a little shrine and a green roof

no matter how many I've seen, I still love it whenever I find plants growing on a roof! this is a little shrine in kibune, outside of kyoto. yesterday I went on a hike, the last part which was between kibune and kurama, ending at the rotenburo (outdoor onsen) in kurama. it's one of my favorite onsens because of the outdoor bath and the wonderful natural setting. and a loooong soak made every step up and down the mountain worth it! (although my legs are a little tired today...)

momiji

kyoto is the fall is one of the top destinations in all of japan. this is because of the brilliant fall foliage of the momiji, or japanese maple. people go 'momiji gari' which basically means 'leaf hunting.' last night i visited Hogon-in Temple, which is a sub-temple of Tenryu-ji in Arashiyama, which was lit up for the occasion. there were also many yummy wintery street snacks that were enjoyed!

daimonji

in the last 7 days, i have seen so many interesting buildings and places, heard many stories, met many people who speak many different languages, and been inspired and left with lots to think about.

the first part of the week i took part in a summer school in kyoto. i saw the traditional daimonji (giant fires that are lit in the shape of symbols or characters) for the first time. this photo is the main fire in the shape of the character that means 'large.'

gion matsuri floats part 2

after my last post about the gion matsuri parade, i realized i completely forgot to mention the textile aspects of the floats!
i'm not sure how that happened! but here are a few more photos showing more close up views.
in my opinion, the most interesting thing about the tapestries on the floats is that they were collected from far away exotic places several hundred years ago. for example, china, persia, or europe. so the floats are actually like moving museums. and, it's like these collections that the wealthy kimono merchants of the edo period (1600s-1800s) were then preserved over time, because they are still used for the floats today.
so it's a traditional japanese festival, but even traditionally, it includes textiles and tapestries (and other treasures) from other far away countries that were exotic to the japanese of the edo period.

antique market at toji temple

toji temple in kyoto (not far from the kyoto train station) is the site of a huge market once a month, and also a smaller antique market on the 1st sunday of the month. in june, i made it to the 1st sunday market for the 1st time. as expected, it was quite a bit smaller than the main market, actually very peaceful. flickr set here.
the lotus pond at toji.

keibunsha, a kyoto destination

today was rainy and grey, and after a nice yoga class this morning, i had a cozy restful day inside. but last weekend, i finally made it here, to the mecca that is keibunsha. keibunsha is an art and design bookstore, in a building with a lovely dark sprawling interier, with several rooms of zakka, stationery, accessories, clothing, and a small gallery space.
i'd read about keibunsha before, and its' wonderful reputation is completely deserved. i'll definitely be adding it to the kyoto shopping section of felt cafe japan, but since i've had to put that project on the back burner temporarily, i wanted to share it here.
the shop is a little out of the way and quite far north from the center of kyoto, a few blocks east of ichioji station.

their website is all in japanese, but here's the zakka page, from where you can click around (on the photos, or on the main menu on the left side of the site) to see some beautiful things.

goodies that my friends bought

last weekend when i was showing my friends around kyoto, we managed to fit in some shopping, (easy to do in japan). here's the haul. good thing they love tenugui towels, muji, stamps and masking tape almost as much as i do!

higashiyama in kyoto

earlier this week i walked around the back streets of higashiyama. plum trees were blooming.
the area between gion and higashiyama is one areas where you can see maiko in traditional clothes and makeup.

march handmade market at chionji

these little guys are made of felt, and are sooo cute!
the same artist needle felted these animals on to fabric items.
they actually sell their works in a combination zakka/cafe/bonsai shop, it sounds awesome, i think i need to check it out.
and i love these pins made from reusing fabric with japanese traditional family crests, or komon.

february kamigamo jinja handmade market-part 2 felt and textiles

the work of very talented feltmaker, from scarves to tiny leave sprouts.
and a different feltmaker who specialized in life-sized cats!! not really my style, but i have to her points for dedication to an idea. also, i saw someone carrying one of these cats when i was waiting for the bus, so...maybe it's successful?woven, sewn, spun and dyed. yay for multiple fiber arts!
cute bags with detail appliques; so japanese.
steel furniture upholstered with upcycled textiles, nice.

by the way, all my market photos are on flickr.

february kamigamo jinja handmade market-part 1 tiny things

the 4th sunday handmade market at kamigamo jinja is my favorite handmade market in kyoto. and it's getting bigger, as you can see by the increase in signs, and their location right by the main gate.
when i was looking through my photos, i noticed a theme of tiny things emerging, including these miniatures,
rubber stamps on little wooden handles
little ceramics

and more little ceramics
little beeswax candles (the apple came home with me, i couldn't resist!)

and a tiny version of the royal couple from japanese hina matsuri girls day holiday--depicted in cookie form!

first hike of 2010

today i went for a hike on mount konpira, near ohara, north of kyoto. another one of my goals for 2010 is to go hiking, and i thought it would be perfect to spend the 3rd day of the new year (japanese new year's includes jan. 1, 2nd, and 3rd), outside in a peaceful natural place.
ohara is one of my favorite places, near kyoto, but with beautiful fields and farmhouses. it has a few lovely temples, and some natural dye workshops. and pickles and shiso, which i love!
the approach to the summit.
along the ridge.
on the top of kompira mountain, there is a small very old mountain shrine, this is the shrine gate,
and the shrine itself.
one of the stone lanterns

and another small shrine in the rock on the way down. i definitely think i will be able to keep hiking in 2010!

happy 2010

new year's is one of the most important holidays in japan, with many associated customs, including sending new year's cards, or nankajo. the one above is my design that i've been working on, while enjoying a few cozy days at home.
2010 is the year of the tiger, and this amazing tiger stamp is the work of sachi on etsy.
another new year's tradition is the 1st shine visit of the new year. this is the imamiya shrine in kyoto, which has a unique display of a gigantic version of arrows on either side of the door. these arrows, or hamaya, are a traditional amulet bought at temples at new years to ward off bad luck.
they also had a huge ema, which is usually a much smaller wooded plaque where you can write your prayer and hang it at the shrine. in this case, it has a new years tiger too.

i love the idea of starting off a new year with a clean slate, and taking the time to reflect on goals and plans for the upcoming year. i have high hopes for 2010, and many of my resolutions are simply things i want to try or experience. one of these goals is to visit more temples, shrines or historical architecture here in kyoto, like this shrine.

goodbye 2009

this is the special fire from yasuka shrine; people light straw rope from this fire, and carry it home with them to cook the first meal of the new year.
lanterns at the shrine on new years eve.
view from kiyomizudera.

my 2009 saw a lot of big changes, including moving back to japan, starting a new program at the university here, and opening up felt cafe japan! last year had its share of ups and downs, but in the end i feel so grateful and lucky. and now that i've settled into my life here a little bit, there are lots of things that i'm excited about for 2010.

chirimen food and book

here are some chirimen crafts from the arashiyama chirimen museum in kyoto..
including sushi,
and even a christmas themed display!

the short explanation of chirimen is that it is a traditional woven fabric, fine silk that because of the weaving technique used is created with little wrinkles in the fabric, that give it a distinctive texture. and now, it has become popular to use scraps of this fabric (originally designed for kimono) to make little craft creations.

i've just added this great chirimen craft book to the shop, and made a flickr set here for all the photos.
it's a great book, with some amazing and detailed projects,
and some whimsy, like this grandpa cat grilling fish.
and a great collection of zodiac animals (2o10 the year of the tiger or tora 寅 (とら) is right around the corner!