25 September 2011
Off to the northwestern side of Kyoto (Nishijin neighborhood - once known as the center of textile crafts), where we first where we first stopped at the Kitano Tenmangu Shrine. There a gigantic flea market is held on the 25th of each month in and around the grounds of the shrine. Clothing, old and new, tools, ceramics, plants, food of every sort, amusements for children, cloth, small furniture, just name it and it would probably be somewhere. We made just a few small purchases and some food from vendors for lunch - some sort of pancake ball with octopus plopped in the middle and sauce and bonito flakes on top. The picture shows Win eating the delicious fried Japanese yams - very sweet.
We then walked quite a long distance through some traditional neighborhoods to find the Raku Museum. There are several well-known families which have been producing ceramics since the 16th century. Some of the ancient tea cups look utterly modern, and all are beautiful small sculptures, each in its own way of balance, light, design, and so on. There were other items as well - incense boxes, fresh water containers, vases etc. We thought it was breath-taking. The above poster is of the current exhibit - the black cup shows Mt Fuji.
We decided to walk all the way back to the train rather than catch a bus. On the way, we passed several temples and shrines. At one (Shiramine jingu Shrine), a lively game of Kemari was being played using what looked like a water logged (heavy), deflated volley ball. We have no idea about the nature of the game, but given the colorful costumes, it was very entertaining. No body contact, just something about kicking the ball up in the air.
Kombanwa (good evening)
With all our love
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