We stayed in a Western style hotel in Yokohama, but chose a Japanese style inn called a ryokan in Kyoto. Tomoko kindly booked us into “Ryokan Ginkaku” from Tokyo, and our experience was priceless. 

The ryokan room has a tatami mat floor, rice paper sliding doors and traditional Japanese furniture. Kneeling on cushions to eat a meal at a very low table is custom, as is sleeping on a futon that is laid on the tatami mat. The same space is used for both the table and the beds. At night, the chambermaid sets up the futons and moves away the table and cushions. In the morning, she comes in again to pack away the beds and set up the table for breakfast. 

I’m not a breakfast person, but Japanese breakfast at the ryokan has been one of my favourite experiences in Japan so far. We had two variations of it at Ryokan Ginkaku — once in our own room for just the two of us, and a second time with Brian and Tomoko in a larger room.

The breakfast was made up many very small dishes that you ate with rice and miso soup. Little burners keep the hot food bubbling away as you feasted on the other delights. We had a variety of delicious seafood (cooked and raw), egg, seaweed, vegetables and tofu, along with green tea and water. Everything about the ryokan breakfast was MAGICAL.

Ryokan Ginkaku strayed slightly from the pure traditional version of a Japanese inn. Although there was a communal bath area, there was also a private en-suite shower in the room. It was also acceptable to wear shoes in most of the public areas, though not in the room itself. In a more traditional ryokan you would remove your shoes at the entrance and wear slippers throughout the hotel.

We saw a few more sites in Kyoto before heading out on the bullet train to Tokyo. While waiting on the train platform I stole some time to catch up on our daily expenses. My outfit for the day day was sightseeing and traveling friendy. Skinnies, blue linen shirt, black sleeveless top worn as a vest, cropped ink blue blazer, flat booties and a scarf.

The sun was out and we were excited to get to Tokyo. We were also looking forward to sleeping in a proper bed. As fun as it was to stay in a ryokan, the tatami mats were a little harder than we expected. I guess we appreciate our creature comforts a little too much! 

Our dear friends Tomo and Brian, who live in Tokyo, joined us for our only full day in Kyoto, which was nothing short of spectacular. The streets of Gion the night before were gorgeous, but the best was yet to come. 

Brian absolutely LOVES Kyoto and has visited six times. With him as guide along with wonderful Tomoko, who grew up in Chiba near Tokyo, the scene was set for a very special day. We took cabs to two main sights, and getting the inside scoop from the cab driver through Tomo’s mother tongue was the cherry on top. 

First we visited the very striking Ginkaku-ji temple, which is also known as the “Silver Palace”. The temple was originally the mountain retreat of Shogun Yoshimasa, and is home to one of the most well designed and manicured gardens in Japan. I could not believe that the sculptures and terraces in the gardens were made of loose sand, all immaculately maintained and free standing as if they were textured concrete. We actually saw a gentleman manicuring the mossy greens with the greatest precision and care. He was removing foreign plant growths with what looked like wooden tweezers, and meticulously removing the mess afterwards with a brush and pan.

Tomoko and I share a love for tea, so after strolling through the grounds of the temple, admiring the structures and foliage, it was time to rest and refresh. We shared a tray of matcha, which is a powdered bitter green tea. It came with delicate sweet treats that melted in your mouth. I just loved how the green of the tea complemented the bright red felt covers on the benches. So, so beautiful. 

Seeing young Japanese ladies in traditional kimonos throughout Kyoto is not uncommon. Their kimonos reflected the colours of the cherry blossoms and they often had pictures taken of themselves with the blossoming trees. As a tourist, I found the visual very soothing and beautiful.

After much appreciation of gorgeous cherry blossoms, streams of moving petals and koi fish, it was time to have lunch. Lucky for us, with Japanese speaking Tomoko at our side, we were able to lunch in a quaint little noodle restaurant near the Silver Palace. Many restaurants in Japan are identifiable by the curtains that hang in front of the sliding doors. Greg had curry flavoured soba with tofu, while I I had shrimp tempura with soba. Very, very delicious.

Our second sight seeing stop for the day was Kiyomizu-dera, the most famous temple in Kyoto. It was AMAZINGLY beautiful and my words can’t possibly do it justice. The scale of the temple was huge, the design detailing so subtly ornate and grand. It was set on a hillside so with the Spring foliage in full force, and the views were breathtaking.

My outfit for that day was comfortably casual. Yellow tartan skinny trousers with a denim shirt, cropped black jacket and black and white oxfords. Our days here are filled with hours of walking so I need to wear shoes that will go the distance. So far, my feet have been extremely happy. No blisters and no pain.

I’ve noticed that the dress code at these Japanese sights is extremely varied. You see it all. From super casual looks, formal outfits, traditional kimonos and school uniforms, to conservative, modern classic and very fashion forward and edgy ensembles. It’s impossible to feel out of place in your outfit. 

We finished off the day by walking down the exquisite streets of old Kyoto. The wooden houses, stone stairways and craftsmanship of the architectural detailing are things that I will always remember about this beautiful city. 

I believe that ANYONE can wear sleeveless clothing. To my eye there is no need to have firm, toned and tanned arms to go sans sleeves, especially in sweltering hot temperatures.

However, I do realize that many women feel differently. Amongst my friends and clientele there are lasses who prefer not to show their arms. I have also come across quite a few women who, in particular, are shy about revealing their underarms. With your help, this is something I would like to explore today.

Now, certain cultures have norms that are restrictive when it comes to the parts of a woman’s body that should be covered. And in some cases this goes much further than the underarm. There is certainly a debate to be had about that, but it isn’t the one that I’m getting at here. I’m thinking more about typical western norms where sleeveless dressing is not frowned upon or discouraged in general.

In this environment, do some people feel that the underarm is a little taboo? Ok to reveal poolside or at the beach, but a tad too sensual to be flaunted in other settings? In this case the reluctance to show the underarm is really about modesty.

Is it more that women are concerned that their underarms are not attractive? Perhaps when they didn’t shave recently, or when shaving has caused some skin irritation or discoloration. In this case the reluctance is about confidence.

Or perhaps some women don’t believe in shaving, but still feel the pressure of the social norm that says we should have perfectly hairless underarms.

I have Dutch family in all shapes and sizes who are strongly against shaving their underarms and have no problem whatsoever wearing sleeveless tops. This probably helped me to grow up never feeling shy about the state of my underarms. I do shave, because I personally prefer that aesthetic, but I also don’t mind seeing a woman with underarm hair in a sleeveless top. 

Are you shy about revealing your underarms when you wear sleeveless clothing? If so, is it for one of the reasons I mentioned above, or is it something completely different? Or do you believe that the underarm is an area of our body that should not be revealed in public at all?

After our morning in Yokohama we took the Shinkansen (bullet train) from Yokohama to Kyoto, the old capital of Japan. We’re staying at a traditional Japanese style inn called a Ryokan, which means sleeping on futons and tatame mats on the floor amongst bamboo and rice paper walls. An adventure! 

We walked around the old district of Gion that afternoon and evening. The cherry blossoms are in full bloom and people from all over had travelled in to admire them. It was amazing. Gion is full of quaint alleys and streets covered in old wooden Japanese style houses, small canals and lots of bird life. So, so pretty. The red statuesque Yasaka Shrine in Gion is magnificent and draws in the crowds. The light shone on it so perfectly as Greg took the photograph.

I LOVE grilled unagi (eel) with rice. Greg spotted an Unagi-ya (a small restaurant that serves grilled eel), and that was where we had supper. Again, there were no English speaking people in sight, so thanks to the plastic “mock-ups” of the food outside, we were able to order our meal. I had Unagi Donburi (with rice) and Greg had Unagi Tomago (eel omelet). I had it with tea and pickles while Greg washed his down with an ice cold Asahi beer. Fabulous.