Siem Reap Procession

Siem Reap Celebration by HighlanderImages

This procession appeared on the main street in Siem Reap opposite the Old Market blaring out music and with a lorry full of people dressed up. There were also two masked figures in the lorry and looked like they may be depicting a couple to be married .... but who knows what this ceremony actually was.

Kyoto Kimonos

Walking down from the Kiyomizu-dera Temple through the cobbled streets of the Ninenzaka preservation district I saw a wonderful trio of kimonos. These colourful costumes are still worn quite frequently by the ladies in Kyoto and certainly add to the authenticity of your visit through these stone-paved streets. 

The Ninenzaka district, like Gion to the west, is an architecturally protected 'preservation area,' with many historic structures, such as the historic house of painter Yumeji Takehisa (1884 to 1934). The area is also known as "Nene-no-saka" after Kita-no-Mandokoro, the wife of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, who walked this route to visit the Kodaiji Temple. The narrow winding streets of Nene-no-saka are predominantly for foot traffic, and the streets are lined with arts-and-crafts shops, cafes, and food concession stalls.

Along the narrow lanes of the Sannenzaka Slope, there are many shops that sell an indigenous 'Kyo-yaki-style' ceramic pottery from this area, called kiyomizu-yaki