My Boxing Day Trip to Kyoto!!!!

(This is not finished yet. I still have more to write but I'm buggered. Check back soon to read my literary works....)

Hey guys, I just got back from Kyoto and I have a stack of photos. I am not posting all of the photos on this page because it would take ages for it to open (if you have crappy Internet connection...)

If you want to see more photos, click on the main photos below and they will take you to a slideshow of more photos of the place!!!!

My Hotel
The hotel I stayed at was great! It was right opposite Kyoto station, and buses ran from the station on a regular basis to all of the popular tourists sights! They didn't speak much English there so I had the chance to use my Japanese! It was fantastic! (Not my Japanese, the experience)
The first morning of my stay, the reception desk called me at 7:30 to wake me up (I didn't ask them to). Upon the fourth or fifth time they rang, I answered the phone. As soon as that was done, I went back to sleep. Fifteen minutes later, a nice old lady was knocking at my door to take me to breakfast. I soooo didn't want to get out of bed. So I promised myself that I would have another hour to nap after breakfast. When I returned to my room, the housekeeper had folded my futon away! NO FAIR!!!!!!I don't have an antenna connection back at home, so I savoured the opportunity to watch TV in the hotel room. There were Japanese people dressing up as Michael Jackson and Elvis. I also had a laugh watching the Japanese version of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire.... in which the top prize was the equivalent of $120,000....

My day of dress-ups

The first day of Kyoto was devoted to dressing up as a Geiko and a Maiko (both types of apprentice Geisha). I had my makeup done first, which basically involved having a thick, cold white paint slathered over my face and having my eyebrows whited out and drawn on again (that took ages). Japanese people's eyebrows are different to westerners'. The growth of the hairs are downwards, whereas I have hair growing outwards.
Following the makeup, they showed me a great wall of kimonos to choose from. I chose one, but they started telling me that it wasn't appropriate or something. Instead they showed me some example photos and I chose a couple. Then the first kimono was put on to make me a Geiko. The kimono was a struggle to put on, I was being thrashed everywhere and the women were tugging at the wrap and the obi. It was fun though!
After two studio photo sessions, I was then taken out into Kiyomizudera Temple to shock the tourists as a Gaijin (foreigner) dressed in Maiko get-up. I had a lot of tourists ask to take photos with me, which was fun. The Shrines and Temples

Seeing I have already written a lot of text, I won't give you complete overviews of the other places I went to in Kyoto. I suppose the pictures tell it all! (Hopefully.....) Just click on the pictures to view a slideshow!

Fushimi Inari Shrine
Kiyomizudera (aka Pure Water Shrine)Ryoanji TempleEikando Zenrin-ji Temple Ginkakuji (aka The Silver Temple)
Kinkakuji (aka The Gold Leaf Temple)