Secret Swatch Business

I love this little Kyoto shop. It's filled to the brim with old, often antique Japanese fabrics & kimono - some of them very expensive. 

If you are travelling you don't always want to pay for or lug around a whole bundle of cloth (especially if you already have a collection taking up space around the house!) - so if you are just after a small section to display in a frame these guys have done a good part of the work for you. 

The fabric is already cut and popped into a paper frame so you can imagine what it might look  like on your wall. They range in price from around 800 to 8000 yen depending on the particular fabric or textile used. And they are so easy to pop in your luggage!

Where is this gem of a shop exactly?? that my friends is a little secret I keep for the lovely peeps who come along on my tours  - but if you happen to guess where it is I will be happy to confirm it for you ;) 

If you  feel a gorgeous trip to Kyoto might be on the cards then why not check out my Zenbu Kyoto Winter Cuisine and Culture Tours. 

Gallery Hitamuki West

Quick tip - this is one of my favourite places in Kyoto for buying unique and very reasonably priced art - also known as tableware. The gallery has a constantly changing display of stunning works from various local ceramists - and you will often find metal , wood or glass work too. 

I can't resist popping in each time I walk by to see what their latest offerings are.... fortunately I have been out of town a bit lately or I'd have spent money I don't have!!  There are quite a few pieces from the gallery shop featuring in my new book due to release later this year so I will get to show off my 2010/11 purchases then!! Its a costly exercise "propping" in another country then shipping it back to your own but worth it for the visual point of difference. And it will feel great to have that connection to Kyoto in my images when I get to see the hard copy for myself!! Something to flick through a few years down the track and remember my time living a dreamy life in Kyoto town. Ah! enough gushy rambling... back to work Jane!

To find Gallery Hitamuki West you need to walk north up Teramachi dori from Oike dori (very close to City Hall). From Oike its only a couple of minutes walk and it will be on your left ( west side of the street).  

Here's a link to their website - just pop it into google chrome for a translation. 

This offering was back in November...   how do I know? because the Camellia were blooming so beautifully ...