Zigzag stepping stones

These flat stones are the ones in the garden of Katsura Imperial Villa and these are placed in zigzag to walk on them naturally.

These were designed about 400 years ago but don't feel old at all.
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Reflection

This is the reflection of colored maple leaves on the water. The other appearance of maple leaves.
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Japanese umbrella

These are traditional umbrellas.

The frame is made of bamboo or wood and on the frame is pasted the paper soaked through some oil or wax to repel water. We hardly use them today but I sometimes watch women wearing kimono, traditional clothes, put up this traditional umbrella in the town.

By the way, samurais losing their jobs in those days used to make this umbrella at home on the side to earn money.
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Sudare, barred lattice of bamboo

As the previous post of sudare, this mainly has three purposes.

This softly divides the space into the outside and the inside. In other words, this connects the outside and the inside by allowing us to see the outside from a building. The continuous space is one of the remarkable characters in Japanese architecture.
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Maple leaves

Colored maple leaves is at their peaks now in Kyoto.
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Is it a magic?

This leaf of pine tree is not falling but just be caught in the spider's web.

Have a nice weekend!!
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Shimenawa, a ropework to show a sacred place

This is called shimenawa, a ropework made of rice straw and hang on in front of a sacred place.



Some shimenawas, hang on in front of main building in shrine, are thicker than the ones hang on in front of Torii, a sacred gate at the entrance of shrine like the above photo.



PS. To BrianG:
I will post the picture of shime-kazari in January because it is decorated only during the New Year season.
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Kimono, Japanese dress

We don't wear kimono, Japanese traditional dress, daily today but some of us wear it when tea ceremony or some other ceremonies are held. On the other hand, maiko wears it daily.

What is the difference between normal clothes we wear and kimono?

First, the way of making and putting on them is largely different. Actually, I don't know about them so much and I will explain them some day.

One of other differences is the appearance around women's neck, I think.

Many shirts for women is low-cut one today but Japanese women wear kimono, making the back of their neck open like the photo. (But they normally bring out the back more moderate than Maiko does.)

So they are very attractive, even seen from the back.

Next, there is a big difference between the normal kimono and maiko's kimono. Maiko's sash is, as shown in the picture, longer than usual and is said to be more than five meters. Maikos have men tie up the sash of their kimono because it needs much power to tie it up.

By the way, why do they sit on in the picture? Because they were about to dance and I took the picture.
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Bamboo's joints

This is outside of a buliding in Katsura Imperial Villa and a space for washing dish for tea ceremony. It is not in use now.

The bamboo's joints and the grain was used as a part of designing.
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Sekimori-ishi: a stone for keeping away

This is a part of the garden for a tea house.

A little stone is put on a stepping stone.

The little stone means that you don't step forward any more.

This is called Sekimori-ishi in Japanese.
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Tsukubai, a stone basin

This is tukubai, stone basin put in the garden for tea ceremony or just eye-catcher. Guests of a tea ceremony need to wash their hands and mouth, ladling up the water, before they enter a teahouse for the ceremony.

On the surface reflect the surrounding scenery. Perhaps people in those days might look at the same scenery.

I was wondering what they thought, looking at the reflected scenery...
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A gradation

Japanese maple leaves gradually, not at one time, turn from green to yellow or red in autumn. Carefully looking at the last post "about hair accessory of Maiko", the ornaments of maple leaves have red, yellow and green color.

The scenery attracts so much people, like me, in Kyoto. Autumn is, as well as spring of cherry blossoms, high season for sightseeing in Kyoto.
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About hair accessory of Maiko

Maiko's hair accessories are rather cute and decorative. Maikos change them every month. Maple and ginkgo leaves are their major motifs in November.

The small green accessory shows that she is fresh maiko.

I heard that it is expensive to have their hair set and that they can wash their hair only once a week. Plus, much oil is needed to set their hair. Surprisingly, they don't use normal shampoo but dishwashing detergent to wash their hair!!
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A holed stone

These are stepping stones to a teahouse and guests walk on the stones.

By the way, do you happen to find the stone with a small hole in the middle of surface? This was used as the foundation under the pillar and the hole was carved to fix the pillar. The stone was taken from the disused temple. Many temples were burn down during the turbulent times more than five hundreds ago and some lanterns and stones in the dead temples were often used in the garden of teahouses. This diversion is one of the most major aesthetic elements of tea ceremony, cha-no-yu.


PS. I will reply to your comments on weekend. Sorry!!
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Maple leaves on mosses

Some maple leaves on velvety mosses.

Mosses are green all the year; on the other hand, maple leaves turn to red or yellow and fall onto the mosses.

An interesting contrast.
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Sacred gates

This picture is continuous gates, called Torii. People donate to build these gates. This gate, Torii, means an entrance to a living place of Gods of Shinto. So passing through the gate means something special and sacred.

Perhaps some people happen to have seen this scenery because this is one of the shooting places of the movie, memoirs of a Geisha.
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wa-ga-shi: Japanese confection

An artisan makes Japanese confection in front of customers in a shop and they can eat them.

Wagashi, Japanese confection, is both good taste and good looking. The design changes up to season. Red and yellow leaves are popular motif of the confection in November. These are sweet and rather suit for Macha, powdered green tea. Because Macha is more bitter than normal green teas.
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Maikos 3

Hey folks, I'm back to this blog. I had much to do and didn't get around to posting pictures.

Well, cute late-teens maikos are dancing to a small program with fans.
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Another Zen garden

This is a Zen garden of Daitokuji Temple in Kyoto and one of most recommended Zen gardens.

I don't know what it intend and it is very neat and clean garden.
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Space for Gods of Shito religion

This space, enclosed by string and its hang paper, is a house for Shinto's Gods. Shinto is a Japanese domestic religion.

A little house for God seemed to be here since the stones for foundations are put on the ground.
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Red carrots

Prevailing carrots in Japan are usually the same as the Western and orange just like the color of national football uniforms of Netherlands.

But Japanese domestic one is rather red. This type one is mainly made in Kyoto and slightly sweeter than the prevailing one, and used in Kyoto cuisine. I like the sliced one in clear soup, called Osuimono. This carrots remind me of Kyoto.
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Stepping-stones

These stepping-stones are placed in front of a building in Katsura Imperial Villa, the most superb villa in Japan.

One will enter the building, walking on them.

These stones are different in shape and in color. I think that the placement has a refined sense of taste.

By the way, every stepping-stones in this villa is surprisingly all the superb ones. I have never seen such a garden, full of tasteful stones.

I think that stepping-stones is one of must-sees in this villa, although it is not mentioned in any guidebooks.
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On a sunny day in a temple

This is a path in the precinct of a temple and have a pleasant feeling.

Have a nice weekend!!!
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A stream

A clear water is running though a stream.

Washing one's face with this water would feel very nice.
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A Zen garden

This is a little Zen garden, surrounded by corridors.

The garden consists of white gravels and some stones.

White gravels means the water in the sea and the stones means rocks or islands in the sea. Two round on the surface means ripples.

The picture means that drips fall onto the ground, making the ripples and that many drops will become a stream, then a river, and finally the sea. In short, a pile of little efforts will make big success.
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Something that is about to disappear soon

This is a traditional house in Kyoto and this types of house is about to disappear.

There are many houses like this in the middle of Kyoto, but now tall apartments are increasing.

The major reasons is that less people can make this type of houses and that this is very expensive, I'd think.

Some day the traditional city of Kyoto might be the city like the modern city of Tokyo...
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