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last week i visited the market at toji temple in kyoto. it happens on the 21st of every month, and is one of the biggest markets, with everything from antiques to homemade pickles.
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usually it is so crowded, but this month there were far fewer people, probably because everyone was nervous about swine flu.
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these venders do all kinds of natural dyeing, using supplies near their rural studio, which is in a ayabe, outside of kyoto. i talked to her for quite a while, and she was very nice and generous about sharing information. her husband spins the fiber himself, and they also grow their own rice, etc. i bought some of her tea, the first picking of an organic green tea. i had some tonight, and it was yummy. ayabe sounds nice, perhaps there it is a kind of artist village, maybe i will try to visit it sometime.
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another dye artist, with an amazying hat and matching mask. this color is made from persimmon fruit, which is distilled into a stronger liquid, and often used to dye cotton canvas or study work clothes. in this case nice canvas bags.
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a little bit of this and that, and some kimonos.
in case you couldn't guess, the internet is back up, and to be honest, it's a bit overwhelming! so much to catch up on...and then last week i was knocked out by a sudden cold (not swine flu, since i never had a fever!) but now that i have recovered, regular blogging can resume.