Japan Trip Day 6 - Kyoto 9 May 2016
!!!! Feel just like a super star today! Went to Yumeyukata at about 9, it was soooo cold because it was raining. I was pretty bummed by the rain. Had breakfast at the shop next to it. Not bad quite nice. It's soba again. Anyway, there was a man dressed in all white to beckon us into Yumeyukata. I realised that Japan hires all sorts of old men to do all sorts of random jobs. I guess it's because of the greying population and high umemployment rates? Working on a cold rainy day though, poor thing! The female staff in front of the shop can speak Chinese! Sounds like a Taiwanese though. We had to remove our shoes and put them in a plastic bag before entering the shop. Then, we were led to a counter and asked to go upstairs to the second floor! We picked our kimonos. Mine was baby blue with a pink obiya. Changing took place there! I had to strip down to my undies and wear a long white linen robe with short sleeves. Was in a different room from lays because there were just too many people!! PRCs especially. Changing was an elaborate affair, with the lady twisting and tying all sorts of knots. I was trying to hold my breath so that she could tie everything tighter so that it would be nicer. After that, I told the hairdresser to give me a half up half down hairdo. I realise that their curling rolls were very cool? They are heated. Because after she removed them my hairs are curled. So cool! She sprayed like a ton of hair spray. Oh yeah, I brought along Si Ye's Mulan hairpin lololololol but was too embarrassed to ask her to help me put it on. Lays was missing!! For half an hour, she spent a long time at the clothes changing part I think, cos the person helping her changed took a long time. I waited for like half an hour for her downstairs. I found the clothes changing really intriguing, felt like some rich girl and her lady maid! Oh right, LAys helped me put on some flowers and the Si Ye's hairpin.
We took train to the Kyoto Imperial Palace. The rain was pissing us off. Wanted to go to the 230 tour but it was filled up, then the person at the counter advised us to go to the 130 garden tour and then 330 palace tour. We decided to miss it altogether because we wanted to go to Gion more. Went back and took train but then we lost our way omg. Wanted to go to Hanamikoji street at first but there was nobody there? Thought it was so strange, then realised okay, we lost our way. We took some pictures at the bridge where Zhang Ziyi filmed Memoirs of a Geisha. We then entered the shopping street and I bought some sort of teriyaki mochi thing, didn't really like it. Then, we bought icecream with cake underneath. It was superb!! Also, tried all sorts of mochi at the shop that followed. Very delicious, kinda regret not buying it at the time, didn't see them after we left Kyoto already. We then went to the Yasaka Shrine. In front of the shrine, there is a place for us to clean our hands with buckets of water. I noticed that this is similar among all the shrines that we passed. Perhaps this is because the Japanese are really into cleanliness.
There was a stall in front of the Yasaka Shrine selling this really giant stick of Crab Stick. We bought 1 to share. We love it to bits!!! It tasted really really good. Regret not buying one each lololol. Oh wells, in any case, it is hard to eat with brollys on our hands. The Japanese pray by shaking a rope attached to a bell, then bowing and clapping twice. We did so at the place for yinyuan. Hahahah. We had tea at at random teahouse and sat there for 2 hours. It was deserted. Felt like we owned the place. Ordered 6 pieces of mochi and a tea. Liked the mochi on first bite, but couldn't finish the rest of the five pieces.
Went to walk around the Gion district after that. We passed by quite a few tour buses and there were some angmohs who took pictures of us. Lololololololol. Tried to not laugh too loudly after that, made them think we were japanese. Tried to act like real geisha out on a job. So shiokkkkkk. We also walked back to the geisha bridge and a dude and a photographer made us stood at the bridge to pose for pictures. They gave us a geisha like brolly too. It was so fun!! Like having a photoshoot. After a long time, they finally left. Then, this angmoh took a picture of us, followed by this Danish girl. I almost wisecracked hi the danish girl. But didn't. Shuang dao!
At 730, we went back to return the kimono. VERY RELUCTANT. But oh well. Had dinner at Yoshinoya and after that at Mcdonalds. Then it's home again. Had a great laugh on the conversation on Snapchat with V. Was keying in all Laychoo's comments.
We took train to the Kyoto Imperial Palace. The rain was pissing us off. Wanted to go to the 230 tour but it was filled up, then the person at the counter advised us to go to the 130 garden tour and then 330 palace tour. We decided to miss it altogether because we wanted to go to Gion more. Went back and took train but then we lost our way omg. Wanted to go to Hanamikoji street at first but there was nobody there? Thought it was so strange, then realised okay, we lost our way. We took some pictures at the bridge where Zhang Ziyi filmed Memoirs of a Geisha. We then entered the shopping street and I bought some sort of teriyaki mochi thing, didn't really like it. Then, we bought icecream with cake underneath. It was superb!! Also, tried all sorts of mochi at the shop that followed. Very delicious, kinda regret not buying it at the time, didn't see them after we left Kyoto already. We then went to the Yasaka Shrine. In front of the shrine, there is a place for us to clean our hands with buckets of water. I noticed that this is similar among all the shrines that we passed. Perhaps this is because the Japanese are really into cleanliness.
There was a stall in front of the Yasaka Shrine selling this really giant stick of Crab Stick. We bought 1 to share. We love it to bits!!! It tasted really really good. Regret not buying one each lololol. Oh wells, in any case, it is hard to eat with brollys on our hands. The Japanese pray by shaking a rope attached to a bell, then bowing and clapping twice. We did so at the place for yinyuan. Hahahah. We had tea at at random teahouse and sat there for 2 hours. It was deserted. Felt like we owned the place. Ordered 6 pieces of mochi and a tea. Liked the mochi on first bite, but couldn't finish the rest of the five pieces.
Went to walk around the Gion district after that. We passed by quite a few tour buses and there were some angmohs who took pictures of us. Lololololololol. Tried to not laugh too loudly after that, made them think we were japanese. Tried to act like real geisha out on a job. So shiokkkkkk. We also walked back to the geisha bridge and a dude and a photographer made us stood at the bridge to pose for pictures. They gave us a geisha like brolly too. It was so fun!! Like having a photoshoot. After a long time, they finally left. Then, this angmoh took a picture of us, followed by this Danish girl. I almost wisecracked hi the danish girl. But didn't. Shuang dao!
At 730, we went back to return the kimono. VERY RELUCTANT. But oh well. Had dinner at Yoshinoya and after that at Mcdonalds. Then it's home again. Had a great laugh on the conversation on Snapchat with V. Was keying in all Laychoo's comments.