The tour under the rain with a family from Canada

Recently we have had rainy days....

Despite the rainy weather, we enjoyed the scenery in Kyoto.
After picking them up, we headed for Hirano Shrine. This shrine is popular in the cherry season because it has many different kinds of cherry trees in the precinct.



At that time it was too early for fully blooming, but still we could see some trees with beautiful blossoms.
This family are very fond of flowers. They seemed to enjoy them.

Then we headed for Golden Pavillion and Ryoanji rock garden. We could see some cherry blossoms again in both temples.

We had lunch near Daiokuji temple. As it was freezing cold, all of us wanted to have something hot!! Of course we made a decision to have UDON.
We found a nice UDON restaurant, and really enjoyed lunch.



We planned to visit Nishiki food market after visiting Nijo Castle. However, it was very cold on that day, so we had to finish the first day tour.

On the second day, we enjoyed sightseeing in the eastern part of the city.
First we visited Sanjusangendo and Kiyomizu temple and then walked along Sanneizaka Nineizaka.

As they requested ( they wanted to visit a temple without taking off their shoes), we visited Heian Shrine.
It is not so old temple, but it has also a nice large garden and you can enjoy walking around the garden.
This garden is especially beautiful in the cherry season and May ( good for irises)
Though cherry blossoms are not at their best, we could see some cherry blossoms blooming.
After getting out of this temple, they seemed to really like this garden as they said they wanted to return to the garden if they are allowed to enter again with the same admission ticket.

walking tour with Italian men

It was a little earlier to enjoy cherry blossoms. Ririko, a new member of Kyoto Free Guide and I guided two men from Italy and showed around Higashiyama area.

At Sanjusangendo temple we found cherry blossoms blooming a little. Even though, I was very happy to have them see some cherry blossoms. We took a picture with a cherry tree.

At Kiyomizu temple, they bought many charms for their friends as souvenirs. I hope all the charms will bring his friends good luck and safty in their lives.

Then! Next comes time for shopping!!
They enjoyed shopping walking along Sanneizaka and Nineizaka. One of them found nice potteries, hundsome Japanese bags made of Japanese fabrics and fans.
They bought many things saying "Stop shopping!!" (^-^)

After lunch, we visited Ginkakuji temple (Silver Pavillion).
Ririko had to leave the tour due to her job, and the rest of us went on the tour.
We enjoyed walking along the philosophy path.

Though we were a little tired, we went Nanzenji temple. Then I took them to Heian Shrine. In front of the shrine, I had to say good-by to them.

I walked and walked all day.
During lunch time, one of them said he had lost two pounds because he had walked a lot and had been having Japanese food during their stay in Japan.
Walking and Japanese food are probably good for being in good shape.

It was too early for a cherry season, but when we found some cherry blossoms, we ran to them and took photos. Cherry blossoms surely attracts us!

I really hope they enjoyed cherry blossoms in Tokyo which they were scheduled to visit.

Having a Japanese Green tea in a temple( with a man from Spain)

He came to Kyoto by Shinkansen. I picked him up at JR station and started a half day tour.

Along with his request, I chose Golden Pavillion as a place to visit first. Though it began to rain, Golden Pavillion was beautiful and visited by many tourists.
Then we headed for Nijo castle and hurried to Nanzenji temple.

As he wanted to have Japanese tea for tea ceremony, we asked a woman at the entrance to have us have MACCHA(tea for tea ceremony). In Nanzenji temple, you can have MACCHA viewing a garden.

A woman brought us Green tea and Japanese sweets. I explained how to drink and enjoyed Japanese tea.

MACCHA is a little bitter, but before drinking tea, we have Japanese sweets. Sweetness and bitterness work each other in complete harmony.
How about enjoying Japanese MACCHA with your mind calm in the temple?
You can enjoy it for just 500 yen.

He was interested in incense, we headed for Nineizaka to buy some. As it was getting dark when we got out of the shop, the path started being illuminated.

So, we enjoyed the beautiful illuminated pagoda in Yasaka, too.

Though it was a half day tour, we enjoyed a lot.

The Cherry Season has come !!

Cherry blossoms are blooming now. We can enjoy these beautiful blossoms only for a week or so. Of course, they begin to bloom depending on places and weather.
In Kyoto, they are going to fully bloom. Probably, this weekends or next week they are at their best.

Why don't you come and enjoy these beautiful sights?

We, Japanese, really like to enjoy cherry viewing with a lot of Sake, sometimes too much.(^^;> hummm. Here and there at night we have a party or a night picnic.

Be careful for some drunken people under cherry trees in this season!
oh, most of the people there are kind and friendly to you!!!

Enjoy your meal!

Last month, I showed around Italian speaking people. At the lunch time, when lunch was served and when we were about to eat, they said, "Enjoy your meal". And last week, a new member of our service, Ririko and I showed around the guys from Italy. At the lunch time, I heard the same words."Enjoy your meal".

The words sounded nice to me! In Japan, we usually say "ITADAKIMASU". The direct translation is "I am going to have the meal " in a polite way. And we also say "GOCHISOUSAMA (DESHITA)" whose literal meaning is "It was a good meal" or "Thank you for the meal" when we finish a meal.

We, Japanese tend to show gratitude to a person who makes a meal. On the other hand, "Enjoy your meal" tells us that we should enjoy our meal! The expression related to the meal interests me a lot.

So, Let's enjoy our meal and express thanks to a person who makes our meal!

Visiting sightseeing spots with an Italian

This time I picked him up at Ks house which is near JR Kyoto station. As he arrived in Kyoto on early morning, I went there at 10AM so that he could take a shower and a little rest.

He had a two-day schedule in Kyoto, I recommended him to vist the eastern part of Kyoto by himself the next day. In the eastern part, as temples and shrines are close to each other, visitors can walk one temple to another enjoying tiny shops along the path.

So, I made a plan for the first day to visit the western part.
First we visited Golden Pavillion, one of the world heritage sites in Kyoto. After walking around the garden and seeing the tea house, we headed for Daitokuji temple.
Usually we visit Ryoanji rock garden before or after visiting Golden Pavillion. However until Feb. 25th, it had been closed, so instead we visited Daisen-in in the precinct of Daitokuji. Daitokuji is also a Zen temple, which has rock and sand gardens.
I talked about Zen spirit and enjoyed Japanese tea usually served in a tea Ceremony.

After that, we visited Kotoin in the same precinct.

He didn't want to be rushed for the tour, so we stayed there for a while and enjoyed its atmosphere . As it was fine, we felt a breeze coming through some bomboo trees and heard birds singing. The garden consists of just moss and one stone lantern, but still makes us feel comfortable and calm.

Then we went to Nijo Castle.
He said it was not cold so much in the castle in Japan as in those in Europe, because European castles are mainly made of stone.
We enjoyed this historic place and visited Nishiki Food Market.

He tried steamed fish-paste.
How is it? He said nh~ nice!

Photos tea room of Koto-in

Lunch ( OYAKODON ) oyako means a parent and a child.
( chiken and egg )
DON means a rice bowl.

Calmness in Koto-in

There are a lot of places to see in Kyoto. Some are very well-known and others are not. Some places in guide books are visited by so many people, especially in sightseeing seasons. We cannot enjoy those temples themselves, just looking its beauty and scene.

Why not visit Koto-in? It is one of the small temples in the precinct of Daitokuji temple. It is deelpy related to HOSOKAWA family, one of the feudal lords in 17th century. In this temple, there is the family's grave and the family's tea room.

However, what I want to tell you more than anything else is a calmness of this temple.
Once you step in the area, you will forget bustle of the big city. There exist a quiet calmness. Just sit toward the garden and listen to the sound of wind. Its calmness refresh your heart.

When I took a tourist here, he said " However hard you try to put this whole thing in a picture, it is surely impossible. The breeze, the birds, air, shade, moss...everything makes you calm."

Just stay here for a while and feel everything around you.

Certainly, you will have peace in your mind.