Kyoto was one of the places I wanted to visit. Pictures of traditional streets and Geisha had fired my imagination although I was also concerned that it may turn out to be something of a tourist trap with high prices and hoards of people. In the event, we had an interesting albeit exhausting day and only saw a few of the many attractions.

The golden temple (Kinka Kuji) was very photogenic although it demanded a patient approach to photography as the mass of visitors posed in turn with selfie sticks and smartphones to capture the visit for posterity. We've accepted during this trip that it's virtually impossible to get shots without the ubiquitous red umbrella, selfie stick, or guide. Thank goodness for the cropping feature. You could only view the building from the outside although it was located in a lovely landscaped garden area which provided us with more photo options.

Whilst in Kyoto we also visited the Nijo-Jo castle, but as we were only allowed to take exterior pictures we now have a somewhat blurred memory. You had to take off your shoes before entering the series of long wooden floored corridors which skirted the rooms. Thankfully there was some English signage so we had some idea what the rooms had been used for. The murals on the walls whilst often dark were impressively painted and it was easy to visualise them as the backdrop to scenes of the past.

Later in the day, we headed down to the Gion area. The area is famous for the traditional but elusive Geisha and comes alive in the early evening. We found many small narrow lanes and spotted many people of both sexes who had adorned Kimonos for the day. They looked beautiful as hair, makeup and every detail had been completed with finesse. As we meandered through the streets we turned a corner and much to our surprise spotted an athletic young man wearing Lycra shorts and a blouson top pulling a cart. In the cart sat two Geisha, or more accurately a Geisha and a young maiko (Trainee Geisha) faces white as chalk, and hair pulled back into a traditional topknot. The young girl smiled as I struggled to find and focus the camera in time. This proved to be our only Geisha sighting, despite heading along the Pontocho later in the evening. We had a lovely day in Kyoto, and agreed that one day was not enough to get around the various sights.....so there's still more to explore another day.