Japan Day 17- Kyoto...

Well, our brreakfast cafe was open again this morning, so we went over about 8:00 (it's just a block away) & had lovely toast & coffee (& a salad for Charlie :) again. Although the weather report said 100% chance of rain, it was still pretty clear out, though hot & muggy, as it's been the whole time. Today was textiles day (yay!) & we decided to start at a place mentioned in the "Old Kyoto" book that specialises in indigo dyeing. We were armed with diversions for Brendan, since looking at textiles is not a favourite activity of his. We also decided to take a taxi there, to save our energy for the walk home.

The name of the shop is Aizen Kobo, "ai" meaning indigo & "kobo" meaning workshop. The Utsuki family, which owns the shop, was a traditional weaving family for over a hundred years, but when the jacquard loom came to Japan their weaving was no longer desired, so the present shop owner's grandfather found his way to indigo dyeing instead, back in the 1920's. The building itself is 130 years old & has been in the family for all that time. When we got there, at around 9:45, the door was locked, but then I spotted a sign that said to press a button, so I did, & a voice came out of a little box (a video link) saying they'd be right down. A man, who spoke fine english, came down & opened up for us. One of the first things he noticed was Charlie's shirt (he was wearing one of the indigo tie-dyed shirts I made) & I explained that I do a bit of indigo dyeing in the US. He was familiar with the chemical-driven process used in the US & was happy to explain the differences between that method & the natural fermentation method that he uses (& is pretty much one of the few people left who do use it). While we were talking, Charlie & I were looking around at the amazing things in the shop- indigo-dyed fabrics & things made from indigo-dyed fabrics- everything from t-shirts to scarves, handkerchiefs & coasters to yarn & sashiko thread. As we chatted more, the owner asked me back into the working area of the house, & we sat at a table on zabuto pillows & talked indigo.

Utsuki-san showed me a book of pictures that described the growing, harvesting, & initial fermentation of indigo (something done in the countryside), which takes a full year. Then we chatted about other dyes & compared notes on different mordanting techniques. It was fascinating, I was aware that Charlie & Brendan were waiting for me (playing Uno :), so I asked if I could look around some more, then got to the serious buying. This felt like a once in a lifetime opportunity, & Charlie joined me in picking out gifts for friends & family, & things for us, of course :) Brendan held his patience as long as possible & was rewarded by the gift of a little beanbag owl made from indigo-dyed fabrics- kawaii! One of my purchases was a couple of bags of scraps of indigo fabrics for sewing projects & I can't wait to get started making something from them (but I will- all of my patterns are at home).

In a way, I'm glad that I didn't read the write-up in the book about Utsuki-san & his shop until I got back to the hotel, or I might have been too intimidated to have a good time chatting with him. He's one of the last people in Kyoto doing this kind of work & is considered a master of the craft. I sat with him (at his invitation!) & chatted about various details of dyeing like a fellow crafts-person, & enjoyed absorbing all of the information he wanted to share. He even gave me a handful of the indigo he uses to dye with on my way out, & took me back to show me the vats. I'm still processing a lot of what he told me, & the many ideas he gave me (some over-dyeing techniques that hadn't occurred to me before...). It was an incredible experience.

From Aizen Kobo we walked a few blocks to the Nishijin Textile Centre, a co-op of many textile producers in the Nishijin (traditonal textile) area of Kyoto. When we got there we saw a taxi parked out front & Charlie decided he'd ask for the driver's card, so we could call him (or another from his company) for the ride home (it was obvious we didn't have the energy to walk). He was having trouble getting though to the driver, so I joined him & was finally able to find the right words in japanese, & he gave me his card. Whew! Not my proudest japanese-moment!

The textile centre was housed in a large building with a large sales area on the second floor, & exhibits & workshop areas in the rest of the building. As we were headed upstairs Brendan decided that he wanted a bathroom, charged over to the information desk, & much to the ladies' there amusement inquired as to the location of the toilet in japanese :) They were quite taken by his braid, too, & followed his progress to the "toi-re" with smiles. Then it was upstairs to a bustling room full of too many things to take in. I took Brendan in hand, since Charlie had amused him at the indigo shop, & let Charlie look at ties in peace while Brendan & I looked at fans. I bought him another,inexpensive one, since the one he'd bought on our first expedition in Kyoto had broken (Brendan is hard on fans- he likes to use them as ninja weapons). Then we found some yukatas (cotton kimono) & were looking through them when Charlie found us again. They were also pretty inexpensive, so we all got yukata. I found some sandals, too, & got some zorii for myself & Brendan found, of all things, a pair of geta (clunky wooden sandals like he'd worn at the ryokan) that fit him & they're coming home with us, too :) By the time they'd wrapped & packaged (careful, artful packaging is a big deal in Japan) all of our purchases Brendan was getting over-stimulated by all of the activity & stuff so we wanted to get him out & be on our way. As I received our packages from the nice lady who'd helped us, I thanked her for taking care of us in japanese, & she went into orbit with excitement. She was so happy that she gave me a gift- a handwoven mat to put under a vase. It was a nice antidote to my difficult exchange with the taxi driver! There was a kimono fashion show going on downstairs, between us & the door, so it wasn't easy to navigate Brendan out of there, but we managed it. Then I went back in to ask the info ladies to call the cab for us, which they kindly did. It was only about 5 minutes before the cab was there & we were back at the hotel before we knew it. Whew! In all of the excitement, Charlie never did buy his tie. Sigh...

Brendan got dressed in his yukata & geta, but when he asked for an obi I realised that we hadn't got any, so he improvised with his new Kamen Rider Den-O belt :) The fan is a nice touch, I think...

Charlie went out to get lunch things at out favourite "kon-bee" (convenience store) & we ate in our room as usual. We had arranged with the concierge yesterday to visit an historic samurai home, with secret hiding places & defensive tricks, that got high marks in all of the guide books. She found an english interpreter for the tour, since it wouldn't have been as good without, & we were to meet him at 1:30 in the lobby. I opted out, since I was feeling tired from the morning, so Charlie & Brendan went out & left me to sew in peace. It was really nice to just sit for a while...

When they got back, about 2 1/2 hours later, it was obvious that the tour hadn't been a success :( Charlie said that it was far too long, the interpreter wasn't the best, & nobody wanted to take the time for questions. Brendan had been very frustrated because he wanted to ask about the things there were seeing... On the way home they tried to buy a hot coffee in a can for him, but got a cold one instead, then they got a bit lost & it took longer to get home (& it started to rain...). After we got Brendan calmed down, I offered to go to the "kon-bee" & get him a hot coffee (plus the dinner stuff), & get the latest Gekiranger episode loading on the laptop, too, so we could watch it when I got back. This helped to refocus him, & I went out with my umbrella in tow (which I needed :). After a snack & Gekirangers, we were all feeling better, & Brendan continued on to play some AQ, I sewed, & Charlie read. It was a mellow afternoon & evening. Charlie got online to check our plane reservations for Monday (still there) & our hotel reservation for our last night in Japan (in Tokyo). Tomorrow we'll finally visit the castle across the street, Nijo-ji, start packing! Hard to believe...