clothes except in some tourist attraction hotspots.








Here in Kyoto, we saw more kimono dressed Japanese ( many of whom could be tourists themselves ) than our entire Japanese trip combined.

We noticed that those who dressed in kimonos were not old people but many of whom were young and hip. They looked elegant, confident and at ease with they were wearing.

 I am happy that the young people of Japan appear to be increasingly embracing their traditional attires and feel proud to wear them, be seen and willing to be photographed by tourists like us.

I am also very happy that my husband and I have this amazing opportunity visiting E.T. and touring Japan with him while he is working here! 

R.T.
Gion, Kyoto, Japan