Gion (Geisha District)

Gion is THE neighborhood known, both traditionally and even in the present-day, for geishas and teahouses.  Since the ambience is supposed to be at its best at night—and your odds of seeing a real geiko or maiko (apprentice geisha) are also best in the evening—we made plans for dinner in the area.

We didn’t happen to run into any geishas.  That could have something to do with the fact that it was a relatively early dinner to accommodate the kid’s bedtimes, but oh well!

We found this restaurant on the advice of a guidebook which described it as being “on one of the most beautiful streets in Gion”.  The restaurant was called Ozawa, a tempura place, and the food and the location really were both superb.

I regret the quality of the photos but we actually only had our underwater camera and between the dark and the snow it was a difficult situation for a good shot.  It really was a very romantic and picturesque area though.

The street runs along a small canal lined with willow, cherry, and maple trees.  You had to cross a small bridge like this to get to the restaurant.

As you can tell, it snowed that night, turning the next morning’s adventure into a dazzling winter wonderland.  I’ll get it posted soon.  Thanks for reading!