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09/07/2007 Archived Entry: "Old Kyoto"
I bought Old Kyoto by Diane Durston at the University Book Store before we left on our trip. This guide book is about the rich history of the merchants, crafts people and artisans that made Kyoto the cool place that it was and still is. Most of the book is a directory to stores, restaurants and inns that are traditional. Very fascinating! I decided to look up any likely stores that were near places we'd be going anyway.
Yesterday, after our bus tour of some of the main sites, we ended up at the Kyoto Handicraft Center (a seven-floor building with lots of crafts, textiles, books, two restaurants, etc). Jack and I decided that rather than take a shuttle bus back to the train station, we'd walk the relatively short distance to Gion, the old-style entertainment quarter of Kyoto. I knew that there was a store listed in Old Kyoto that would be easy to find and have things that I could afford to buy: Kagoshin, which sells everything related to bamboo and has been open since 1862. Beautiful baskets! I ended up with two small tops for our grandsons and Morita-san (I think it was him) threw in some toothpicks for good measure.
When Jack and I stopped for some coffee nearby we actually did see some women in kimono. Were they geisha or maiko? Hard to say, but we did speak to one when she warned us out of a tiny alley that was actually a dead-end path.
We've also sampled old Kyoto in the neighborhood of our inn, Ikoi-no-Ie. It's a modern building but the streets all around have many traditional Kyoto-style houses, and we are one block away from Higashi Hongan-ji, a very large Buddhist temple complex.
Replies: 3 comments
And I've definitely been thinking of you during this trip since we've been visiting so many Buddhist temples. They are not all the same!
Posted by Anita @ 09/10/2007 05:43 AM PST
Hi, AL
Jack looked them up on a directory website but they have their own domain. We booked via email. pardon any funkiness caused by Japanese keyboard. Edit: there was plenty of funkiness! I was using a computer at the tourist info center in Nikko (very nice place) and somehow special characters and @ signn were put between each word.
Posted by anita @ 09/09/2007 08:36 PM PST
Hi Anita,
How many years has it been now? Eight?
My wife and I are going to Japan in two weeks and plan on spending a week or more in Kyoto. Your inn looks decent. How did you make reservations? Did you just call them from the U.S.?
Posted by Al Billings @ 09/09/2007 03:13 PM PST