A big touring day included a visit to the Handicraft Center, Heian Shrine and Garden, an exhibition of traditional crafts with live and videotaped demonstrations, followed by a walk around Gion! My feet were a mess! The Handicraft Center had 7 floors of shopping ;D Kimono and yukata, damescene jewelry (gold inlay), laquerware, woodblock prints, dolls, swords, pottery, fine china, pearls and countless other items greet one at each level. On the top floor they have a hands-on area where you can make your own wookblock print, origami treasure , etc. A tour bus arrived, out of which exploded 12-15 -year-olds from the USA eastern seaboard. It was like being back at school except I wasn't responsible for them! I retreated to the calm of the Heian shrine through the largest Torii gates imaginable. The gardens were shaded and quiet, and each turn brought a perfect new vista. I loved looking through the frame of a tree branch or a bridge, and I befriended several turtles and a big white carp when I bought some fish food to throw in the water. The Furiaken (sp?) Museum was a delight. The care and skill required to make a pot, a basket, or a fan are extrordinary. The process of each art was explained in detail and one could watch a craftsman wield a brush or chisel for hours. Even the art of making sake was included! I walked to the Gion area where Kyoto is restoring and reviving the old buildings and the geisha arts. Some of the little wood houses have been converted to restaurants, but a couple have the names above the door of the geisha (or geike in Kyoto) and maiko who reside within and their schedules on chalkboards outside. I sat on the bridge where "Memoirs of a Geisha" was filmed.
I posed under the statue of Okuni - the temple maiden who created the art of kabuki by dressing as a man and galvinizing the ukio-e crowds with her 'getting freaky' dance. I recommend the book "Kabuki Dancer" if you want to understand something of the roots of this strange genre.
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