Japan Mar 2011 Day 4 – 京都清水寺二年坂

Apart visiting kiyomizu-dera 京都清水寺, we headed northwards passing through numerous small lanes which we so well-preserved of Kyoto’s glorious past. Some of the houses have been standing for hundreds of years. Even rebuilts were modelled after the old design. If not for the people, one would have been transported back to the Edo period…

we chanced upon a shop which sells choux! What a treat!!! The matcha filling was creamy and rich but not overbearing. It’s also spiked with vanilla seeds so you can imagine the wafts of aroma that hit you with every bite you take! The choux are freshly baked and still warm to touch. just right for a cold winter morning.

we also tried the seasonal sakura blossoms flavoured version. very delicate but yet complex with the intermingling of sweet and savory. very enjoyable indeed.

kiyomizuzaka yatuhashi syu

the resident “pastry chef” piping choux pastry onto baking trays. she shyed away from the camera and kept giggling when I took photos. LOL

lots of rustic looking Japanese houses converted into little shops or restaurants in that area. many of them are purely residential. business is conducted in the least obtrusive manner as possible.

then we bumped into this “maiko”. Not sure if she’s doing a makeover or the real thing though. but she did respond to some requests from fellow tourists to stop for some photo moments.

石坪小路, a narrow little walkway paved with granite slabs made famous by the wooden houses flanked on its sides. Lonely planet has a really lovely photo of it but i guess i was there at the wrong time.

Buddha statue from a small monastery

a real hanjin “翻身” which means makeover in Japanese. they were out with their photographer for a photoshoot. I just captalised on their reflectors for some quick shots 🙂

a green-neck duck in chilly waters!

another rickshaw puller with his lady passengers

cute lil’ west highland which was very tamed. it allowed me to stroke its silky fur and even helf out a paw for me. but the poor fella was shivering in the cold. Its after almost 0C outside!

Then we saw these cute little tanuki figurines. tanuki are Japanese racoon dogs and legend has it that they can take human form, like foxes (kitsune). Japanese folklores are dotted with tales of tanuki but none beats Hiyao Miyazaki’s Pom Poko (平成狸合戦ぽんぽこ)

seeing them reminds me much of that movie… if not for the exorbitant price tag, I would probably have gotten the whole entourage home.

more Japanese tableware along the way. Here are some in lacquered wood while those below are porcelain.

A really relaxing walk along these small streets while we venture northwards to Hei’an Jingu. That would be the next post….