Getting up this morning was a bit rough for the parents, curtesy of the lemon sour tap from last night. The kids of course where bright and cheerful first thing in the morning. We thought that the hotel breakfast would perk us up, Robyn was dreaming of a good egg and bacon breakfast. However we ere a tad disappointed by the Japanese style breakfast that also included salad, tofu, rice and curry… it did not sit well. So we decided to head out and find a cafe (found a Starbucks) where we could grab coffee/tea and settle down for some homeschooling, which took a while today.
Harriette: At midday we visited a Japanese theatre and watched a cultural show. It included colourful kimonos, and other traditional costumes. Also there was a choir and a band dressed in kimonos too. Just listening to them straining their voices very oddly made my throat feel dry. The band used glorious drums, shakers and weird string instruments. Most of the actors were geishas, dancing and performing with fans and pieces of cloth. Before the show we had a tea ceremony where we were served a mix between Motchi and bean paste pastries. It was served on a plate that we got to keep. After that, we were given a bowl of tea that smelled and tasted like broccoli and matcha hot smoothie, it was supposed to be tea. We left before we could be given more!
From the show we took the bus to the Imperial palace, set in the imperial park. It has a very unique style (as the girls said, its definitely not Buckingham Palace), however holds its own beautiful. It dates back to the 8th century with Emperor Kanu moving the capital from Nara to Kyoto in 794. And it has been the official residence of the Japanese Emperors until 1869 when the capital was moved to Tokyo. Apparently the palace had a tendency to catch fire and burn down. And each time it was rebuilt to it same specifications. The last time it was rebuilt was in 1855. It’s definitely worth a visit, if not for the palace itself, then for the gorgeous gardens. We all agreed that the best part was the amazingly kept gardens (Gonaitei & Oikeniwa) within the palace, so peaceful and tranquil.
After the Imperial palace we had a lovely walk back to the hotel through Kyoto, enjoying the life of the streets and doing a bit of shopping along the way. After a little break at the hotel we headed out to find some dinner. And after last night’s festivities we kept it low key today, and had some pork and curry, which the kids devoured. Mish ordered some Udon noodles with beef, but when the dish came out the beef turned out to be offal (the smell totally gave it away). Unfortunately he could not stomach it and had to send it back….
Tomorrow rain is predicted, so likely back to Starbucks for school in the am, and then a traditional Japanese cooking class.
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