Kanikakuni
Gion wa koishi
Neru toki mo
makura no shita no
mizu no nagaruruNo matter what they say
This beautiful poem was written by Isamu Yoshii.
I love Gion
Even in my sleep
The sound of water
Flows beneath my pillow
I was happy to be in Kyoto to see the plum blossom. On my last night there I met Manami-san, until recently a famous geisha, at the rather high class restaurant which she now runs with her husband, Takanori Kajihara, who is a fine chef. They’d been together ten years but while you’re a geisha you can’t marry. If a geisha marries she has to give up being a geisha – which Manami-san did. While I was there one of those wonderful butterflies of the night that one sees flitting by on the street came in – 16-year-old Mamé-chan, Manami-san’s ‘younger sister’.
Please click on thumbnails below to scroll through the gallery:
Plum blossom by the Shirakawa River in Shimbashi, Gion 
With Manami-san in her restaurant in Gion 
She gave up being a geisha to marry Kajihara-san 
When she was a geisha she looked like this 
Mame-chan is her ‘younger sister’ in the geisha world
Dear Lesley,
I came past your article about Kyoto in the traveller magazine and even though I have always wanted to visit Japan your article made me more in love with Kyoto and I decided this year I would visit Japan for this very first time.
Japan has always been a place I have wanted to visit. The culture , people, food and beauty of the country will make this a special hoilday.
I will be in Japan for 16 days and will be visting Tokyo, Hakone, Kyoto and Takayama. Also doing as many day tours that I can. I am travelling with my sister and we have found it is very expensive to visit Japan.
I was wondering if you would recommend any accommdations in Kyoto, ideal with breakfast. We have been recommended to stay in business hotels as they are the cheapest but if you would recommend a cheaper but more traditional stay then please let me know.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you
Kind regards
Dipti