Japan Day Eleven - Kyoto Temple Market

Kyoto, my beloved Kyoto.  Our last full day in Japan was spent in my favourite city in Japan, and even better that it was to go to a flea market held in gorgeous temple grounds.

This morning we're packing our suitcases, ready for a trip back to Kansai airport and our flight back to Australia tonight.  I'll be sad to say goodbye to Japan for another year but at the same time just can't wait to get home to cuddle my little one.  It's been great having my mum to share this trip with so thank you to her for letting me drag her across the country.  I have to say that I've loved just traveling around with my iPhone as my camera, I've probably taken photos of things that I wouldn't normally have bothered getting my heavy DSLR out for, yet it's often those little things that make travel so special.

I also wanted to say thank you to everyone who has joined me on this trip through this blog, I've really loved showing you snippets of my second home.

Japan Day Eight - Temple Market

It was off to the antique market yesterday morning.  I just love the flea markets here, they are what I plan my trips around, certainly the best place to buy kimonos.  I had told myself I wasn't going to go too crazy, with another market still to go on this trip, but somehow I came home with 16 kimonos.  And I love each and every one!  I also picked up a beautiful old kokeshi doll and a sweet tin goldfish watering can that I have always wanted.

Woman of Few Words

I'm missing my little blog of late.  Focus is elsewhere as I prepare for Life Instyle in three weeks time.  Energies are being used to be a more present mum to the little one.  Things are all good, but yet, I miss this space.

For a while, I'm going to see if I can just pop a photo up to stay in touch.  Photos of my recent travels to Japan, photos of what I'm doing at home and in the studio.

"Hands Up" flea market find in Japan - found arranged just like this.

So please excuse me if I'm a woman of few words for a while.

Market Kokeshi

Wow, well there is much to show and tell about my trip to Japan.

So for today, some market shots.  I was there to buy kimonos but also found myself drawn to the old kokeshi dolls.

I added ten to my collection, all different shapes, sizes and styles, three of which you can see here.  I'm thinking about making some little shadow boxes for them, inspired by this image, or maybe some little house shaped boxes like these.  I think they would look so pretty on the wall.

Today, How did I love thee... Let me count the ways

I woke to a warm sunny day, perfect weather for the temple market I was going to.

Staying in the hotel next door to the market made it even more enjoyable and relaxing.  I bought a few kimonos, dropped them off in my room then went back and bought some more, dropped them off and picked up my camera and had a lovely wander around without being weighed down by my buys.

I caught up with some kimono sellers I've known and been buying from for years.

I had a lovely and very yummy sushi lunch with one of my favourite sellers (and he sells online here too!), Higashi-san.

I found an adorable, tiny family of three kokeshi dolls which I just had to adopt.  Then later as the market was packing up and I was on my way to the subway, I found eight more, all different sizes and styles.  A lovely young and chatty (in English) man sold them to me for about $10 (for the lot!).

At the markets I met some friendly Americal locals who told me that the fabric shop I was planning to visit while in Nagoya was having a sale today.

In the fabric store I found some beautiful traditional florals that I hadn't been able to find in Tokyo.  In a moment of panic as the sales assistant ran my cut fabric up, I realised that I hadn't refinanced my wallet after the market (and this was a cash only store!) but then found that I had hidden some emergency yen in there.  Japanese fabric at a discount price is an emergency isn't it?

My airline just changed their baggage policy and I was able to pay for an extra 20kg of luggage allowance for a fraction of what it was going to cost me to send the kimonos home via the cheapest (and slowest) postage rate.  This has also freed up some more yen for the other three markets I have coming up.

I then realised that I was going to need another suitcase to put that extra 20kg in, so am now the owner of a funky red hard suitcase.  So, in the end, I didn't save that much on sending things home, but I can use the suitcase again.

And now, I've settled in for a relaxing night with a cup-a-soup, vege sticks, chips and chocolate for dinner, to be followed by a soak in the bath and then to remove some kimono linings while watching some Japanese TV that I don't really understand.

It's been a pretty fabulous day.

While I'm in Japan... Antique Markets

One of the main reasons I'm heading to Japan, and what I schedule my trip around, are the antique markets.  It is there that I buy my vintage kimono fabric that I use in my jewellery.

The antique markets are held in temple grounds around the country and are such a feast for the eyes.  With a gorgeous backdrop of an old temple or shrine, often the soundtrack of monks chanting in the background and the scent of incense carrying people's prayers to the heavens, it makes the experience even more enjoyable.

As well as gorgeous old kimonos, there are stalls filled with antique toys, painted scrolls, cameras, pottery, candy moulds, kimono pattern stencils, swords and coins. 

It was at one such market that my love and obsession for vintage kimono fabrics first began, and another that I just happened to "coincidentally" plan my Kyoto honeymoon around.

1. Kingyo + Kewpie, 2. Ultraman, 3. Netsuke, 4. Kimono Fabric, 5. Obi, 6. Tsuba, 7. Writing, 8. Astro, 9. Kimono, 10. Japanese Banners, 11. Paddle, 12. Kokeshi, 13. Mon, 14. Hina Dolls, 15. Flowers, 16. Hina Doll

Here's hoping for some lovely blue skies to go with the markets while I'm there!