Old & New Kyoto

This weekend - while Kumar was traveling on business - I went to Kyoto with my friend Pieternel and her daughter Raeven (whose husband and father was also out of town).

We rented a "machiya" - an old traditional Japanese townhouse that has been restored to include modern amenities like heated floors and AC - in the very heart of Gion. Gion is the historic center of Kyoto - where little shops sell crafts that are made in a centuries-old tradition, where tourists flock to get a glimpse of what Japan once was, and where geishas can still be spotted on occasion.

Our machiya was dreamy and we got to spend quite a bit of time enjoying it. We bought food and had a lovely dinner at home. We soaked in the tub in a bathing room that opens into a perfectly sculpted garden. And we slept in traditional futons - thin mattresses that you thow on the floor at nighttime on the tatami floor and then cover yourself with a fluffy duvet.

When we were not in our machiya, we went to visit a bamboo forest, had traditional Japanese meals in cute little restaurants, strolled the nearby shopping district and visited the most quirky shops, searching for the perfect combination of traditional crafts with a modern twist.

Among the treasures we found, my favorite is a modern take on the traditional tabi boots (I've written about tabi boots and there's a picture of my first - traditional - pair in the October 29 entry). I loved them so much that I bought two pairs! There's a picture of them below. And many more pictures in the "Kyoto with Pieternel and Raeven" album in my gallery.

Ah, if only Hiroshima were half as beautiful as Kyoto...