Blog

2018年3月6日

Yuzen Nagashi (Washing Kimono Silks in the River)

In Kyoto, surrounded by mountain ranges from three directions, run many beautiful rivers from the north to the south. In the old times, people utilized the clear water from the mountains for a dye-art technique called Yuzan Nagashi (友禅流し), or washing kimono silks in the river to remove the masking paste and excess dye in ・・・

2018年3月4日

Kimono for Hinamatsuri (Girl’s Festival)

Hinamatsuri (雛祭り, Girl’s Festival) is a Japaneses traditional event annually held on March 3rd, where people celebrate and pray for the health of their daughters. There are various opinions about the origin of the festival, and there’s no historical evidence to identify the beginning of the custom. Some say the Hina asobi (雛遊び, doll play ・・・

2018年3月3日

Roubai Flowers at Kyoto Gyoen National Garden

Some hints of spring are showing up all around in Kyoto. Sweet scents of plum flowers are in the air. At Kyoto Gyoen National Garden (京都御苑), pretty little yellowish flowers called Roubai (蝋梅, Japanese allspice) are now in bloom. The scent of the flower is very sweet and uplifting. It is said that the flower ・・・

2018年3月3日

Sachinoi, a Well at Kyoto Gyoen National Garden

If you take some time to explore Kyoto Gyoen, you will come across many sites of historical importance. Among them, a monument which reads “Sachinoi” has an interesting history. It is a well named after the Emperor Meiji (明治天皇). The current location of Sachinoi well was originally within the premises of the Emperor Meiji’s grandparents’ ・・・

2018年3月2日

Honmaru Yaguramon Gate at Nijo Castle

There are many culturally and historically important gate constructions at Nijo (二条) caslte. Among them, Homaru Yaguramon* (本丸櫓門) gate, a national important cultural property of Japan, is the most valuable one since it’s the only survivor of big fires occurred many times in Kyoto. *Yugura means turrets at castles in Japanese. Even in the Edo ・・・