Kyoto, Day One: Part Two

More enticing goods for sale in Gion . . .

One of the many intriguing side passageways--at night, apparently, a lit red lantern means that a geisha is entertaining. One can only visit geisha by invitation or with an invited guest...

Our next destination was the Yasakajinja (Yasaka Shrine), which is the host of the Gion Matsuri (Gion Festival), taking place while we were there--more on that later. Above is the shrine's gate...and inside...

There were performances going on, perhaps in conjuction with the festival?