Ninjas, kimonos and a tea ceremony

We spent our second day in Kyoto within  walking distance from our very well-located hotel. We started with a visit to the Nishiki Market, a narrow, long shopping street lined with shops and restaurants. It specialises in food related produce - fresh seafood, local sweets, knives, cookware and chopsticks. 

When we first arrived about 9.30am, some shops were still opening up for the day (not like other markets where you’ve already missed all the good stuff if you’re not there by sunrise, here things happen at a respectable hour!), within 30 minutes everything was open and it was bustling with locals and tourists. We nibbled and shopped our way the length of it, Adrian and Leo were the most adventurous (as usual!) with their eel and squid skewers. I went with a decent coffee in a cafe with a beautiful little garden and Eleanor found a yummy sakura sweet. 

Nearby is the Samurai and Ninja Museum. There we learned about traditional Japanese societal structure, Samurai families and ninjas being ‘hidden’ farmers and fishermen. Once the movement to modernise was took hold in the mid-to-late 1800s, it ended the shogunate and resulted in the Meiji Restoration, and we can see it everywhere now - a very modern and prosperous country albeit with differing views on the impacts of the restoration. 

After the quick history lesson we got to the bit Eleanor and Leo were waiting for… dressing up as ninjas and testing our skills with shuriken (throwing stars) and blowing darts. While ninjas dressed in black is more Hollywood invention than historical fact, we had loads of fun. The stars  require a bit of practice - I had trouble getting mine to consistently lodge in the wall. We all agreed the blow darts are the best, largely because it is remarkably easy to be accurate. 

There are several great second hand shops near the markets, so we visited those after lunch. Much to Eleanor’s joy after the failed attempts in Tokyo. Our favourite was the huge and affordable Three Star. A real treasure trove - our bags are slightly fuller now too!

I’d been keen to try dressing in kimono since my friend Haley recommended it when we were planning for the original trip, so was very happy to finally have the chance. We picked our colours from a large range and felt amazing in the beautiful robes with our hair done. We tottered across the road to experience a tea ceremony, where all the guests were dressed up. We whisked our own matcha - there’s definitely a skill to master there! - and ate delicious sweets while we learned about the history and traditions involved. 

There was no need for mandatory appreciation that day, it was genuine. And capped off perfectly with Eleanor’s choice of pizzas at the hotel and a game of cards. 

Hunting for yummy-ness at Nishiki Market. 

Watch out!

 

Samurai organisational values - business has learned a lot from the way the Samurai were organised. 

Dressed and ready for tea.