Travel blog: Kyoto & fake maiko & hydrangea blossom

Hello!!

I decided to post a travel blog kind of post. :) In 2008~2009 I was actually on a scholarship in Japan for a year, it was an amazing experience! I also got to travel then. And since I was at Osaka University, I went to nearby Kyoto quite often. This day, during hydrangea blooming season, my friend Beth from Poland, was in Kyoto with her friends, so we met up to go and see Kiyomizudera and Koudaiji together. 

Hydrangea (ajisai) in Kyoto.

In Kyoto there is a shop, Studio Shiki, specializing in dressing women up and doing their makeup, so they look like the famous geishas (well, maikos in this case) from Kawaramachi. There are a couple of "plans" to choose from, you can just dress up and have your photo taken or you can go outside and have a stroll or even a professional photoshoot - of course then the price is significantly higher. 

My friends just took photos in the studio, but we met some Japanese ladies walking around Kiyomizudera, and they were asked for photos by everyone (even fake tourist maiko are a big attraction, also for the Japanese, you can see a bunch of school kids asking them for photos too). :)

They told me a random jinx: if you have "fat" ears, it means you will be rich. You can also cheat destiny, by massaging your ears, so they become bigger, and you, by consequence, will become richer. XD

 Later we visited the beautiful Koudaiji temple, located close to Kiyomizudera. It is famous for it`S beautiful pond, best to see in autumn at night, when the momiji leaves are reflected in the water. It looks really beautiful. In summer months, you can enjoy the cool shadows of a bamboo forest they have there too. Overall it is a really lovely temple to visit! One of my favourites. :)

 So, that`s it! Maybe I can post more travel blogs like this, who knows?
That was me, reporting from the past XD That`s how I looked then.

Bye for now! :D