When planning a trip to Japan a few months ago, I thought about which cities I would most want to visit. I definitely had to see Tokyo, for obvious reasons. And my brother lived in Nagasaki, so I would spend some time there. But after talking to my friend, Keiko, I decided I'd like to spend a few days in Kyoto. It turned out to be my favorite place to visit. A crafter's delight. Kyoto is a city drenched in history, culture and art. I had to check out the Kyoto Handicraft Center. I found myself an antique kimono, made from shibori dyed fabric. A lovely number indeed. We saw some artist making Japanese block prints, Ukiyo-E, and bought one for ourselves. Couldn't resist. After that, we visited the Nishinjin Textile Center and were delighted to see a fashion show of all the fabrics woven at the textile center in Kyoto. What luck! Then we took a tour upstairs and watched some women weaving on these enormous looms. On our long walks through the streets, we found some hand-made ceramic goods, cute little animal statues and cups. The woman in the store made them all herself. Heading back the hotel, we thought about where we might find some Geisha or Maiko, Geisha in training. We spotted two Maiko in the 7-11 buying snacks! Of all places...
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