Asymmtrcal

I found out about this book from my friend when she posted a quote on Instagram. That got me interested. I didn't pin much hope on it because I never did like any self help books or anything along that line. But I was wrong.

Set in Jerusalem, a greek man, who went by the name The Copt, was speaking to the crowd before they head to war. In the face of death, he shared his views on love, fear, loyalty, dreams, forgiveness, anxiety and much more, in order to provide some kind of comfort to the people.

Losing a battle or losing everything we thought we possessed will bring us moments of sadness, but when those moments pass, we will discover the hidden strength that exists in each of us, a strength that will surprise us and increase our self-respect.

This book came to me at a very timely manner. I was struggling with self doubt, disappointments and defeats.

We are afraid to change because we think that, after so much effort and sacrifice, we know our present world. And even though that world might not be the best of all worlds, and even though we may not be entirely satisfied with it, at least it won’t give us any nasty surprises.

I felt the book understood what I was going through and spoke to me. The meaning to his words is open to many interpretations. Maybe I'll read this 2 years on and it might mean something else. But at this present moment, it gave me some sort of comfort, some form of assurance.

Live the life you always wanted to live. Avoid criticizing others and concentrate on fulfilling your dreams.

Kyoto was a breath of fresh air, compared to the skyscrapers filled sky in Tokyo, with its old traditional charm. When you look into the distance, all you see is mountain ridges since Kyoto is surrounded by mountains unlike other cities like Tokyo or Osaka. There are numerous temples, shinto shrines, the old imperial palace and traditional wood houses that are still around. No wonder tourists fall Kyoto's old nostalgic charm because I did too.

But this post isn't about its temples, shrines or streets. It is about the famous Geishas and the best places to spot them. Like all you, the first time I knew about geishas was through the book Memoir of The Geisha, which I read during my secondary school days (did they really gave us that book? I mean, at 15?) and then watching it in theatres. The notion I had (then) was they were japanese prostitutes but I was so wrong. I did my research and found out that they are not courtesans but entertainers gifted in the art of dancing, poetry, music. That was the first misconception cleared.

The second misconception is the term 'geisha'. The term geisha/hangyoku (apprentice of geisha) is used to call those from Tokyo, whereas Kyotians are called Geikos/Maikos (apprentice of geikos). The 1998 novel —Memoirs of a Geisha— was probably the reason we generalised them as geishas. Ironically, the movie was set in Kyoto.

This brings me to my next point that Gion isn't the only place where you can spot a Geiko/ Maiko. Memoirs of a Geisha was set in Gion, which may be why everybody flocks to Gion to catch a glimpse of them.
Gion lantern in Memoirs of a Geisha 

The symbol of Gion was everywhere in the movie. A friend's friend, who is a Kyoto tour guide, brought us around for a day to catch sightings of them. What I learnt from her was more informative than what I could ever find on the world wide web.

Kyoto has several Hanamachi; the literal translation being "flower town" or geisha districts. This includes Kamishichiken, Miyagawacho, Pontocho and of course, Gion. Each of these district has its own symbol and this symbol on lanterns are displayed outside houses. In each districts, they have Okiya (their quarters) and Ochaya (teahouses where they entertain). She taught us how to recognise an Okiya but Ochaya I can't remember. At certain times of the year, each district puts up performances for the public. If you can't afford their services, you can go to the performance.

At 6pm, we were brought to one of the Hanamachi, Miyagawacho. A street away from the busy crowd at Gion, we were transported to a peaceful neighbourhood; the real Kyoto.
And at the moment..... I spotted a Geiko going off to her appointment with her client in a fancy schmancy car. I didn't manage to get a picture because I felt it was too intrusive. They are after all, still like one of us. A minute later, a Maiko was returning to her Okiya. Even the Japaneses passing by took photo of her.
The sighting did not stop there. We walked around the neighbourhood a little bit more before heading to Gion for more exploring of Okiya and Ochaya.

Gion is known to tourists for being a geisha area. I'm not surprised though. Hanami-koji is filled with tourists trying to do some geisha sightseeing.
Not to mention there are always taxi and cars driving into this street. But I found out that the taxis and cars were to fetch the Geikos/ Maikos to work. Tourists flock the street of Hanami-koji in hopes of trying to find one of them. This makes it difficult for them to go to work in peace. Hence, taxis.
At Gion, I saw a Maiko (my second one!!) heading to work and she was chased after by tourists. The look on her face; poor girl was frightened as hell. Geishas/ Geikos/ Maikos are a big draw for tourists but they are still like us. Can you imagine being chased when you are trying to get to work? They aren't celebrities.
Skip the main street of Hanami-koji, that is lined with pretty pricey restaurants, and explore the small alleys. Although they are not much shops, there are Okiyas and Ochayas. So if you are lucky, you might spot one of them. But again, don't be intrusive. Don't run after them.

I did saw another one around Pontocho, after my delicious eel dinner, going back to her Okiya. The narrow alleys of Pontocho makes it easier to come face to face with one. So you might have a good chance to see them there.

Good luck!

What is Japan without seeing the famous iconic Mount Fuji? Not only did we witness Mount Fuji in its glory but we set foot on the magnificent Mount Fuji. You can enjoy Mount Fuji in many different ways/ locations from Fuji Five Lake (富士五湖, Fujigoko) or Hakone. Hakone is the most popular for tourists as it is very accessible from Tokyo. I did up an one day itinerary for Hakone but I didn't manage to make use of it. Maybe next time I'll put up a post for Hakone. But we didn't just want to see Mount Fuji from afar so we opted to join a tour to take us up to Mount Fuji and its surroundings. I joined JTB Sunrise Tours.

JTB Sunrise Tour has a variety of tour packages for you from a day trip package to multi-day package to Sumo tours, Tea ceremony etc. From geisha to sushi to anime to even World Heritage sites, JTB Sunrise Tour got you covered. They even have different transportation options for you. The guides are really fluent in English and they are funny. At least my tour guide was and not to mention he was really good at taking photos since he is probably asked to take group photos ALL the time. JTB also offer a package for those who want to climb Mount Fuji. Yes it is possible. My guide's 6 years old son even climbed it. Kuddos. I couldn't even climb Achasan 아차산 in Korea without slipping.

I went on 1-Day Mount Fuji and Hakone tour by coach, which is ¥3,000 cheaper than the Shinkansen return. The tour includes stops at Fuji Visitor Centre, one of the Mount Fuji 5th station (Yoshidaguchi 5th Station or Kawaguchiko 5th Station), lunch at Fuji Highland hotel and Hakone (Lake Ashi cruise and Mt. Komagatake Ropeway). However, Mt. Komagatake Ropeway was closed because the weather was bad so the guide substituted it with Kachi Kachi Ropeway at one of the Fuji Five Lake, Kawaguchiko.

It was raining heavily on the morning when we were supposed to head for Mount Fuji and I given up all hope to see her.

The Fuji Visitor Centre (富士ビジターセンター) 

This was the first stop. Like the name suggests, Fuji Visitor Centre is an information centre for travelers about all things Mount Fuji. They do have exhibits about the mountain and its history. All that thingamajig. I didn't have the time to look around because it was really crowded and I needed to go the toilet before our journey up. Obviously the queue for the ladies snaked.