This morning we said goodbye to Hiroshima and made a return to the beautiful historic city of Kyoto.

Before leaving the city, we treated ourselves to a traditional cream and custard bun from the train station, which is now firmly Andy’s favourite sweet treat. So successful that he went and bought a second helping.

Whilst waiting at the train station, we visited the Mazda car stand, which originates in the city of Hiroshima. The Roadster is still a fantastic classic and a real eye catcher.

It was then time to pick up the latest bullet train for a 1hr 15min journey to Osaka before picking up a local train to Kyoto a short 20min ride away.

Once in Osaka, our local train was the Hello Kitty Haruka, which was dressed to impress and proved an enjoyable journey to Kyoto.

After dropping our luggage at the hotel in Gion, we went out for lunch and a walk along Nishiki Market.

Nishiki Market or the “brocade market” is a marketplace rich with history and tradition, it’s renowned as the place to obtain many of Kyoto’s famous foods and goods.

We have been so keen to try chicken katsu curry since arriving in Japan and at long last we found a restaurant specialising in the dish and we were sold.

After lunch and a short walk around the shops, we headed to the subway for a tour around Nijo castle.

Nijō Castle is a flatland castle consisting of two concentric rings of fortifications, the Ninomaru Palace, the ruins of the Honmaru Palace and various ancillary buildings and several gardens. We went around the inside of the castle to marvel at the traditional architecture and the minimal appearance.

We then wandered around the gardens, which was a return visit for us having visited with friends Christophe & Barbs a few weeks back when we first arrived in the country.

In the intervening period the temperatures have definitely reduced from the heat of 30c+ to a more moderate 24c enabling us to walk around in comfort.

As the walk around the gardens came to a close it was then time for a glass of sake. We’ve tried it a few times and the one at the castle was by far the best, with a smooth taste and a gentle alcoholic hit at the end.

After all that it was time for a rest and a return to the hotel for an afternoon ‘siesta’ before dinner at a local bar tapas style.

On our way over to the restaurant we walked by a couple of more interesting shops, the first selling cooking knives and the second lanterns. Both were particularly Japanese and all the items on sale were beautifully presented.

After dinner at the tapas restaurant, we went for a walk around the geisha district with our guide, but again we didn’t manage to see any, out and about.

The evening’s walking tour was a pleasant affair and helped to unveil the secrets of the hidden beauty of the enchanting geisha culture.

As we wandered, we were able to enjoy the exquisite traditional architecture as well as the rich history, intriguing facts, and captivating stories accumulated over extensive research and in the enchanting realm of the “flower and willow world.” Our guide helped to dispel the myths and misconceptions that surround these iconic women, who have been the subjects of countless woodblock prints, literary works, and cinematic portrayals throughout the centuries. 

After all that culture, we happily headed back to the hotel around 10.30pm for a good night’s sleep, in readiness for an early start and a walk up to the Fushimi Inari Taisha Shrine first thing in the morning.