After two amazing nights in Kyoto I’m on the road to Osaka. Unsure of exactly how to get there, I jumped on the train down to the main Kyoto station and wandered through the gate to the JR line. I guess my ticket worked, because the guy waved me through. So here I am now en route.

The last two nights and full day yesterday were made even more fun by adding a travel companion into the mix. Sofia Fitzpatrick is an amazing artist who happened to be staying at the same place as me in Kyoto – the Centurion. We actually met while hangin’ out and researching places to go in the main lobby. It was on her suggestion that we wandered over to Gion and had our first encounters with Geishas.

I got some amazing photos that night, and we wound up wandering through the most incredibly cute and quaint streets on a search for dinner. It seemed every 5 minutes or so we would stop to peer down an alley, into a restaurant, or even a home. They were all meticulously presented and cared for. One of these special places behind a curtain was the Hermes store. So, of course we had to stick our heads in.

The first thing that greeted us was a beautiful rock garden dotted with trees and moss. It was as if everything was miniaturized just a bit. Upon wandering further into this beautiful oasis, we were greeted by a lovely Japanese woman who handed us a pamphlet for the show going on upstairs. Entering this amazing building was no doubt, and we soon found ourselves in line to take photos in Hermes’ version of a photobooth. Of course, as we would soon learn, we were completely surrounded by Leica team members from all over the world. I had my D600 slung over my shoulder with my trusty 50mm f1.4, however I couldn’t help but notice the beautiful Leica M10 with the 50mm f0.95 worn like an elegant handbag around one of their shoulders. They were all elegantly put together, and shortly after their photo they made a hasty departure, but not before inviting us to their showroom in Kyoto. Thoughts of asking to work with them didn’t cross my mind until after they had left, but by that time it was too late.