Kobe Port/ Kyoto Japan

Sea Date March 2, 2024

We came into the port of Kobe with a flourish. It was the ship's first time in Kobe and we were welcomed with a fireboat show - colored water shooting in the air. it was a lovely port and cruise terminal. Our guide, Ms Tomomi, was born in Japan, lived in Venezuela when her father was with Sony, came back to Japan, then went to high school in Ft Lauderdale when her father opened Japanese restaurants there, then back home for college through today.

Off to the Nijo Castle. It was built in early 1600s for the Shogun and remained a shogunate defensive castle but was rarely used as a residence, In the 1800's it was claimed as an imperial villa. No pictures allowed inside. We all needed to remove our shoes and walk for over an hour through the castle. We all had very cold toes! The most interesting part of the castle were the nightingale floors. As we walked barefoot on the floors, it sounded as if birds were singing. I looked around to find a bird cage. But no, the floors were designed this way to alert the Shogun if enemies were trying to sneak into the castle! Nijo Castle

Our next stop was the Golden Pavilion. It was one of the most stunning sights of the trip. The top two floors are covered in gold leaf. The grounds were lovely, also. As we walked up to the Golden Pavilion, it started snowing, It was magical. And cold. Golden Pavilion

Fushimi Inari Taisha, with the 1000+ red torii gates, was next. The fox is the symbol of this shrine. Inari

Our final stop was a dinner with a Maiko, a Gaiko (Geisha in training.) It was a very interesting evening. Our maiko was 16. She had joined the training process at 14 because of her love of Japanese culture. She lives in a dorm with other maikos. She must wear her hair in the traditional Japanese style. It is redone every week. In the meantime she sleeps on a wooden pillow. After 4 or 5 years, she will become a Gaiko. She can then wear her hair in any style and wear a wig when performing. The girls in training must live very conservatively in order to protect the reputation of the Gaiko tradition - no dating, no eating fast food, dressing conservatively. Once a Gaiko you can never date or marry. If you wish to do so, you must leave the gaiko world.

Our Maiko performed a tea ceremony with us. She also answered questions, danced, sang, and played games with us. (Gaikos may only perform for Japanese - never tourists - and only Japanese who are part of their world. A Japanese person who wishes to attend a dinner for the first time must be brought by a member. Money is never exchanged at a dinner. Bills are delivered to your home once a month and payment is expected then. This venue was created just for tourists and only maikos can perform as part of their training.)