The Return (day 3)

At night Yoko showed us part of old Gion we hadn't visited before , the original Tea House and pleasure district where the art of geisha originated.

After a small donation to the temple, Kelly soaks her paper in water to reveal her Good Fortune...

Kimone no Michi. ("The Path of Tree Roots") over the pass.

Lunch on a stream...

The route over Mt Kurama.

View from Kurama-dera.

Great views on the way up to Kibune...

Tengu and big-nosed- gaijin...

Lunch at Kibune.

A free day for the students today to spend with their host families around Kyoto, so a "rest" day for us, too! It was a public holiday today - part of "Silver Week" - so we didn't rest! We met up with our old friend Yoko from Himeji, took a bus & train to Kibune-Guchi, then hiked to Kibune where we had a fantastic traditional Japanese lunch on a platform over a mountain stream. Then we walked up Mt Kurama, visited Kurama-dera Temple and then down thousands of stone steps to the town of Kurama in the valley on the other side of the mountain. It was a beautiful autumn day - too early for many coloured leaves yet - warm enough for hiking but not too hot.

Then it was back to old Gion with its tea-houses and old geiko (geisha) district, okonomiyaki and beer for dinner and back to the hotel exhausted.

Thanks for a wonderful day, Yoko!