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Crafts and shopping
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Over the centuries the finest craftsmen in Japan were drawn to Kyoto's Imperial Court as the city's workshops spawned an array of exquisite crafts. Gold-dusted
lacquerware
, shimmering
brocades
and folding paper
fans
were all favourites of the royal household. In the sixteenth century the popularity of the formal tea ceremony, with its appreciation of rustic understatement, created a fashion for rough-cast
pottery
and simple
bamboo utensils
. The nouveau-riche merchants, on the other hand, favoured a more flamboyant style, epitomized by the gorgeous
silks
and ornate
hair ornaments
worn in the pleasure quarters. Even everyday items, such as
boxwood combs
, brooms and buckets, show a certain pizazz in Kyoto.
To learn more about local crafts, take a look round the Fureaikan museum
, or join a
demonstration class
and have a go yourself. Without too much effort you can still find
shops
in Kyoto producing crafts in the traditional way, using skills passed down the generations. These offer superb, if often pricey, souvenirs of the city. And there's no shortage of conventional shops, department stores and even one or two flea markets where you can pick up less august mementos. Other useful information
for tourists (each section contains more specific sub-sections): |
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Japan,
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