K is for Kyoto

Kyoto

Kyoto is located in the South of Japan's main island, Honshuu.

It is synonymous with Geisha and the old world culture of Japan. It was previously the imperial seat, now located in Tokyo. I have visited Kyoto three times now and loved it each time. It has some of the most famous temples in Japan, including the Love Shrine at one of the biggest.

This square is made using kimono silk from Japan. You see the red umbrellas at a lot of locations in Kyoto, usually outside tea houses and at shrines.In Summer the weeping willows that line the banks of the river spill green down from the trunks and you can walk through them like curtains.

I remember seeing a geisha (maiko) walk down the street in Kyoto the first time I visited and being stunned by her. She was tiny, in a bright blue kimono, but she had such presence even though dozens of people were pointing, taking photos and crowding around her. Despite it all she kept a small smile on her face and kept walking on to her destination. It felt like a special moment to have seen her in the real world.

K for Kyoto

U for Ueno

Ueno Park is a public park in the Ueno district of Tokyo, Japan. 

In spring, it is famous for both cherry and plum blossoms that are strategically planted. I traveled through Ueno all the time, because the bullet train that I caught down to Tokyo stopped here. It's a busy hub but the park is often just as busy.

 U for Ueno Park

(上野公園, Ueno Kōen)

 

A is for Akihabara

Project Two: Japan

Most people who know me are aware that I lived in Japan from July 2010 to March 2011.

I lived in Shirakawa City in Fukushima Prefecture and was present for the Category 9 earthquake of March 11, 2011.

Japan will always be a part of me and I miss it every day, so I have decided to base my second set of letters there. My "place" is Japan and each place is somewhere that I have been.

Here is the first one: A for Akihabara, the electronics district in Tokyo.

Hopefully you can see the buildings, light and trees.

M for Mermaid

Rather than doing my letters in alphabetical order, I have been creating them at a whim. My inspiration for this week was the fabric: leftover from a baby quilt that was finished just last month.
 M for Mermaid.

It appears that this set of letters will be based on blue and I'm liking the trend. The small blocks are more of a challenge for fabric craft due to the need to leave a seam allowance for them to eventually be joined together. However this makes their design and construction more creative!