Memoirs of an American in Japan: Golden Week (a month ago)

End of April/beginning of May marks the one time of the year the Japanese are given more then one day off from work at a time through the whole year. While many people get off the whole week we only had monday, thursday and friday off. And you can only imagine the craziness that becomes the public transportation and touristy sites. Well since all my friends were off traveling around the world I decided to skip on down to Osaka, Kyoto and Nara for 3 days. I stayed in the same hostel I was in with Charrissa during our Osaka trip and just local trained it to Kyoto and Nara everyday.

Oh Kyoto, how I love thee-let me count thy ways. 1) absolutely beautiful, 2) very ancient amazing history, 3) many of the original architecture is still standing (Kyoto was left alone during WWII to preserve its history)..............I spent 2 days in Kyoto, one day I went to the Geisha show in Pontocho Geisha district and the next day I went to the Fushimi Inari Shrine and climbed up a hill through thousands of torii gates.

Day 1: Pontocho/Gion Districts-Geisha Performance

The Geisha were absolutely gorgeous, elegant graceful dancers that made you forget everything and feel like you were in a different world. The music was eerie and beautiful. In all the performance was an hour long but felt like it was only 10 minutes.

Infamous Gion Geisha district-Kyoto

Crazy Foreign Story Time

The more time I spend here the more time I realize how small the world really is. And that really, really hit home as I was wondering the streets of Gion. I was at a crosswalk with someone I meet at the hostel when this random girl turns around and asks me if I am from California. A bit freaked out-I said yes (seceretly wondering what on earth gave me away as a cali girl), then she asks if I am from Folsom-WHAT WHAT!!! are you serious. Well it turns out I went to school with her and her friend since elementary school. They were a year younger then me in school and I kind of recognized them after talking to them for a minute. But It was a bit weird considering the fact that I don't remember them at all and it would have been at least 7 years since I last saw them anywhere. As it turns out the girl has a strange memory and can remember faces even in foreign counties. Needless to say I walked away with a very eerie feeling.

Day 2: Fushimi Inari Shrine-Kyoto
Fushimi Inari is the major shrine in Japan dedicated to farmers and small businesses, so I automatically had a special bond with this Shrine. But it is one of the most amazing places I have been in Japan. An entire mountian side is covered in torii gates dedicated to this shrine. There is a very spiritual feeling in the as you walk up the mountian through a tunnel of orange gates. P.S. If you saw Memoirs of a Giesha you will recognize this shrine

Day 3-Nara and the big Buddha

On my last day away I decided to visit Nara. It is very famous for its giant Buddha-largest in Japan and the bowing deer. Yes, you read that right-they have deer that bow to you when you feed them. It is a very cute old historic town and I wish I had more time to spend walking around but it was off to the train back to Nagoya.

Buddha's House-Todai-Ji Temple