Good morning Kyoto, Jonny Monsoon has arrived. Yes we bought the rain, again. Luckily, umbrellas are given out freely to anyone who needs one., trusting you will return it sometime.
Luckily by the afternoon, the sun was back out.
Kyoto’s own Thunderbird-esq tower sits over the small modern hub of the city with high-rise shopping arcades, pachinko blocks and a multitude of traint-racks. Does each city have its own tower? I hope so.
We particularly liked the area around our hotel, next to the railway lines.
Kyoto was once the country capital, which Tokyo later became. Thanks to being spared by the US Air Force bombing during World War II, Kyoto has a larger percentage of old housing stock than any other Japanese city. it has countless temples, shrines and other historically important structures, all in a relatively small area.
Once you leave the modern hub, it starts to feel like the equivalent of Hampstead, London - old money, really expensive boutique shops that don’t seem to need to open much, tiny restaurants and the introduction of a coffee culture. In pockets around the city It’s also geared up for tourism due to its abundance of cultural sights,
In a country of quiet, reserved people, no noticeable wildlife noises and many rules we were rather shocked whilst at a shrine garden - a place for peace and meditation - the non-stop clicking of cameras, texting and chattering by the tourists was unreal, it certainly wasn’t like James Fox’s experience on BBC4 that’s for sure!
The gardens are incredible and it was wonderful to catch the late Autumn maple leaves and Sharron Fruit trees. I’m hoping the colours will still be in gardens of Kanazara.
I’m fascinated by the The Kimono it can be a stunning work of art. The patterns and colours are often mismatched so elegantly. The silk kimonos can be beautiful and worth a small fortune. You can buy them secondhand but they are very heavy and cumbersome despite their elegant look. The Obi belt in all its variations is very symbolic and when 9 meters or more is artistically wrapped, the mismatched pattern and clashes of colour against the kimono gives it its unique look. The whole ensemble comprises of many elements as i found out when I tried the informal Yukata - cotton kimono and full Obi.
It comes as no surprise that the kimono is generally no longer worn on a daily basis by most Japanese, they are still proudly worn for special occasions such as weddings and coming of age ceremonies. Occasionally we stumbled across shops with contemporary kimonos. The formal obi’s hanging like works of art. Stunning hand painted or woven silks in contemporary designs with quirky little twists.
In Kyoto some older monied locals still wear a kimono but less often with the formal wide obi. The cotton yukata robes, traditionally used for ryokans have now become accepted as informal outside wear with a simple sash. As its the onset of winter the sight of a beautiful bright kimono is a rare treat, but the winter sombre colours and outer jackets are equally beautiful.
Kyoto has a number of Kimono hire shops where you can rent a kimono and all its accoutrements and ‘enjoy seeing the sites and take plenty of selfies’ it now tends to be the courting teenage boys and girls dressing up for the day.
The night brings a different atmosphere, but you’ll have to wait another day for that.