Kyoto day 7

Thursday 21st November

I headed to the flea market at Toji temple, which was quite spectacular, as was the weather. There were second-hand items, new, hand-made, food, plants and much more. Among all this there was still the solemnity and peace of Buddhist rites being observed. It was a crafter's paradise, with lots of stalls selling fabric, buttons and beads. There were so many stalls and it was so complex that I'm not sure yet if I saw all the stalls! It was well worth the visit, and was a big highlight of my trip (mind you, so has everything been!). It was the only place I needed to use my compass - not to find it, but to find my way out again!

I had some spare time in the afternoon, so I hopped on the bus to Nijo Castle. I'm glad I did, as there is is much I didn't see the last time I was there!

In the evening I went out for a geisha walk with guide Duncan Flett. We went into the Ukiyoe Museum - a tiny museum run by a woodblock printer, then through the grounds of Kenninji Temple, then got to Migagawa-cho where we waited to see if we could see any geishas - we ended up seeing lots! He also took me through a Pachinko parlour, which was quite an experience, very loud and smoky.