Geishas and Golden Pavillions, Kyoto

It was so cool to take in such a huge amount of Japanese culture on my recent trip to Japan. You may have read a number of my recent posts regarding the trip, what we ate, what we saw and where we travelled to. But this was another highlight, especially being able to view such a stunning piece of Japanese architecture when we visited Kinkaku-Ji, the Buddhist Temple of the Golden Pavilion in Kyoto. The top two tiers are coated in gold leaf, and against the greenery and natural environment, it was a fantastic building to spot. We walked around the beautiful gardens there before heading over to Nijo Castle to see yet more beautiful gardens, and the former home of the Tokugawa Shoguns. For anyone heading to Kyoto, both of these trips should be on your ‘to-do’ list! 

Following the stunning heritage-site sightseeing, we made our way over to the Gion District, to keep our eyes peeled and cameras ready to spot the beautifully decorated Geisha ladies. Whilst I did spot a young, and training Geiko, we were too early to see any of the full-time Geisha’s which was a slight disappoint, yet apparently its best to spot them between 5-6pm, when they head out for dinner. This makes it sound as though they are some sort of bird of prey, or nocturnal animal that only comes out at night, yet their makeup and embellishments is an amazing sight to see, and I was all for capturing Japanese culture. But alas, we lucked out, but you might be more lucky! 

And, if you want to visit Japan as I did, then have a look at the Contiki Japan Unrivalled trip right here. You won’t regret it. I would highly recommend this trip to anyone who needs to tick Japan off of their Bucket List. You’ll see everything you’d hope to see!


Anyone lusting over a Japan trip? Have a watch of my vlog right below!

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