Assignment Kyoto: Part 4

Tea ceremony..

One of the must-see events if you are ever in Japan, is the traditional tea-ceremony.
We were lucky enough to witness one which was organised by the Japan National Tourism Organisation at the Kyoto International Convention Centre tea house.
This is just a short walk from the KICC and when we got there, our host were already waiting.
I managed to capture the ceremony with my cameras and had truly enjoyed the brief session.
Later, the NACE EAP conference delegates also had a chance to take photographs with their Japanese hosts...

An age-old tradition in session

Our lovely host in her Kimono..

 A trip to Shijo-Dori

The tea-ceremony was a brief affair. 
Michelle went back to her conference while I got back to the room to dump my camera backpack to go light for a short excursion to Shijo-Dori, Kyoto's shopping district.
Its just three stops away from Kokusaikaikan. Even so, the fare was 280 Yen.
To the uninitiated, Japan's subway is a massive network of sub-terrain walkway.
You can literally walk from one end to the other without seeing daylight.
I got off at the Daimaru shopping centre and tried to score some foodstuff.
Lunch was on my own and since I couldn't get a decent meal, I walked around the Teramachi covered market.
This is the place to look for cheap street food. 
Prior to the short trip, I've already filled up with a cup noodle and some snacks back at my room. So, its just a matter of having another bowl of instant noodles later in the day.

The covered market in Shijo

Foodstuff are aplenty here

The busy Shijo district

A knife shop!

I've never lost interest in knives and lucky for me, I found a shop selling traditional Japanese Kitchen knives.
There were a lot of good and high-quality cutlery being sold at the shop.
And a typical kitchen knife is sold around 5,000 Yen (USD$50).
This is quite affordable and you can have your name engraved on it.
The only drawback here: is the fact that high-carbon steel is used, so, its very likely to rust back here in Malaysia.. 

Customers having a go at the knife shop in Shijo..

A worker embellishing the surface of a knife with its new owner's name..

A night of formality..

I spent about two and a-half hours in the mid-town area.
Boarded the subway and headed back to the hotel to change into my evening attire.
Our dinner was hosted by the NACE office of Japan and only the head-honchos and their spouses were invited.
It was at the Grand Hyatt Hotel of Kyoto and dinner was a real formal affair.
I sat next to a Japanese professor and his counterparts and chatted with them about dogs and food. That was the highlight on the day..