We also caught up with Grace's friend, Tomomi, who travelled all the way to Kyoto to meet us. The kind and friendly babe treated us to a delicious meal at Hilton Hotel.

Ravenous, we gobbled up our appetizer and pasta before it struck us that we hadn't taken any photos! Here're the only food photos that we took for that particular meal.

The next day marked the end of our Kyoto tour. We had our last meal at Sukiya, a fast food chain similar to Yoshinoya, but much nicer! I particularly liked the yummy curry rice and salad. Besides the normal-sized portions, they also serve mini portions for patrons who have smaller appetites!

On the way back to our hotel to retrieve our luggages, we bumped into two of the cutest, most fashionable Japanese children! Don't they look like they were wearing clothes that came right off the runway? Check out the hair too!

I just LOVE them to bits!

Hair:- Maikos wear a wide variety of hair ornaments called kanzashi. They are often more elaborated & colourful than those wore by the geiko. This maiko is wearing a "hana kanzashi" created from squares of silk by a technique known as tsumami. Maikos wear different hana kanzashi according to the season and this one is wearing the winter theme where tortoiseshell and coral kanzashi are are worn.

Make-up:- Maikos paint their faces white & leave a W shaped line of bare skin around their natural hairline. Their eyes and eyebrows have a noticeable amount of red. With both her lips painted, I think this maiko is a senior maiko as junior maiko can only paint their lower half lips.

Kimono & Collar:- Maikos' kimonos are more colourful with long sleeves that hang down near their ankles. They also wear a thick heavy embroidered collar which is predominately red, with a smattering of white and silver patterns on it.

Obi:- A Maiko's obi is long and wide and covers a good proportion of her torso from her hip bone to her breast. The back of the obi bow dangles down to her ankles.