Day 3 in Japan

Thanks to LF who informed us about Kanamara Matsuri.. It is an annual Shinto fertility festival held in Kawasaki in spring.

The penis forms the central theme of the event that is reflected everywhere — in illustrations, candy, carved vegetables, decorations, and a mikoshi parade.

There was even two huge.. cannons for us to.. sit on..:P

Men can choose to pose like Lionel.. SH's friend from France :P

There's even a carving which combined.. a penis and a vagina -_-"

A shrine dedicated to fertility and avoidance of sexually transmitted diseases..

The icon of the whole festival.. the pink penis.. :P

The ceremony to worship the penis.. has begun -_-"

After the ceremony, we took group pictures with SH's and LF's friends in Tokyo.. They're from Germany, France and Malaysia ;)

There was even a penis parade -_-"

After that, we took Shinkansen to Kyoto (2 hours journey)..

Once we reached Kyoto, we checked in at Amenity Capsule Hotel.. which is located within walking distance to Kiyomizu Temple, yet another World Heritage site.. It costs 4000 Yen per person per night..

We expected 3 capsules in our private room with attached bathroom but were disappointed to find 2 capsules and 1 sofa bed! We complained and received.. 25% discount each.. making it 3000 Yen per person per night :P Hurray!

We had our dinner at a nearby restaurant just few doors away..

That's Okonomiyaki.. it's like Japanese pizza. It has sliced leek, stewed beef, fried egg, pickled ginger, rice, noodles and is wrapped with dough made from plain flour and eggs.. And, most importantly, it is VERY delicious!

We then walked around Kiyomizu Temple and bought a few souvenirs..

The next logical thing to do was to head to Gion to see Geisha and Maiko :)

It wasn't easy to spot one.. that was why so many tourists gathered outside a shop just to wait hours to look at Geisha!

Finally, we spotted one.. but she walked so fast.. it was difficult to snap without using those Paparazzi high-end cameras! Haha!

We were almost tempted to dress WC as a Geisha and to chase after her to take pictures :P We had a good rest at the hotel and could hardly wait to wear Kimono the next day ;)