Chemical Conference - May 2004

I was sent by my company in Kyoto for the International Conference on Fluorine Chemistry (ICFC) in May 2004... A nice opportunity to get in touch with this beautiful city! The conference took place at the International Conference Center, located 30 minutes north of the station in a very nice, large park.

The official dinner, the last day, was placed under the sign of tradition. After an exhibit of dance made by a geisha and two maiko, we had the opportunity to talk with them... and be taken in picture with! As you can seen below, most of the foreigners enjoyed that very much, including the president of Central Glass' related company in the USA, Synquest (last picture).

Of course, it was not possible for me not to go to an onsen while away from home! I therefore made a very short trip to Kurama Onsen. Located north of Kyoto, it offers nice walks in the mountains... and a beautiful rotenburo!

I also spent some times to visit the most famous spots of the city... but I unfortunately was not the only one doing so! For example, when I was in Nijo castle, more than 10 buses were unloading students, which really created a mess inside the grounds of the castle!

My hotel was located near Potoncho, which is a pleasant place to walk in the evening. It is rather usual to meet geisha there, too.

Here is a picture of a famous onsen located in the middle of the city. Funaoka onsen is indeed a real natural spa, and even has a small rotenburo. Ideal for a short rest after visiting some temples and shrines.

Here are other pictures taken during my stay in Kyoto...

And because the best vay to present Kyoto is still by taking panorama pictures... first one from the castle (Nijo-jo), and the two following from Daitokuji.

Several Visits - from 2001 to 2003

I used to write, on those pages, the following : "Personally, I would consider that Kyoto is the most beautiful city I have visited so far in Japan". After having seen Nara and Kobe, I'm not so sure anymore, but it's still a great place to visit! Founded in the VII^th century, this city became Heian-kyo, capital of Japan, in 794. The imperial family lived in there continuously from 794 to 1868 (Meiji restoration), although the political capital moved to Kamakura and, later, to Edo (Tokyo).

One of the most beautiful of the city! Conveniently located in the woods, and famous for the sight during cherry blossom. Magic powers are associated with the water founded in the shrine.

My definition of a Zen garden : tas de sable décoré régulièrement au râteau, dont la principale fonction religieuse est de rapporter 500 yens (environ CHF 7.50) par visiteur à son propriétaire. Many of them are found in Kyoto...

Fortunately, there are also some gardens that I would consider as "more classical ones".

Hanami is the observation of the cherry blossom. You just can't imagine how people are crazy about it here! Indeed, it's very nice, but I found rather surprising that people would sit under the trees even when there is heavy rain, and freezing temperature (less that 10 degrees at that time)...

Another famous spot of Kyoto, where geishas are often encountered.