Kyoto Where Geisha Roam & Shoguns Ruled

Kyoto Where Geisha Roam & Shoguns Ruled

Welcome to the second episode of the Dan Expedition. Here, we don’t just explore festivals and events -as you’ve seen so far- but also the places that shape a city’s character. And by places, I don’t just mean monuments or famous landmarks. I’m talking about the streets, hidden alleyways and even individual buildings – each with a story to tell. With a country like Japan, and a city as culturally rich as Kyoto, you never quite know what fascinating surprises you’ll uncover. In the episodes to come, I’ll take you through the vibrant market street widely known as Kyoto’s Kitchen. We’ll also explore one of the city’s trendiest shopping avenues, where tradition and modern flair walk side by side. And we’ll visit an historic street that began its life as a simple temple town. Kyoto is one of those cities where every street street tells a story. And today we’re stepping into the street that started as a simple sandbank, became a riverside path and transformed into one of the most happening places in Kyoto city today. Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you Pontocho! Pontocho is a narrow, approximately 500 meter long walkway running parallel to the Kymah River and located between the busy Shijo dori and Sanjo dori. With its upscale culinary offerings, through its restaurants and tea houses. As well as its vibrant bars make it known as one of Kyoto’s essential nightlife areas. Established in 1670 Pontocho emerged from land reclamation efforts between the camo and Takasaki rivers. With its emergence it became a spot for travelers and merchants to rest when moving between Osaka and Kyoto and from that it quickly developed into a burgeoning entertainment district. The Kamo is also known as the Kamogawa River, which translates to Duck River and the name Pontocho is said to be derived from the Japanese word “cho” meaning district with the Portuguese word ‘ponte’ meaning bridge, referring to its unique location between the Kema River and the smaller Takase River. In 1712, the shogunate granted licences for the first ochaya or tea houses to open. It’s said they began as travelers’ inns with women serving tea to the crews of flatboats, ferrymen and travelers. This marked the first steps of Pontocho’s evolution from an entertainment district to a licensed pleasure district. Please be advised however that I have heard it said that the traditional tea houses here are often exclusive and require an invitation from an existing patron to attend. By the mid 18th century, Pontocho had grown into a thriving hanamachi. A hanamachi meaning flower town, is a district where geisha and maiko (apprentice geisha), train and perform. On a side note in Kyoto and Kanazawa, geisha are called geh-iko. Both of which translate to ‘person of the arts’. In 1813, the street was officially licensed as a hanamachi, one of five such areas in Kyoto. Geisha continue to perform here to this day, making Pontotcho a place where traditional geisha culture is still practiced as a living art form, rather than just preserved for show. In 1859, the area was officially recognized as a pleasure quarter, solidifying its status alongside the nearby more famous Gion District. So unlike the Gion district Pontocho has always been smaller and more discreet, it’s a place where art and entertainment were carried out quietly, behind sliding screens and noren curtains. Noren are traditional Japanese fabric dividers hung between rooms, on walls, in doorways or in windows. They usually have one or more vertical slits cut from the bottom to nearly the top of the fabric, allowing for easier passage or viewing. In 1872, one of Pontocho’s most celebrated cultural events, the Kamogawa Odori Dance, started as part of the city wide campaign to revitalize Kyoto’s image and reassert its cultural importance after the capital moved to Tokyo in 1868. The dance features geisha and maiko and blends classical Japanese dance, music and Kabuki-style theatre into a unique Kyoto style variant. It’s hosted annually at the Pontocho Kaburenjo Theatre in May and has become a highlight of the area as it’s one of the rare chances for the general public to witness this elegant, highly disciplined art form, that is traditionally reserved for private audiences. Kabuki is a classical form of Japanese theatre mixing dramatic performance with traditional dance it’s known for its heavily stylized performances, its glamorous highly decorated costumes, and for the elaborate kumadori makeup worn by some of its performers. Today, kabuki is considered the most popular of the traditional styles of Japanese drama and interestingly enough Pantocho is said to be the location that it all began. In 1603 of the Edo period a former shrine maiden by the name of Izumo no Okuni, began performing on a makeshift stage on the dry bed of the Kamo River. Alongside a troupe of young female dancers, she created a new pantomime style of dance drama. In the earliest forms of kabuki, female performers played both men and women in comic plays about ordinary life. And it didn’t take long for the style to become popular, and Okuni was asked to perform in front of the Imperial Court. With such success rival troops were quickly formed and kabuki was born as an ensemble dance and drama. And today a statue of kabuki’s founder, Izumo no Okuni, stands on the opposite side of the river in her honour. The history of kabuki itself is interesting to say the least. It started as a performance conducted by women, who were then banned from performing by Shogun authorities to maintain order. To be replaced by young boys. Who were then also banned from performing to maintain order. And following that the modern form of the all male kabuki actors, a style of kabuki known as yaro-kabuki, meaning young man kabuki, was established. I won’t get into the full history and explain why it was banned to ‘maintain order’. But if you’re interested in learning more please drop me a comment and I will try to follow up with a segment Specifically focused on kabuki’s history. In 1975, American anthropologist Lisa Dalby immersed herself in the geisha community of Pontotcho as part of her doctoral research at Stanford University. During this time, she was accepted into the geisha community and participated in the activities under the name of Ichigiku, though she did not undergo the formal rites of debuting as a geisha due to the temporary nature of her stay. Her experiences formed the basis of her PhD dissertation and her first book, Geisha which provided an in-depth look into the lives and culture of geisha and modern Japanese society. Now, Pontocho isn’t just about geisha and performing arts. It’s also a culinary destination. Walk down the alley and you’ll find everything from Michelin-starred kaiseki and obanzai to modern izakayas. Though the alley is only about 500 meters long, and often barely wide enough for two people to walk side by side. It holds dozens of tea houses, restaurants and inns – most behind minimalist facades marked only by wooden plaques and lanterns. See here many of the establishments don’t advertise themselves with big signs. Instead, you’ll find wooden nameplates and no rents concealing the entrances. It’s minimalist discreet and perfectly Kyoto. In summer, many restaurants offer kawayuka, also known as kawadoko and in Kyoto it’s specifically known as Noryo Yuka when along the Kamo River. Kawayuka is a more general term used to describe riverside dining platforms. From May to September, wooden platforms are built where guests can dine outdoors under the stars, cooled by the breeze while listening to the natural sounds of the Kamogawa River. See Pontocho is said to be a place where wood and water intertwine. Part of its charm lies in its traditional two storied wooden machiya buildings with latticed facades, earthen walls, and hidden inner gardens. At night the street is especially picturesque with its chidori crested red and white lanterns illuminating the path, creating a uniquely Japanese atmosphere. The chidori symbol is a stylized water plover motif and the emblem of Pontocho. Chidori literally translates to “a thousand birds” or “plovers”. The plover symbolizes perseverance resilience and the ability to overcome obstacles. It’s also associated with safe journeys and family safety the bird is often seen flying over waves representing the idea of navigating life’s challenges. Despite its popularity with tourists Pontocho has resisted over commercialization and Kyoto City has committed to preserving Puntacho’s traditional charm from replacing asphalt with more authentic looking pavement to a five year renovation project that was completed in 2,021 to move overhead power line eyesores underground and reveal the alley silhouette as it appeared centuries ago as well as to safeguard its historic buildings from damage during storms so whether you’re here for food the history the performing arts or just a quiet walk through an interesting part of town Penticton is definitely worth a walkthrough if you left that segment thinking about how interesting geisha are and how amazing it would be to experience the kabuki theatre or see the Kamogawa Odori dance well you’re an incredibly cultured person if you left it thinking hmm it would have been nice to actually see the alley at night after it got really talked up and all those added lanterns were a touch unnecessary well you know what I actually agree with you do you know that lantern thing took like 2 hours for me to do ugh now I won’t hide this from you guys I’m a fan of castles and given the chance I’m going to relish exploring one it’s just one of the reasons why I made this channel I also love nature and gardens but I don’t usually get to see both together in this next segment not only do we have an awesome castle for you where we’ll check out some of its architecture and strategic assets but some stunning gardens oh and some crows as well or ravens and on the side some excellent noteworthy history the type of history that involves the defining of an era so get your pointy excited hats on guys and let’s explore Nejojo Castle oh and by the way Joe is actually the word for castle in Japanese so by saying Nejojo Castle I’m actually saying Nejojo castle Castle Nejojo castle welcome after the battle of Sekigahara in 16 Japan was effectively under the control of the Tokugawa family in 1601 the leader of the family Tokugawa Ieyasu ordered all the feudal lords in western Japan to contribute to the construction of Nijo Castle the castle was completed in 1603 and in the same year Yayasu was appointed sei taishogun by the emperor he became the founder and the first shogun of the Tokugawa Shogunate and Nijo Castle is where he announced his appointment to the feudal lords of Japan and ushered in a period of over 260 years of peace and prosperity let’s start with the Tonan Sumiyagura the southeast corner watch tower definitely one of the more well known views of the castle it’s iconic probably the most popular selfie spot 2 partially due to the fact you can view it from the outside without buying a ticket but also because it’s bloody gorgeous with the blue sky behind it and the green moat below that’s Castle Porn right there originally there was a Watchtower at each corner of the outer wall and one in the middle of the north wall with the four towers on each corner of the inner wall the castle had nine altogether some of which were dismantled fell into disrepair or were destroyed in the Great Ten Mile Fire of 1788 Japan’s history is marked by frequent fires especially in major cities to the south with dense urbanization frequent earthquakes strong winds and a reliance on wooden architecture even small fires could quickly escalate into major disasters one such disaster occurred in 1788 known as the Great Tenma Fire and the Great Kyoto Fire it is believed to have started in the imperial palace before spreading rapidly and engulfing the city the fire raged for approximately five days and by the time it was finally extinguished around 90% of Kyoto had been destroyed today red buckets filled with water often placed outside of buildings are a common sight and serve as a visual reminder of the ever present risk of fire and the importance of prevention the watch towers were used not only as lookouts but as armories as well now unfortunately only the Tonan Sumiyagura the southeast tower in the same Ansumi Yagura the southwest tower exist this strong imposing yet ornate door is the Higashi Otemon or East Gate and it’s the main entry to the castle originally as it is now it was created as a yuguramon Yagura means watch tower and Mon meaning gate but when the emperor came to visit it was altered for some time from a two story watch tower gate to a one story gate this was done to ensure that no one would be able to look down on the emperor the perimeter of najojo is 2 kilometers and has a total surface area covering a massive 275,000 m² in times of peace the castle was guarded night and day by two groups of 50 samurai guards known as Nijo Ziban the castle consists of two layers of fortifications both with an impressively large moat the outer layer grounds holds three exterior gates the kitchen ban show or guard houses two tea houses storage buildings numerous gardens the shirashoin the shogun’s living quarters and the Nina Maru Palace walking around the entirety of the castle I can’t help but be impressed not only at the immensity of it but the workmanship the style and sophistication of the buildings their architecture and design The Karamon Gate is a perfect example the gate is used to indicate status as it leads to the Ninomaru Palace the magnificent coloured carvings on the gate show cranes pine bamboo and plum blossoms that symbolize longevity while the carved lions protect the palace unfortunately no filming or photography is allowed in either of the palaces so I don’t have any pictures or footage from inside The Ninomaru Palace consists of six connected buildings with 33 rooms and over 600 tatami mats and is archetypal of the Shoin Zukuri architectural style the palace is the only surviving example of a Japanese fortified palace complex and is designated a national treasure it’s built entirely of Hinoki Cypress a very high quality timber which has a rich straight grain is lemon scented and highly rot resistant the palace decoration includes lavish quantities of gold leaf elaborate wood carvings exquisite metal work fittings with the doors and walls of each room decorated with paintings by artists of the Kano School The Kano School was the longest lived and one of the most influential schools of painting in Japanese history they maintained prominence for over 300 years from the 15th century into the early modern era founded by Kano Masanobu the school rose to dominance under his son Kano Motonobu and continued to thrive through successive generations of the Kano family while originally a family enterprise the school expanded to include many unrelated artists through marriage adoption or long term apprenticeships forming an hereditary lineage of professional secular painters these artists operated in organized workshops and attracted elite patronage including powerful daimios shoguns and even members of the imperial court The Kano School developed a wide range of painting styles and formats their works spanned from elegant monochrome ink paintings inspired by classical Chinese art to vivid colourful compositions with bold outlines one of their signature styles was designed for large decorative panels and sliding doors known as fusama and byobu which became a hallmark of castle interiors during the Azuchi Momoyama period and into the early Edo period the school’s success lay not only in its artistic innovation but also in its ability to adapt to changing political climates and patronage systems effectively making it the backbone of official painting in pre modern Japan but the beauty of the castle isn’t limited to buildings alone the gardens here are remarkable and showcase true scenic beauty the Ninomaru garden was designed by the landscape architect and tea master Kobori Enshu and is considered a shoin zukiri style garden representing the world of Chinese mythological immortals with a large Huray Jima island symbolizing paradise flanked by a crane island and a turtle island both being metaphors for longevity Ninemile Garden received a National Place of Scenic Beauty designation in 1939 and a Special Place of Scenic Beauty designation in 1953 the inner layer has two exterior gates the Honmaru Palace and its garden there was also a five story keep in the southwest corner of the inner honmaru area however in 1750 the tower was struck by lightning and burned down with only the stone ramparts that it stood on still remaining which still offers very impressive views of the area The Honmaru Palace was built for Emperor Go Mizuno’s visit in 1626 and along with the previously mentioned watch towers was destroyed in the Great Tenma Fire of 1788 the present Honmaru Goten Palace was originally part of the Katsura no Miya Palace within the Kyoto Imperial Palace complex it was moved to inside the inner moat of Nijo Castle in 1893 its architecture reflects the traditional style of imperial and aristocratic residences showcasing elegant sliding doors intricate woodwork and beautifully painted panels today it stands as a historically significant building blending Ninjo Castle’s samurai heritage with the aesthetic of Kyoto’s royal and aristocratic culture ты делаешь руками the Honmaru garden as it appears today dates from 1896 it said the emperor provided instructions on what was to be planted there while personally supervising the layout from the top floor of the Honmaru Goten Palace the design reflects the mid Meiji era vogue for western style gardens The Serruin Garden to the north is nothing short of gorgeous it’s an eclectic fusion of eastern chisen kaiyu or strolling pond garden and lawn covered western style gardens while featuring classic Japanese elements like meticulously arranged rocks lush greenery and a tranquil pond embodying the refined style of Japanese garden design the garden features two tea houses the Kuon Tea and the waraku an wawakoan serves as a venue for tea ceremonies it hosts the annual Grand Autumn Tea Ceremony and at other times it serves as a rest area where the visiting public can enjoy tea the Koan Tee is normally closed to the public but for limited periods in summer and winter it is used as a dining venue and sometimes as a venue for the JoJo weddings in 1867 the 15th shogun Tokugawa Yoshinobu summon the senior vassals from 40 domains to the ohirama of the Ninamaru Goten Palace and announce the end of the Tokugawa rule returning political control to the emperor and ushering in the Meiji period during which Japan developed rapidly from a feudal society into the modern democratic nation of today and thus Ninja Castle not only staged the opening and closing ceremonies of the last period of feudal rule in Japan but became the starting point for the creation of the modern Japanese state now before we end I promised you crows yes crows I I actually checked to the south of the castle there is a cherry and Plum Grove and right at top the east gate entry to the Sauron Garden is a lonely grapefruit tree and the area around it home to a murder of crows the cherry and plum grooves weren’t in season when I went so maybe that’s why so many of the birds were here at this time and pardon the pun but this may be the only motor this castle has actually seen as an interesting fact is that this castle was never actually attacked in its history no army ever actually attempted to invade or take it over wow well I hope you found that as interesting as I did and if you did and you’d like to hear more specifically on the palaces of Nijo Castle please let me know in the comments as I may release a segment entirely on the Ninomaru Goten and the Honmaru Goten palaces where I can delve into details like the curious nightingale floors that chirp when walked on the meaning behind the artwork and the history of the more peculiar designs as well as the intricate political nature of the palace rooms such as the Shikadai Reception Room and the Ohirama Grand Hall and how they serve as an excellent example of social control manifested through architectural space in history and with that let’s end for today with the extra honestly I feel tired watching all the walking I did thank you for joining me and I’ll see you again in the next episode and I’m not sure if you can see the banner behind me so I was passing by the street and I saw a doughnut creme brulee and um I’m about to dig into it it looks amazing have a look alright here we go ah ah ah it’s crispy on the top and there’s this um cream filling so unfortunately I was a little bit hesitant to eat it because I thought it was gonna be really hot but I think I needed to dig into it a little bit sooner it’s still delicious oh not cream filling there’s no good way to eat this you’re gonna be a little piglet regardless absolutely delicious great breakfast to have very nutritional trust me on that 消防署消防署消防署です私たち市民の実 践力を通して次のことを覚えましょう一 小学生中学生中二年生を選択しましょう 皆さんご存知の通り今日ですねこのお金を用意致しましょう

Ep 2 – 🎥 Hidden Alleys, Ancient Power | Kyoto’s Secrets Revealed
Step into Kyoto’s hidden alleys and timeless power.

In this episode of The Dan Expedition, we explore two sides of the city: one, a narrow and lantern-lit alley rich with centuries-old charm, mystery, and elegance; the other, a symbol of Japan’s feudal strength—layered with political intrigue and historical grandeur.

From riverside secrets and geisha culture to shogunate strongholds and hidden passageways, this journey takes you deep into Kyoto’s layered identity. It’s not just about where we go—it’s about the stories these places carry.

Whether you’re drawn to art, architecture, history, or culture—this episode offers a glimpse into Kyoto like you’ve never seen before.

Join the Expedition. Discover what lies beneath the surface.

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00:00 Start
01:30 Pontocho
08:01 Kabuki
08:39 Izumo no Okuni – Kabuki History
10:46 Liza Dalby
12:37 Kyoto Kawayuka
15:15 Intermission
16:50 Nijo Castle
17:00 Tokugawa Ieyasu & Tokugawa Shogunate
17:48 Tonan Sumi-yagura & The Watchtowers of Nijo
19:05 SEGUE – The Great Tenmei Fire
20:30 Higashi Ote-mon or East Gate
23:43 Kara-mon Gate
24:58 The Ninomaru Palace
27:45 SEGUE – The Kano School
29:43 Castle Gardens
32:00 Site of the Five Story Keep – Amazing Views!
33:32 The Honmaru-goten Palace
36:49 Castle Gardens
37:43 Tea Houses
40:24 Nijo Crows
41:38 Expedition Debrief
42:37 END / EXTRA

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