Aoi Matsuri procession

It's a nice weather. (It's unusual, I remember that there are much rain in Aoi matsuri day, anyway, lucky this year!)

A lot of foreign travelers come to Kamigamo Shrine to see it. They seem to like okonomiyaki Japanese (Osaka) style pizza!

Kamigamo Shrine is a goal point of the procession. The participants who had been walking from the Imperial Palace looked a little tired. I know! It's too hot to walk for about 3 hours. In addition its procession go very slowly.

As for me, It's a lucky situation! I was provided a best seat to see it as the privilege of the Futaba-aoi plants owner. Futaba-aoi plants are the symbol of Aoi-maturi, which are the spontaneous one and are threatened with extinction. I put up for raising them by the collection of Kyoto Prefecture Environment Agency.

Saio-dai who is a princess of Aoi Matsuri gets off the car and walks from the entrance of the approach to Kamigamo Shrine. Some Imperial costumed girls attend her and proceed to the the main hall of the shrine slowly. How are the successive princess chosen? Every Kyoto girl hopes to be the princess? I don't know, but the princess face looked quite tensed up. This is a cool expression, Japanese style.
Very surprised! When I came back to my office, located in front of the Imperial Palace, I encountered the bus on which the Aoi-matsuri costumed women was geting. They came back to the Palace, and changed the costumes. It's a unique accident!

本日は葵祭のクライマックス、御所から上賀茂神社までの大行列です！毎年、丸太町沿いのカフェから眺めるだけでしたが、今年はスペシャルな観覧でした！昨年末、京都府文化財寄付金の募集に乗っかって、ちょっとだけ寄付したらフタバアオイのオーナーに当たって、今年の葵祭はフタバアオイオーナー席という一等席まで用意してもらい、そこで目の前で行列を眺めて来た，，次第です。ラッキー。。儀式なのですねー、上賀茂神社の参道入口の鳥居からは、牛車や牛なんかは入れないのですね、斎王代も籠から降りて、歩いて行くのですよ。歩く斎王代を見たのは初めてでした。

、、しかし今日は暑かった、、葵祭と言えば、雨のイメージ。今日は素晴らしい五月晴れで上賀茂神社での観覧記念を祝して良く晴れました，ほんとに。でも行列に参加していた人達は、暑かっただろうと思います。御所から下鴨を経由し上賀茂まで。

欧米人が多かったですね、、ジャーナル英語版仏語版を配りまくりました、皆さん喜んでくれて良かった。

上賀茂神社からのオフィスへの帰りに御所を通ったら、大型バスから仕事を終えた葵祭行列の女人達が降りて行くところに出くわしました。

おもしろーい。

Gion delicacy!

Delicious sweets at Gion in a spring day..

We had a Kyoto sweets break yesterday. Do you know a white something in a green lacquer bowl? And a black somtehing next to a green bowl..is it shoyu soy sauce?

Udon noodle?

No! this is a kuzukiri noodle sweet which is a traditional Japanese cold sweet made from the roots of kudzu vine. The black sauce for kuzukiri is a kuromitsu made from a brown sugar.

It is soft and tastes naturally sweet. If you ate this special kuzukiri, you couldn't buy a simple kuzukiri at a convenience store!

Enjoy this unique delicacy at Kagizen in the heart of Gion.

(100m east from the corner of Shijo st. and Kawabata st., the north side of Shijo street)

昨日、ジャーナルの次号の取材の帰りに、エディターのよーこちゃんと祗園の鍵善さんで名物のくずきりを食べてきました。あ〜幸せ。。本当に美味しい。。京都に来てあ〜なんて美味しい、と思った甘味は多いようで実は片手で数えられるくらいのものです。そんな中で、鍵善さんのこのくずきりは本当に本当に幸せを感じる最高の京の味です。

私がブログで紹介するまでもなく（特に東京方面から）こちらは実に有名なお店ですが、噂には聞けどまだ味わった事の無い方は是非どうぞ。

Looking for musicians!

Kyoto city Transportation Bureau is looking for some musicians (solo~group) who play their acoustic music at the hall of two Kyoto subway stations; Karasuma-Oike Station and Kyoto-Shiyakushomae Station.

Don't you think it's a good chance if you were a musician?

Interview and judgement : From the end of May to the middle of Jun

Live schedule : From July 1st to the end of next March, 10:00am-9:00pm

Application : By May 21st, 075-863-5068 (Kyoto city Transportation department)

Japanese purple beauty!

Look at this photo! so Beautiful!

This flower is named Kakitsubata irises, and is the best season now. The combination of purple blue and green is a feast for the eyes! It was a beautiful afternoon yesterday at Ota Shrine.

This is a main hall of Ota Shrine. It's rustic and feel sacred.

I could listen to the fogs' songs. Nice atmosphere..

You can go up the small mountain from the side array of the main hall. I enjoyed the petit trekking!

Ota Shrine is located close to Kamigamo Shrine in the northern part of Kyoto city.

You can visit easily from downtown along the Kamogawa riverbank by bicycle.

出町柳より自転車で約20分、カキツバタを見に大田神社まで行ってきました。こんなに美しい群生は初めて見ました。ブルーや青みがかったパープルが元々大好きです。遠くから見ると、薄紫色のチョウチョの大群が舞ってるように見えます、幻想的です！本殿の脇道を上がって行くと、大田の小径という名で、プチトレッキングを楽しむ事が出来ます。なんという山かはわかりませんが、頂上から見た市内の景色はなかなかのものでした。この辺に住むのもいいですね。。

Japanese tea leaves picking!

Why don't you try joining the event of tea leaves picking in Uji-Wazuka town on May 9th Sunday?

Look at the photo above! Wao..looks cute and interesting! It is a traditional chamusume costume.

This event,organized by Wazuka-town center, is including the tea leaves picking, the lunch made from Japanese tea leaves such as tea tempura (ohh..sounds yummy!) and tea factory tour. (tour fee is ¥2000)

Meeting at Wazuka-cho Community Center at 9:50 on May 9th.

(Take the JR Nara line around 7:15, change trains at Kizu stn., take JR Kansai-Honsen line and get off at Kamo stn.

And then take a bus to Wazuka shogakko elementary school from the west entrance of Kamo stn.)

The closing at 16:00

今年も新茶の季節がやって来ました。（しかし今年は４月の悪天候の為、例年より不作らしいです）宇治茶の産地、和束町で今年も茶摘みツアーが5/9に開催されます。茶葉で作られた天ぷら等の昼食もつくようです。何よりも濃い緑の茶畑が目の栄養によさそうです。私も参加出来そうだったら行くつもりです。世界での日本茶ブームはすごいですね。茶葉を摘むところから体験してみるとよけい美味しいでしょう！

Pre-festival of Aoi-Matsuri

It's like a summer in Japanese holidays called Golden Week.

This exciting and a little funny video is the scene of Yabusame event at Shimogamo Shrine.

I went to Shimogamo Shrine to see this event yesterday. So so crowded! And it took much time to start the event. People ware patient in a hot afternoon.

Finally it started.Heian and Edo era costumed archers shoot the arrows on the running horse back. It's so powerful!

It is the pre-event of a famous Aoi-Matsuri festival held on annual May 15th. This is a gorgeous procession from the Imperial Palace to Kamigamo Shrine via Shimogamo Shrine. Yabusame event is held to purify the route of the procession.

Other events before the procession continue.

Check out the website of Shimogamo Shrine and Kamigamo Shrine.

昨日は有名な流鏑馬神事を下鴨神社に見に行きました。家から10分！のらりくらり行ってたらもうすでにすごい人だかりで、あまり良い場所を確保出来ませんでした。外国の人がものすごく多く来てましたね。アナウンスも日英中韓の４カ国語で対応していました。

実際に始まるまでものすごーく待たされましたが、いざ始まるとそのパワフルで豪華な動きにエキサイトしました！走ってる馬の上から的をめがけて矢を討つ、、ってものすごく難しいですよね。平安時代と江戸時代の装束の違いも楽しめて良かったです。

この流鏑馬という神事は15日に行われる葵祭のクライマックスの為のプレイベントです。連休中、このようなプレイベントが下鴨、上賀茂両神社で行われます。

KAKEJIKU wonderland!

You may see these kakejiku, hanging scrolls, at the museum of Japanese arts and some temples in Kyoto. These interior items are usually decorated over the Toko-no-ma alcove. Japanese calligraphy or paintings are attached on the base of kakejiku.

Do you think the calligraphy (photo above) is the Japanese one? Its calligraphy is written in English; SENSITIVITY !

What a unique idea! Who made these kakejiku is the French artist, Hélène ARGELLIES.

I met her at her exhibition yesterday. It was the last day of the exhibition at Honen-in Temple.

I really like the perfect balance of her works; the accuracy of kakejiku base and the unique idea.

The cute kakejiku of photo above are made by kids. These are like their diary of the homework in summer vacation! She hopes holding the workshop of kakejiku for the kids and their parents. I have a plan it with her in near future.

" かけじくのハウス"

This Japanese memo is about the kakejiku information center she is planing.

The information about how to make kakejiku, its history, tools, shops, gallery etc. will be provided here.

For more information, see this website.

昨日、法然院内のギャラリーに、京都在住フランス人のエレンさんの展示会を見に行きました。昨日が最終日、山登り取材の後に滑り込みセーフで間に合いました！以前からとても興味があったのですが、彼女の作品をこの目で見たのは初めてでした。床の間、それから掛け軸のある家に住んでいる日本人は果たしてどれくらいいるのでしょう。私の実家も。床の間はあれど、掛け軸は飾ってないなあ。いつもいつも外国の人が日本の伝統文化を愛し、少し自分なりにユニークに変化させ発展させているのに感心してしまいます。

エレンさんの夢、あ、夢ではないですね、近々の計画は、掛け軸のインフォメーションセンターを作る事です。上の写真の掛け軸センターのコンセプトはエレンさんご自身が書かれたものです。もともと建築家であるエレンさんの作品には、自由の発想の中にも計算された正確さ、より美しく見せる構図のバランスが良い塩梅で表現されています。美しいデザインというのは、そういう事なのでしょう。