Japan - Tour Day 9 - Kyoto

Travel day to Kyoto. Along the way, we stopped at another UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site - The Himeji Castle. The castle is regarded as the finest surviving example of a typical Japanese castle. It is comprised of a network of 83 rooms with advanced defensive systems from the feudal period. While it was designed to withstand any onslaught from enemies, it never needed to rely upon its defenses. Consequently, we are able to enjoy all of the original structures of the castle. 

We arrived in Kyoto and took a walking tour of another amazing market and also of the Gion District which has traditionally been, and continues to be, the Geisha District. It is actually quite amazing that the Geisha tradition is still thriving. The area itself is a stereotypical traditional Japanese set of streets with wooden buildings and paper lanterns. There are still schools that teach the traditional Geisha skills and we saw novice Geisha walking down the street in all of their regalia. It was another culturally immersive day!