We didn't spend our entire trip exploring castles and temples. We also went out for a look at Kyouto's bustling commercial side and its bustling nightlife. Bustling is generally just a good word for Kyouto at any time after 10am (things don't get started very early in Japan).
The same day that we went to Nijo-jo and Kyouto Gyosho, we spent the morning browsing the commercial district. This is called Nishiki market. When we got there around 8:30am, things hadn't really gotten started yet. The fishmonger was putting out his wares when we arrived. Anything you can see in this picture we've probably eaten!
Another person getting ready to make the first sales of the morning was the tsukemono or "pickled things" vendor. Kim has a big smile on her face, so obviously she must really love tsukemono. Oishi ne!
High school girls, most likely out for some job-related activity, were gathering in front of this shrine that was just off of the main market area.
When we walked a bit further we entered into a sort of triangular clearing that had a small plaza at the center. We also found the strangest-shaped Christian church we've ever seen. Japan's Christian population is only around 2%, but there are still a few churches here and there.
The square also had, as one might expect, a bunch of pigeons. Amongst the run-of-the-mill grey pigeons, we found this albino. Unfortunately, his peers didn't seem to take too kindly to him as this action shot can attest.
Under "Wacky Japan" we show some examples of purikura--the tiny pictures Japanese kids like to take with their friends and decorate. Here are a few purikura machines out in front of an arcade in the commercial district. "Make a wish upon a star!" says Hello Kitty.
On the way back to the hostel where we were staying (which was a really nice place, incidentally), we came across a store display of small family-sized Buddhist shrines. We saw the large-scale version of one of these at To-ji temple. They cost quite a bit. The one on the right was listed at 2.2 million yen, or around $20,000.
Later in the day, after our visits to Nijo-jo and Kyouto Gosho, we took off for the Gion district--a prime night spot. We were bent on finding this particular restaurant noted in our travel guide, but we walked in circles without seeing it. Finally we glanced down what appeared to be a small gap between two buildings, but was actually an alley, and saw it at the end. The restaurant was tiny, and the kitchen was smaller than the kitchen in our apartment. They had four cooks in it too (attending to six customers).
After dinner we headed up along the banks of Kamokawa, or Duck River. We were looking for signs of geisha or maiko (apprenticed geisha), but we never saw any. Here we stopped in front of a large restaurant/tea house that had some nice sakura blooms in front.
After passing through Gion on a night walk of sorts, we came to the gate of Yasaka-jinja shrine.
Inside each of the two main pillars was a samurai. Here's one of them.
Inside we found a somewhat flashy shrine. It looked like a carnival that had been shut down for the night. There wasn't a lot of light in the area, and we got kind of scared to keep going through the park, so we turned back and headed to the hostel again.