Gion: A Glimpse of Old Kyoto

You haven't visited Kyoto if you haven't visited Gion.  The most famous geisha district in Kyoto, possibly even Japan.  But there is more to Gion than just hoping to get a glimpse of a geisha or a maiko.  Here in Gion, the traditions of Japan live on - the old-style townhouses, or machiya, the tea houses or ochaya where the geisha still entertain, the old theatres which continue to hold performances to mark the turn of the seasons.

Hanami-Koji

So, today was our day to visit Gion.  Taking the subway to Shijo station, we walked down Shijo Dori (Shijo street) and turned into Hanami-Koji Street, or the "flower viewing" road.  Old buildings line each side of the road, many hung with paper lanterns.  Each geisha district (or "hanamachi"), apparently, has its own symbol (or"kamon") and this symbol marks the lanterns in each district.  Our intent was to attend the tea ceremony followed by the annual spring dance or the Miyako-Odori at the Gion Kobu Kaburen-jo theatre   Translated as "Dances of the Old Capital", the dance was instituted soon after the Imperial capital shifted from Kyoto to Edo (today's Tokyo) to demonstrate that despite losing its capital city status, Kyoto was still the cultural and historical hub of Japan.  

Maiko at the tea ceremony

It is very clear that the Japanese hold this classic dance performance very dear.  When we arrived at the theatre, we realised that actually the majority of the audience appeared to be the Japanese themselves, many wearing their own kimono. There were some tourists, but not many.  We went first for the tea ceremony.  We were required to queue in a waiting area first before being brought up group by group to view the ceremony.  To be honest, it was highly regimented - due to the large numbers, we were literally being processed like products on a factory line.  From the first waiting area, we were brought to a second room and asked to sit down.  I suspect, to count the number of people there were so that everyone would have a seat and a drink in the next room, the hall where the tea ceremony was to take place.  Here, everyone was seated at the tables and stools facing the two maiko present for the occasion.  One of the maiko started making the tea.  Not that I could see what she was doing from my seat in the back of the room.  Efforts to take photos were also difficult due to the crowd.  The second maiko began moving around, taking tea from the table and giving it to a few people sitting in front.  The rest of us got served tea (made offline) and a little sweet by the attendants.  We had to drink up fast as the next group was coming in. At least, I managed to get a few shots in during this transition period.

Headgear used by Maiko - at little exhibition area in Gion Corner

The next stop - the dance itself (no photos allowed) There were eight scenes, some celebrating the seasons, and some based on old Japanese folk tales.  We went through all the seasons - spring, summer, autumn and winter before ending up in spring again.  I enjoyed the gorgeous kimonos  and sets especially the spring and autumn sets which had lots of beautiful cherry blossom and autumn leaves respectively.  I also enjoyed the group dances, but the slow, graceful movements of the individual solos were somewhat..... lulling to me.  

After the dance we had a late lunch in a charming little restaurant on Hanami-Koji street. It was a small little restaurant with just 17 seats.  This place featured mainly tofu dishes.  I had a tofu steak - very nice in a clay pot over a flame.  

Ninenzaka Old District

After lunch, we walked around Gion, going through the old streets, making pit stops at the Yasaka shrine, the Yasaka Pagoda (located some way away from the shrine), old buildings at Ninenzaka to see the old street.  Many charming old buildings, little temples tucked away here and there, the odd cherry blossom tree.  Little statues dotted the route. 

Shirakawa canal at night

We paid a visit to Takashimaya and bought some breakfast for the next morning.  Then, it was time for our night walk of the area (it was a day full of walking). We went through Pontocho Alley - sadly no geisha in sight but tourists aplenty hoping to catch sight of one.  Little restaurants, bars, ochaya line both sides of this narrow road.  We walked by the Shirakawa canal too - the night lights on the cherry blossom trees were indeed a lovely sight.  

There are a number of restaurants on the little strip between the Kamo River and Pontocho Alley, and we had dinner at one of them - wagyu shabu shabu.  Another "must do", it turns out, although we did not know it at the time.  In summertime, the restaurants will put out their tables and chairs on the river bank.  In springtime, we were content to just sit in our nice warm room (on the third floor of the restaurant) to watch the scene below.  

More photos on Flickr. If any one is interested, here are a few more links dealing with Gion and the geisha: article from the Japan Times, on the geisha of Japan, and on the tea ceremony.