Whilst Shopping in Gosford

Caroline Bay Quilters

I'm not sure how I found out about it but the Gosford Regional Art Gallery (in itself a wonderful place to visit) had a showing of quilts in early April this year.  Of course, I should have been getting ready for Sunday's lunch - I had the Randwick Girls up for a little Island time.  But I remembered I had to do a bit of "shopping" on Saturday and skived off early to catch this lovely exhibition by the Caroline Bay Quilters.

I'm going to try to get a place at Quiltsmith to do Linda Butcher's fabulous Tea Caddy Parade Quilt.  Just perfect for my Indian friendship blocks (waiting patiently in the UFO box).  Lovely show, lots of hard work!

To Market To Market

Adding Kilos

I’m talking baggage limits here! 

We had been fortunate to have covered quite a few markets in our tour of Japan – by design or accident – and were disappointed not to have argued for a triple luggage limit on the flight home. (Can you do that?)  Markets in Kyoto are a textile shopper’s heaven. (My notes remind me that we felt an earth tremor whilst at To-ji Temple Market.  Perhaps it was a sign.....)

Our last morning was spent at the bustling To-ji Temple monthly market, Kobo-san.  Sadly, we only admired the Momoyama period buildings if our eyes strayed momentarily from stall after stall of fascinating goodies.  (Held on 21^st)

 

Earlier in our tour we had visited the Chion-ji Market (1234) which has a reputation for food and handmade clothes.  I think we found piles of old kimonos for display.  How many can one person have?  (Held on 15^th)

To-ji Market

   

We had also stumbled across the Myoren-ji  Market, a low key affair but non-the-less most interesting.  This market had the feel of a very local experience and whilst we didn’t buy much (well, perhaps some of us were more restrained than others!), it was worth stopping in.  We descended upon a local fabric store very near to this market.  I dare say it was an interesting experience for the owners too! (Held on 12^th)

Miyagawa (Takayama) Morning Market is a daily affair held in the old town area along the river.  Stall holders sell flowers, vegetables, preserved foods like pickles and the odd rather lovely souvenir. 

Takayama Market

Having unearthed a few bargains at To-ji Temple, we made our way back to the hotel to repack our bags (redistribute the weight – how did we manage to fit so much into them?).  Then it was back to the Kansai International Airport to head for home.

This is my disclaimer!  Memory is a funny thing and whilst I have a clear picture of some days, others are fuzzy. In pre-digital times, I didn’t take nearly enough photos and of course now regret not having kept a decent journal – simply because you do forget!  I hope therefore to have included everything but am open to “corrections”.  It was a fantastic journey and a great experience.  What better introduction to world textiles could one have….

Kansai (with luggage!)

Not the best of photos but nice to see our new home from above

Beautiful Museums

Costumes & Crafts

After walking Nara, we made our way back to Kyoto to visit the Museums and sites we had skipped earlier on in our tour (due to the evening viewing of the famous Kamogawa Odori, the annual dance festival performed by Pontocho maiko).  It does pay to be flexible!

Fuzoku Hakubutsu-kan, the Period Costume Museum, shows costumes from the different periods of Japan’s history; Samurai, fire fighters and Edo-era kimonos.   I fell for Ainu costumes, having initially seen one at our workshop with Master Indigo Dyer, Mr Kenichi Utsuki.

Ainu Costume

We were also treated to a demonstration of yuzen silk painting. Kimono lengths and obis were being hand painted in an intricate, multicolour process.   I must admit that I’ve quite forgotten where we saw this painting and stencil dyeing demonstration but am hazarding a guess that it was the Yuzen-en Gallery.  Whilst there we saw the most magnificent kimono of gingko leaves in yellows on a background of grey and white mountain mist.  What a shame I didn’t get a photo of it!  Kyo-yuzen silk dyeing (actually stencilling) is special to Kyoto.

After the museums we headed back to the Shinmonzen-dori Antique shopping district in the Gion area for one last look and to purchase yet more fabrics.  These were rather special as these were antiques!   

Having arrived at our hotel rather late (& a wee bit weary) that evening, we stopped long enough for a noodle dinner at a small shop in the Kyoto railway station complex.  Unbelievably, it was our last night and we wanted to celebrate this wonderful tour and thank our excellent host, Margaret.

Tucking in to cook-your-own noodles

That night we went to sleep to the sound of Bosozoku, motorcycle gangs, who noisily rev their bikes and speed off in races through the streets.

Ginko Leaves in Nara

Train to Nara

Beautiful Gardens in Nara

Next stop for us was Nara, birthplace of Japanese culture and first capital (710-784). In fact there are so many fascinating and ancient sites, the area is UNESCO Heritage listed.  Interestingly for us, this city was the eastern-most stop of the famed Silk Road, the ancient trading route between Asia and Europe. (We have since been following another section of this famous route on our Turkey travels in Bursa last year.)

Making good use of the train station across the road from our hotel, we took a local train (a 45 minute ride) to start our walking tour of this very famous city.  We did our best and covered (in no particular order):

Temple Ticket

Amazing building - always busy

Todai-ji Temple houses the Great Buddha, a huge bronze statue, in an even larger wooden building.  This charming, yet mysterious Great Buddha stands 16m (50') high and dates from the Edo period.  There were earlier versions of Cosmic Buddha, sadly destroyed over the centuries by fire and earthquake. This current one, all 437 tonnes of him, is still quite magnificent.

The building the Buddha is housed in dates from 746 and its dark, solid time framework adds to the overall mood.  The columns are so huge, that one with a hole at the base attracted a line of giggling school children waiting in turn to squeeze through it.  It is believed that those that can make it are ensured enlightenment. 

Perhaps that’s a good thing when your only 10!

Deer have Right of Way & Insatiable Appetites

Surprise! We know where you store those goodies!

On our way out, we passed the fierce temple guardians, bronze statues cast by the famous master, Unkei (1150-1223) and headed through the famous Isui-en Garden (Meji Era) and on to the Deer Park.  As we strolled we were met by lots of tame Sika deer, said to be messengers of Shinto gods. 

The deer were certainly not afraid to demand food. Warning - keep your bag closed!  We walked our legs off yet managed to only cover a small area of this attractive 1250 acre parklands. 

Deep in the park is the Kasuga Shrine.  It is considered the most beautiful Shinto shrine in Nara, and features some 3000 antique stone and bronze lanterns; a real feast for our eyes.

On our way back to the station through streets lined with fluttery leafed Ginko trees, we paused to look at a local pottery shop and then admire the beautiful Kofuku-ji Temple (710) with its distinctive three and five storey pagodas or tiered towers.

A typical Japanese pagoda has a square plan, rises 3 or 5 storeys and supports a spire of Rings of Heaven.  The ground floor is usually used for shrines and images, whilst upper floors provided observation platforms.  Each level is suspended around a central pole which allowed it to resist earth tremors.

Another busy day - another train ride back to Kyoto....

Blue & White Heaven

Arimatsu Shibori: Heritage Dyes

Our trip to visit Arimatsu of course came with many pleasures.  One was another ride on the Shinkansen to Nagoya (1 hour) before hopping on a local train to Arimatsu, blue & white heaven.

On the road again....

Arimatsu is a small former post town on the Tokaido, the old trade route connecting Tokyo and Kyoto.  Settled as early as 1608 by order of the Owari (a samurai clan), it was the 42^nd station; one of the government sanctioned stops between the two cities.  Hiroshige made a number of prints of this famous town.  Takeda Shokuro pioneered the craft of shibori as way for the small town to make an income from the many travellers. 

The main street of the old quarter has glimpses of its celebrated past.  Lined with dark timber houses typical of its Edo era beginnings, the area is most worthy of its cultural heritage endorsements. Fine preserved merchant houses accommodate a museum, kimono stores and fabric shops, including a Japanese patchwork shop.  We visited as many as we could, starting with the Arimatsu Narumi Shibori Kaikan.

This was a streetscape scene

Arimatsu is celebrated as a centre for shibori, a tie dye (resist) technique perfected to a fine art over many years of practice. Fabrics are folded, wrapped, tied, stitched and twisted to make amazing patterns.  Traditionally indigo (blue) was used but now it is not unusual to see many colours.   The process involves a number of steps, traditionally divided into male and female tasks.  Designs are prepared, templates cut and then carefully printed onto cotton cloth. 

Generally, a kimono piece is a narrow 14” wide
by 13 yards (12m) as shown 

These patterns are then tied – a process that can take up to several months.  Once ready for dyeing, the fabrics are dunked into vats of dye. Then the process of undoing all those knots – another 3 to 4 days of work in some cases, reveals beautiful patterns. Some special pieces are submitted to a number of dye baths to produce subtle yet stunning pieces. 

I found an interesting web site, ohmyhandmade with links that explain the process of shibori and offer tutorials.  Hmm, well, I’ll just add that to the “Things to Do List” for Ron (much later ron!). 

Of course, our obsessive fabric shopping did not stop with Arimatsu.  We backtracked to Nagoya to hit a few contemporary fabric stores.  Sadly our budget had been blown and a tempting large department store would only take cash.  We were nearly out of money!  So, after returning to Kyoto on late train and in order to preserve our dwindling funds for any unexpected treasures in the two tour days we had remaining, we had soup and rolls for dinner.  Very noble indeed!

Miso Soup for the Soul

Back to Gion

After a Western breakfast served Japanese style and bidding our hosts farewell, we did a quick last minute shop in Takayama (as you do!) before boarding our train to glide silently down the mountains and back to busy Kyoto. 

With a few hours to spare, we made for Nishiki-koji Food Market. Considered Kyoto’s Kitchen, the complex started as a fish market in the early 1300’s and is now an amazing array of traditional timber shopfronts lining narrow covered alleys. 

Needless to say, whilst we enjoyed nosing about the fresh foods section, we were waylaid by a patchwork shop, K's Bee Quilts.  Unlike some of the fabric stores we had already seen, this shop was selling the latest in American goods.  We couldn’t help but admire the amazing work on display.

 

Somehow we also managed to fit in a visit to a famous Kimono shop.  The staff kindly displayed a few of their absolutely amazing kimonos, despite guessing (correctly) that we couldn’t possibly be able to afford them.  Just to round off our cultural costume experience, we also gazed in the window of the shop of a master obi and braid maker.

Later that evening, we walked to Gion Corner through Gion area with its well-preserved old houses that spoke to us of the old days in Kyoto.  

We descended upon a wonderful antiques shop and managed to find a few textiles and other souvenirs of our trip. 



By now we were well aware that our tour time was drawing to a close.   Surely we couldn’t go home empty-handed! 

Luckily, we caught site of a Maiko whilst there: it must have been late, perhaps 7 or 8pm, as this is the time they leave their studios for their ochaya (tea house) appointments. She was most obliging and graciously allowed us to take photographs before hurrying off to her duties.

 

Cultural Immersion

Ryokan Etiquette

Ryokan Hakuun

Perhaps it would be better to say up front that we didn’t quite master the fine art of “Ryokan Etiquette”.  However our hosts at Ryokan Hakuun were most accommodating and our days spent in the lovely village of Takayama passed way too quickly. 

So, let’s begin!  We arrived full of expectation.  Shoes were removed at the front door.  Then we were shown to our large room screened off with shoji (rice paper) screens and tatami mat flooring.  Only a single low table was centred in the room.  On the table we found our arrival tea waiting for us. 

 

Our traditional inn had a hot spring (onsen) although only a few guests followed the Japanese custom of the hot communal soak.  Some of the rooms had a traditional timber tub and we learned that the custom is to shower and soap yourself first before stepping into the tub (no soap – soaking only).  We also discovered the (toilet or bathroom) slippers routine and were caught out more than once in embarrassing circumstances. 

 

Doors to our rooms

 

After bathing, we went to our dining room dressed in a provided blue & white cotton yukata (wrapped left over right thank you) to meet up with our fellow travellers for a sumptuous feast of assorted Japanese foods.   We finished it off with a taste of sake…hmmm…not so sure about that!

Our first night's dinner

We retired to our beds - futons had been laid out on tatami mats.  All that cool country air, picture perfect streets in the old town, doses of cherry blossom and now a nice warm bed!  It was all very relaxing. 

Seafood Dinner

A wonderful view through every door

 

Year of the Rabbit

Shopping Heaven

A delight to Quilters' Eyes

Takayama, first settled in the Jomon period, was named after the castle built over 450 years ago on Shiroyama (Castle Hill). The town's high altitude and geographic separation kept it isolated, allowing it to develop its own culture. 

The Castle was destroyed in 1695 during the Edo Period.  During this time people were separated into distinct classes – samurai, farmers, craftsmen and merchants as dictated under the military rule of the Tokugawa Shogunate. Were it not for the flood of tourists, you could almost imagine yourself in the Takayama of those times.  

The centre of town, although compact, is a maze of narrow streets.  The streets are lined with traditional dark wooden houses preserved in the style of Edo days.  Tiny shops were brim full of interesting things – especially if you are interested in crafts.  We had a field day gathering sashiko threads, special sewing scissors and amazing indigo dyed fabrics.

Close to the centre of the town is the Miyagawa morning market.  This market has been in operation for over 200 years selling crafts, local produce, souvenirs and street food. They’re located by the banks of the Miyagawa River, so we strolled and shopped, stopping from time to time to watch carp in the river as they lazily swam by us.  It was the year of the rabbit.  Everything seemed to have one stamped or patterned on to it.  So we just had to stop ourselves from going crazy for these loveable creatures.

 

You can see why we were in raptures!

Sadly we were unable that evening to meet with a local quilting group.  We consoled ourselves by taking a little more time to scour the streets of old Takayama for that perfect take home souvenir – oh, and find a few more fabrics.