This was my first trip to Japan, in April 2012. This was atypical trip to say the least, which was due to the usual desire to visit as many places as possible within the limited number of days. However, if I was given the chance to do it all over again, it would be the same.
As I said before, Pontocho district is full of interesting subjects and colors. In this picture alone, you can see the new, old generation, new fashion, traditional fashion, young, old, working people, tourists…and last but not least, the colors and atmosphere.
Oh, one more thing, if you notice that most pictures I took, usually from the back, it is usually because some reason, to me, the back of people are more interesting, you’d be less noticeable when taking these pictures…and lastly, it is more mysterious to imagine each of these people look like from the front…
This couple was gracious enough to pose for me when I asked their permission….There were many Japanese near the Gion district who still going out with their traditional outfits. I do love Kyoto much better than Tokyo for this one reason.
Early morning exercise along the rive bank is not as popular as in the US. If this area was in US, you would have seen so many people walking, jogging, etc… However, Japanese people mostly walk to take train/bus, etc… and also riding bicycles to work, therefore it is less of a necessity for them to work out outside of their normal activities.
This image was left almost unprocessed from RAW because I wanted to maintain the atmosphere that I remember when I was there, early in the morning around 7am.
These were local women strolled on one of the more popular Gion area streets.
Seems like these backpacks are the “want” items for these kids. I could not resist taking pictures of these kindergarten kids going home from school at a place near Bamboo Forest area.
Students walking home after schools was a common sight in Japan and so are Mochi stores, ones that are seen in every block. Also, all students in Japan are wearing uniforms.
I’ve seen these in most areas where heavily populated by tourists. This is similar to the Vietnamese cyclos.
Kusunoki Masashige (楠木 正成?, 1294 – July 4, 1336) was a 14th century samurai who fought for Emperor Go-Daigo in his attempt to wrest rulership of Japan away from the Kamakura shogunate and is remembered as the ideal of samurai loyalty.
Kusunoki Masashige, (born 1294?, Japan—died July 4, 1336, Minato-gawa, Settsu province, Japan), one of the greatest military strategists in Japanese history. Kusunoki’s unselfish devotion and loyalty to the emperor have made him a legendary figure; after the imperial restoration of 1868, a splendid shrine was erected to him on the site of his death.
These information were extracted from:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kusunoki_Masashige
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/325541/Kusunoki-Masashige
There are many of these girls who pass out leaflets to passerby and tourists for products that their companies are selling.
This seems like a popular spot for the locals, near the Gion district…
There are these street Buddhists who are asking for donation…Usually you can take their photos…when their eyes are closed 
, otherwise, you might have to donate.
Apparently there was a manager that waited for these ladies to come to the same place to perform.
Very lucky to come across these ladies on the way to diner near the Gion district in Kyoto. This one was about to enter a local establishment for an evening performance.
