Japan is amazing, man.
We’re having such a great time.
We wake up every morning at like 5 a.m. and then hit the road – sometimes 4 a.m. – and just drive all day.
There’s just so much to see.
I want to show people why we’re in Japan, you know.
And I think in doing that you have to be honest.
You can’t force experiences.
Put that on eBay.
They would suggest that we first go to the pilgrimage road.
Will there be a lot of people there?
Probably not too crowded.
Uh, look at this!
I need to go a little further.
Even more.
Yes! Perfect.
Yeah, good.
We are climbing
five hundred steps to a temple.
It’s on top of this mountain.
And it’s 5 a.m.
Oh, this is a very beautiful sunrise.
We came here to visit one of the Japanese gods.
This is gonna cook me!
Oh, yeah, that is really hot.
Look at that steam.
It’s really, really hot though.
I’m curious to know what the actual temperature is.
90 degrees!
Takes about nine minutes to boil the eggs.
But the gentleman that showed me how to do it also put potatoes in.
I’m curious to know the taste.
That’s a good egg.
Konnichiwa.
She’s happy to meet you.
Nice to meet you as well. Thank you.
What’s up, everyone?
We are in Wakayama.
In a part of the region that’s called Nachi-san.
Good morning guys.
So, we made it up early today to catch a beautiful sunrise.
We’re at Nachi Taisha waterfall which is right behind you, Carlos.
And there’s a pagoda right beside it.
This area is very, very popular as a very photographed location
for many travellers or individuals who want to
explore certain parts of Japan.
Now we stationed the cars right in front of the pagoda
trying to capture the waterfall in the distance
as well as the building itself.
I love kayaking.
Who’s gonna be in the boat with you?
You are.
Turn around?
We made it.
Do you guys want to know where we are?
Well, you have to wait and see.
This is absolutely beautiful.
So, today, we are at Kuriyama Koubo
which is a manufacturer of Kimonos.
And I’m here with Miss Nishida and
she’s going to show us some very up-close and detailed visuals
that they’ve been working on.
My first question for you is:
What is the meaning of Kimono in the Japanese fashion industry?
Of course, Japanese people wear all different types of clothing today.
But Japanese people believe that when they
wear a Kimono, they look very beautiful.
It makes us proud of being Japanese.
And we also feel that it is something that should never be lost.
Now, what you are wearing right now, is it something that you designed here?
Can you tell me a little bit about it?
This I created and dyed by myself.
Wow.
Come on guys, let’s go get me in a nice Kimono!
Now that I finished wearing the Kimono.
That was an incredible experience.
Our stomachs now need to be filled.
See you on the other side!
What are you reading?
I am reading about Geishas and
the history of them in Japan.
We’re going to meet several of them today and I’m really excited.
And I want to make sure that I’m prepared.
I am joined by Tumitsi Yusan (Tomikiku-san)
and I really – pleasure to meet you – I really want to thank you for having us here.
It has been an absolute pleasure.
The experience has been extremely interesting to me as a perspective.
It kind of brought me back to what I’ve imagined
the tradition and the Japanese culture
to have been like hundreds of years ago.
And I really appreciate that.
Thank you so much for that.
So, because we are in Kyoto, you would be considered a Geiko?
Geiko-san.
Now, can you describe to me what was it that inspired you to get into this?
I was born in Kyoto and some of my family members
were working for Kimono industries, making Kimonos.
And ever since I was a little girl I really wanted to wear a Kimono.
I just loved it.
And I was also interested in Japanese tradition, so I decided to become a Maiko-san,
which comes before becoming a Geiko-san – a younger version of a Geiko-san.