At a glance, Pontochō looks like a place you often see in television of how old Japan is portrayed with its narrow streets and paper lanterns hanging outside of every entrance of houses, shops and ryokans.

Pontochō (先斗町) is a district in Kyoto, Japan known for geisha and home to many geisha houses and traditional tea houses. Like Gion, Pontochō is famous for the preservation of forms of traditional architecture and entertainment.

The name Pontochō is said to be a portmanteau of the English word “point” or the Portuguese word “ponto” (also meaning point) and the Japanese word meaning town, street, or road. The district crest is a stylized water plover or chidori.

Pontochō centres around one long, narrow, cobbled alley running from Shijo-dōri to Sanjo-dōri, one block west of the Kamo River (Kamogawa). This is also the traditional location of the start of kabuki, and a statue of Okuni still stands on the opposite side of the river.

Geisha have existed in Pontochō since at least the 1500s, as have prostitution and other forms of entertainment. Today the area, lit by traditional lanterns at night, contains a mix of very expensive restaurants—often featuring outdoor riverside dining on wooden patios—geisha houses and tea houses, brothels, bars, and cheap eateries.

The area is also home to the Pontochō Kaburenjō Theatre at the Sanjo-dōri end of the street. This theatre functions as a practice hall for geisha and twice a year since the 1870s Kyoto geisha perform the Kamogawa Odori—Kamogawa river dancing, a combination of traditional dance, kabuki-like theatre, singing and the playing of traditional instruments—there, offering a rare chance for ordinary people to see performances by real geisha.

How to get to Pontocho?
The closest bus stop to Pontocho is Shijo Kawaramachi, which is served by ten bus lines, including lines 17 and 205 from Kyoto Station. The closest train stations are Kawaramachi Station on the Hankyu Line and Shijo Station on the Keihan Line.

Kyōto Gosho (京都御所, Kyōto Gosho), or Kyoto Palace, was the Imperial Palace of Japan during the Edo Period. Today the grounds are open to the public, and the Imperial Household Agency hosts public tours of the buildings several times a day. English tours are held twice a week.

Kyōto Gosho is the latest of the Imperial palaces built at or near its site in the north-eastern part of the old capital on Heiankyo after the abandonment of the larger original Heian Palace (大内裏, daidairi) that was located to the west of the current palace during the Heian Period. The Palace lost much of its function at the time of the Meiji Restoration, when the capital was moved to Tokyo in 1869. However, the Taisho and Showa Emperors still had their coronation ceremonies at Kyōto Gosho.

This is one of Japan’s historical sites that marries structure, nature and history together. It will definitely make a picture perfect postcard. Don’t forget to visit the Kyoto Imperial Garden on the palace grounds where varieties of cherry blossom trees and other floras grow. A beautiful pond completes the imperial garden as well.

How to get there?
You can reach the Kyoto Imperial Palace via Kyoto Station by the Karasuma Subway Line.

While the world advances into a modernize civilization and women’s rights, time seems to slow down when you are in Gion’s geisha district.

Tō-ji (東寺, Tō-ji?) is a Buddhist temple of the Shingon sect in Kyoto, Japan. Its name means East Temple, and it once had a partner, Saiji (West Temple). They stood alongside the Rashomon, the gate to the Heian capital. It is formally known as Kyō-ō-gokoku-ji (教王護国寺, Kyō-ō-gokoku-ji?) which indicates that it previously functioned as a temple providing protection for the nation. Tō-ji is located in Minami-ku near the intersection of Ōmiya Street and Kujō Street, southwest of Kyoto Station.

Although often associated with the famous priest Kōbō Daishi (Kūkai), Tō-ji was established in 796 A.D., two years after the capital moved to Heian-kyō. Kūkai was put in charge of Tō-ji in 823 A.D. by order of Emperor Saga. Its principal image is of Yakushi Nyorai, the healing Buddha.

The pagoda of Tō-ji stands 57 m high, and is the tallest wooden tower in Japan. It dates from the Edo period, when it was rebuilt by order of the third Tokugawa Shogun, Iemitsu. The pagoda has been, and continues to be, a symbol of Kyoto. Entrance into the pagoda itself is permitted only a few days a year.

The buildings at Tō-ji house a variety of ancient Buddhist sculpture. The grounds feature a garden and pond, in which turtles and koi swim. The grounds also house an academically rigorous private school, Rakunan, from which many students are sent to elite universities.

Recognizing the historical and spiritual significance of Tō-ji, UNESCO designated it, along with several other treasures in Kyoto Prefecture, as part of the “Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto” World Heritage Site.

On the 21st of each month, a lively flea market that boasts of wares from far and old is held around the Tō-ji. It’s packed with people every month and the wares you can expect are clothes, sculptures, tablewares, decoration items, food and plants.

How to get there?
Tō-ji is located on the south of Kyoto Station, which is a 10=15 minutes walk away.

The Kansai region (関西地方, Kansai-chihō?) of Japan, also known as the Kinki region (近畿地方, Kinki-chihō?), lies in the Southern-Central region of Japan’s main island, Honshū. The region includes the prefectures of Nara, Wakayama, Mie, Kyoto, Osaka, Hyōgo, and Shiga.

The Kinki Plain, containing the cities of Osaka and Kyoto forms the core of the region. From there, the Kansai area streches west along the Seto Inland Sea towards Himeji and Kobe and east encompassing Lake Biwa, Japan’s largest freshwater lake. The region is bordered in the north by the Sea of Japan and at the Kii Peninsula meets the Pacific Ocean in the south. Four of Japan’s national parks lie within its borders, in whole or in part. The area also contains six of the seven top prefectures in terms of national treasures. Other geographical highlights include Amanohashidate in Kyoto Prefecture and Awaji Island in Hyogo.

The Kansai region is often compared (yet more often contrasted) with the Kantō region, which lies to its east and is comprised primarily of Tokyo and the surrounding area. Whereas the Kanto region is symbolic of standardization throughout Japan (from government to economics to language), the Kansai region displays many more idiosyncrasies: the culture in Kyoto, the mercantilism of Osaka, the history of Nara, or the cosmopolitanism of Kobe, and could be said to represent the focus of counterculture in Japan. This East-West rivalry has deep historical roots, particularly from the Edo period. Having a samurai population of less than 1%, the culture of the merchant city of Osaka stood in sharp contrast to that of Edo, the seat of power for the Tokugawa shogunate.

Many characteristic traits of Kansai people descend from Osaka merchant culture. As Catherine Maxwell, an editor for the newsletter Omusubi, writes: “Kansai residents are seen as being pragmatic, entrepreneurial, down-to-earth and possessing a strong sense of humour. Kanto people on the other hand are perceived as more sophisticated, reserved and formal, in keeping with Tokyo’s history and modern status as the nation’s capital and largest metropolis.”[3][4]

Popular regional foods include takoyaki, okonomiyaki and kitsune udon. Hyogo Prefecture is well known for its beef and other dairy products (see Kobe beef). Sake is another specialty of the region, the areas of Nada and Fushimi producing 45% of all the sake in Japan.[5] As opposed to food from Eastern Japan, food in the Kansai area tends to be sweeter, and foods such as nattō tend to be less popular.

The dialects (弁, -ben) of the people of the Kansai region have their own variations of pronunciation, vocabulary, and grammar which are unique to the region. Kansai-ben is a term referring to the group of dialects spoken in the Kansai area, but is often treated as a dialect in its own right. Kansai-ben is especially strong in cities such as Osaka, Kyoto, and Kobe.

The terms Kansai (関西), Kinki (近畿) and Kinai (畿内) have a very deep history, dating back almost as far as the nation of Japan itself. As a part of the Ritsuryō reforms of the 6th century, the Gokishichidō system established the provinces of Yamato, Yamashiro, Kawachi, Settsu and Izumi. Kinai and Kinki, both roughly meaning “the neighbourhood of the capital”, referred to these provinces. In common usage, Kinai now refers to the Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto (Keihanshin) area, the center of the Kansai region.

Kansai (literally “west of the border”) in its original usage refers to the land west of the Ousaka Checkpoint (逢坂の関), the border between Yamashiro Province and Ōmi Province (present-day Kyoto and Shiga prefectures). During the Kamakura period, this border was redefined to include Ōmi and Iga Provinces.It is not until the Edo period that Kansai came to acquire its current form.(see Kamigata) Like all regions of Japan, the Kansai region is not an administrative unit, but rather a cultural and historical one.

To read more about Kansai region….

I have reached the end of Kinki/Kansai region. I will be moving to Chugoku next! :)

As for now, visit these links to Kansai on information about travelling, where to go and what to do.

Kansai/Kinki 1
Kansai Kinki 2

Kobe (神戸市, Kōbe-shi) is the capital city of Hyōgo Prefecture and a prominent port city in Japan with a population of about 1.5 million. The city is located in the Kansai region of Japan to the west of Osaka. Kobe is classified as one of Japan’s fifteen designated cities and is a part of the Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto metropolitan sprawl.

It was one of the first cities to open for trade with the West, in 1868, and as such it is known as a cosmopolitan port city. Consistent with this reputation, Kobe has a population of 45,000 foreign residents from more than 100 countries. The city hosts the Asian or Japan headquarters of a number of companies including Procter & Gamble and Nestlé, and is the point of origin and namesake of Kobe beef.

The city was severely affected by the 1995 Great Hanshin Earthquake, in which over 6000 residents lost their lives. Kobe has largely recovered from the damage.

Kobe is situation in between the sea and the Rokko mountain range, which makes it one of the most attractive city in Japan. It is a city that filled with arts and fashion and is widely associated with the cosmopolitan of fashion. Which is why a saying goes, “If you can’t go to Paris, got to Kobe”. Twice a year, a fashion even called Kobe Collection is held in the city while the Kobe Jazz Street is held every October in Jazz clubs and hotels since 1981.

Some of the interesting attractions of this city is the earthquake museum build to commemorate the lives that was lost in the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake in 1995. You can also visit the world’s longest suspension bridge, Akashi Kaikyo, if you’re not afraid of heights and then drop of the Arima Onsen, which is a hot spring that is located within the city.

Of course, not to forget Kobe beef, it is one of the main attractions here – so eat some where you’re in Kobe City :)

How to get there?
Visit this page for more details.

Amanohashidate is one of Japan’s three scenic views otherwise, also know as Nihon Sankei. The word “Amanohashidate” technically translates to bridge in the heaven in Japanese. A thin strip of land connects two opposing sides of Miyazu Bay. This sand bar is 3.3km long and is covered with about 7000 pine trees. This strip is the bridge in heaven.

To view the “bridge in the heaven” you just need to turn your back from the bay and look in between your legs. Tourists have been doing this for a millenia.

It can be viewed from mountains on either side of the bay or it can be traversed on foot. Visitors are recommended to view the “heaven’s bridge” by turning their back to it, then bending over and looking at it upside down from between their legs.

Near the southern end is Chion-ji, a Buddhist temple. The temple has a small tahoto, a kind of pagoda which still resembles the Indian stupa more than the more common three and five storied Japanese pagoda.

When you go to Japan, you must attend a Sumo match because it’s a traditional japanese sport. Baseball may be big in Japan but Sumo Wrestlers are bigger, literally and figuratively. :)
The sport is surrounded by ceremony and ritual. The Japanese consider Sumo a gendai budō: a modern Japanese martial art, even though the sport has a history spanning many centuries.

The Sumo tradition is very ancient, and even today the sport includes many ritual elements, such as the use of salt for purification, from the days Sumo was used in the Shinto religion.

The basic rule of Sumo is very simple; the first sumo that touches the floor with something else apart from his sole or leaves the ring before his opponent, loses. The fights usually last about a few seconds and its very rare for it to last for up to 1 min or longer.

Six tournaments are held each year and each tournament lasts 15 days. I don’t know how many fights go on in one day with each fight lasting a few seconds. I think they must be many fights but there are also the traditional rituals held before and after a match as well. It’s definitely something that’s worth experiencing.

Three of the 15 tournaments is held in Tokyo (Jan, May, Sept), and one each in Osaka (March), Nagoya (July) and Fukuoka (November).

To know more about Sumo, go to Nihon Sumo Kyokai

Source: Wikipedia ; Japan Guide

Ise Shima is a National Park near the Shima Peninsula. The Shima Peninsula is home to Japan’s most sacred Shinto Shrines, the Ise Shrines. It is in Ise Shima where Mikimoto Pearl Island, an internationally known name for cultivated pearls, is situated to.

So the two places that’s worth the visit in Ise Shima is the shinto shrinese and the pearl island of Mikimoto. There are several sacred shrines to visit while you’re there:

The Ise Jingu consists of two shrines: the Outer Shrine (Geku), which is dedicated to Toyouke, the kami of clothing, food and housing, and the Inner Shrine (Naiku), which enshrines Amaterasu, the Sun Goddess. They are Shinto’s most sacred shrines.

Shinto Shrines

Naiku and Geku are located several kilometers apart from each other at the foot of densely wooded hills. Unlike most other Shinto shrines, the Ise Shrines are built in a purely Japanese architecture style which shows no influence from the Asian mainland

There is also Oharaimachi, a one kilometer stretch of old buildings that is lined with traditional shops and houses. This is the stop for most pilgrims who comes over to Ise Shima to pray. Do stop to savor some of their traditional and local delicacies there.

How to get to Ise Shima? There are plenty of routes to get there, the most popular ones is from either Tokyo or Nagoya. For a better picture, read more about orientations HERE.

Source: Japan Guide

Gion (祇園 or 祇をん) is a district of Kyoto, Japan, originally developed in the middle ages, in front of Yasaka Shrine.

Geisha in the Gion district do not refer to themselves as geisha; instead, Gion geisha use the local term “geiko.” While the term geisha means “artist,” the more direct term geiko means specifically “a woman of art.” I bet this is an info that many do not know since the publication of Arthur Golden’s Memoirs of a Geisha has so misguiding termed/defined the word geisha.

This part of Kyoto has two hanamachi (geisha districts): Gion Kobu (祇園甲部) and Gion Higashi (祇園東). Despite the considerable decline in the number of geiko in Gion in the last one hundred years, it is still famous for the preservation of forms of traditional architecture and entertainment. Part of this district has been declared a national historical preservation district.

There is a popular misconception that Gion was a red-light district. However, as it was a geiko district, and as geiko are entertainers, not prostitutes, Gion is not, and never was, a red-light district. For those of you looking for the red light district, head on to Shimabara for a little history lesson as it WAS a redlight district before prostitution was banned in Japan.

The geiko of Gion still maintain the annual dances, the most popular being the Miyako Odori, or “Dances of the Old Capital,” staged by the geiko of Gion Kobu. The dances run from April 1 through April 30 each year during the height of the cherry blossom (sakura) season. Spectators from Japan and worldwide attend the events, which range from “cheap” seats on tatami mats on the floor (approximately $15.00 U.S.), to reserved seats with a small tea ceremony beforehand (appoximately $40.00 U.S.).

I would suggest visiting Gion to rid of the misconception that geisha/geikos are prostitutes..they are merely artisans or a person of arts. Indeed, to be served by a geisha/geiko is an experience of beauty and of Japan’s oldest cultural heritage.

Source: Wikipedia