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.