We started our day by gathering with the group and boarding our bus to the Hiroshima train station. There was definitely an increase in the traffic on the roads – and then there was the train station, bustling with activity and commuters.

We once again traveled by bullet train. On the way to Kyoto, we stopped in the city of Himeji where we visited the Himeji Castle.

On our way to the castle, we stopped at a grocery store to buy some items for a picnic lunch.

Some simple sandwiches, fruit, yogurt and pastries were among the selections du jour. A quick jaunt down to a little park area provided us with a setting to enjoy our lunch. Once finished, we made our way to the castle.

They’ve done a beautiful job of maintaining the castle and surrounding gardens. Himeji Castle or the ‘White Heron Castle’ is one of Japan’s twelve original castles and is on the UNESCO World Heritage list.

Some folks climbed the stairs to enjoy the views from the fifth story, while others just went up a few stories and still others just viewed it from the outside gardens. For those who know us, which group were we a part of?

It was then time to head back to the train station for the second portion of the day’s travel. We once again took the bullet train with our destination being the former Japanese capital city – Kyoto.

The trip to Kyoto was under an hour as we were traveling at an average speed of about 200 mph. It was again a smooth ride all the way.

When we arrived at Kyoto Station, there was a bus waiting to take us to our hotel. Our luggage had been pre-shipped, so it was waiting for us at the hotel when we arrived.

We stayed at the Hotel Okura and it was a wonderful hotel to use as our base. It was originally built in 1888 and presents itself very grandly.

Our room was on the corner of the 12th floor and was perfect. It was spacious, had a very nice shower and bath, a comfortable bed, a small couch and a beautiful view.

We had a bit of time to relax in the room before going out for dinner. Unfortunately, Sue was feeling a bit off and decided to stay behind and rest up for the evening.

As a special treat, we had a dinner that included a lovely performance by a Maiko and a Geisha. Along with the performance, we had a question and answer session and we were also privileged to have a photo session.

They graciously answered all of our questions. Here are just a few highlights from their responses…

The Maiko is seventeen years old and the Geisha is twenty-two.

The Maiko wears a kimono that is more colorful and “cute”. It takes her about an hour to apply her makeup and that is her real hair that she gets styled weekly. Someone helps her to get dressed and ties her obi (sash). The obi can consist of up to eight meters of fabric.

The Maiko said the hardest skill for her to learn is the dancing.

Since she now lives in the Geisha house and her training takes up much of her time, she said she does miss her family.

As for the Geisha, her kimono is less colorful symbolizing a more mature appearance. Besides the color, the sleeves are shorter as is her obi.

Her makeup is different to again look more mature, including their eye makeup and lipstick. Geishas wear wigs that cover their natural hair.

Geishas can stop or retire whenever they want. There are Geishas that are in their eighties.

Those were just a few highlights, but the conversation was very interesting.

We concluded our evening with a delicious multi-course meal.

We took taxis back to the hotel afterwards, to get some rest. The next couple of days would be a whirlwind of touring in Kyoto.