Japan: Kansai 4 (Kyoto)

It's been a feast for the eyes every day so far but my back is not keeping up, so we take it easy this morning. The day starts with lunch at a popular soba place in Osaka.

Osaka: superb inaka soba (whole buckwheat) at Takama 

In Gion, Kyoto, we have some time to stroll before a geisha dance performance. Flowers are abundant, which enhance the daytime ambiance of this district primarily known for evening entertainment.

Kyoto: Kiyamachi-Dori in daylight

Kiyamachi-Dori, Kyoto: wind blows and petals fly.

Kiyamachi-Dori, Kyoto

Kyoto: walking across the bridge over Kamo-gawa at Shijo

Kyoto: plum trees along Kawa-gamo

Kyoto: sakura along Kawa-gamo

Just as seasonal as the cherry blossoms is the annual Geisha music and dance performance in Kyoto. The most popular is Miyako Odori, which started in 1872 and is given only during April every year. Tickets are supposedly first distributed through the geishas, and not knowing any personally and finding out the shows are sold out according to their website, I had given up on it. But who would have thought that we could get the last remaining tickets at the Tourist Information Center at Kyoto Station of all places just two days before the performance?  

While the dance itself is understated and may not be the most sophisticated or exciting, the show is visually stunning. Bright, colorful and impeccable, what is in front of your eyes is simply mesmerizing. It is pure perfection. I count more than 40 performers and given the estimate that there are about 100 geikos and maikos each in Kyoto, this is a significant gathering of the geishas. I am glad we did not settle for the touristy variety  show at Gion Corner. 

Kyoto: heavily advertised on Hanami-koji, a small street lined with shops in Gion, is the annual April geisha show, Miyako Odori, for which we are lucky to get tickets.

Kyoto: the historic Gion Kobu Kaburen-jo Theater is the venue for the annual April Miyako Odori.

Kyoto: ikebana at Kobu Kaburen-jo Theater

 Kyoto: garden at Kobu Kaburen-jo Theater

Kyoto: a tea ceremony before the dance performance at Kobu Kaburen-jo Theater is superficial and rushed but that's not what we came here for.

Kyoto: the tea ceremony does offer a chance to take pictures of the geisha as photos during the actual dance performance is banned.

Kyoto: inside the Kobu Kaburen-jo theater just before the curtain. Photos are not allowed, which I hate to admit is a good policy and keeps the audience totally absorbed in the performance. 

The main theme of the dance is the four seasons which is a good segue into another ritual in Kyoto that has seasonal sensibility - Kaiseki. The dance ends in time for our first full Kaiseki meal on this trip at Kichisen, located on the edge of a sacred forest. 

Seated at a six-person counter with two young couples from Seattle and Hong Kong, we enjoy the feast in a casual atmosphere. Chef Tanigawa, famous for having beaten Morimoto on the Iron Chef show in the late 90's, gives blow-by-blow instructions on how to eat the fish soup - hold the bowl in your left hand, sip, then eat a piece, sip again... 

Kyoto: the Kaiseki restaurant, Kichisen, is on the edge of Tadasu-no-Mori, a primeval forest on the grounds of Shimogamo Shrine, a UNESCO World Heritage site

Kyoto: Kaiseki at Kichisen starts with a sakizuki course with a sake offering

Kyoto: Kaiseki at Kichisen

Kichsen, Kyoto: a sashimi course (with toro waiting on the counter). 

Kichisen, Kyoto: the hassun course, an assortment of tidbits from the sea and the mountain, is often the most artistically decorated. The accolades are prominently displayed, unusual in Japan.

Kyoto: Kaiseki at Kichisen

Kichisen, Kyoto: Sweet wine poured a melon, a simple but inventive touch by a chef willing to innovate

Kichisen, Kyoto: the meal ends with common Japanese sweets, dango, but these are of highest quality. We are given a souvenir cup in a box the chef signs as we leave, as well as a DVD containing the episode of Iron Chef in which he triumphs.