Mapping Kyoto Streets - 2012/10/24 - Omiya-dori

Oct. 24, Wed.
Omiya-dori

Map

Omiya-dori runs north-to-south for 10km through the center of Kyoto. The street got its name because it runs to the east of the Heian imperial palace, or omiya. Omiya-dori has long thrived as Kyoto's main street. Along this thoroughfare are some of Kyoto's most famous temples, including Toji, Nishi Hongan-ji, and Daitoku-ji, as well as many shops selling items of worship for the temples' followers and numerous workshops where artisans pursue their crafts with quiet passion.

In this episode, we take a closer look at some of the people who make Omiya-dori part of the lifeblood of Kyoto, including the 1,200-year-old Kobo Market, the tasty confections that add a dash of sweetness to life, and the talented weavers of brightly colored Nishijin-ori fabric.

Presenter
Hiroki Sato
Radio Personality, Alfa Station, Kyoto

Born in Hokkaido, Sato has lived in Kyoto for 37 years. While enrolled in the Department of British and American Studies at Kyoto University of Foreign Studies, he took leave to work at the Japanese Embassy in Kenya. On graduating, Sato taught English before becoming a radio personality for the Alpha Morning Kyoto show at FM Kyoto (Alfa Station)
Presenter

MAPPING Omiya-dori

Map

Toji
Tojimochi
Kyoto Aquarium
Sasaya Iori
Nishi Hongan-ji
Yamamoto Kametaro Shoten
Koushiya
Nijo-jo
Shinsen-en
Shinsenen Heihachi
Coffee House Jittoku
Itoyamachi
Nishijin-ori Art Museum
Oharibako
Tankiriame Honpo
Daisen-in

Toji
Toji was built around 1,200 years ago to protect the Heian capital from bad fortune. Originally nationally owned, it was later donated to Kobo Daishi and became a Shingon Buddhist temple. The five-story pagoda at Toji is Japan's tallest wooden tower. The Kobo Market held on the 21st of every month is always very lively.

http://www.toji.or.jp/

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Tojimochi
Tojimochi is a small cake featuring red-bean paste wrapped in a rice-cake skin-unassuming but wonderfully delicious. Onkashi Tsukasa Tojimochi has been a confectioner to Toji for many years. Here, these simple sweets are made with painstaking care. Their secret for keeping the rice-cake skin soft is to add a dash of meringue.

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Kyoto Aquarium
Opened in March 2012, the Kyoto Aquarium is home to 250 species of sea- and river-dwelling creatures - around 15,000 in total. There are reconstructions of some of Kyoto's most famous aquascapes, and visitors can even see the famous giant salamander, a rare sight in Japan, today.

http://www.kyoto-aquarium.com/

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Sasaya Iori
Sasaya Iori is a confectioner founded in 1716. Originally it supplied only the Imperial Palace, temples, and tea masters, but its sweets are now available to the public. Its specialty is dorayaki red-bean pancakes, which get their name because they were originally fried on a dora or gong. Sasaya Iori only sells dorayaki on three days a month: the 20th, 21st, and 22nd.

http://www.sasayaiori.com/

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Nishi Hongan-ji
This is the head temple of Jodo Shinshu, one of the largest Buddhist sects in Japan. The Goeido Founder's Hall is now as resplendent as it ever was following a ten-year restoration project that was completed in 2009.

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Yamamoto Kametaro Shoten
Yamamoto Kametaro Shoten is a purveyor of Buddhist rosaries. Founded in 1710, the store is located opposite the gates to Nishi Hongan-ji. Rosaries conventionally have 108 beads because Buddhist teachings say that there are 108 worldly cares. By carrying a rosary, it is said that monks and believers can free themselves of earthly worries and their wishes will come true.

http://www.yama-kame.com/

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Koushiya
Koushiya is a friendly neighborhood confectioner selling sweets known and loved by the common people. One of its most popular items is a brown sugar concoction called dorobo (thief), so named because, in an age when sugar was a scarce and much sought-after commodity, the temptation to steal one was too much to bear. You will love the rich, moist texture and sweetness.

http://www.koushiya.com/

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Nijo-jo
Nijo-jo was built by Tokugawa Ieyasu in 1603 and was a symbol of the Tokugawa clan's 265-year rule. These days, it is a favored leisure spot for the people of Kyoto, including joggers who run around the moat.

http://www.city.kyoto.jp/bunshi/nijojo/

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Shinsen-en
Once a regal garden where the Emperor liked to sail on the pond, Shinsen-en is now a temple and the pond is alive with boats shaped like dragon heads.

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Shinsenen Heihachi
Shinsenen Heihachi is a restaurant located within the grounds of Shinsen-en. Diners can relax and enjoy splendid views of the garden as they eat. The udon chiri hot-pot dishes with extra-thick udon noodles are a specialty, and guests may opt to dine on one of the dragon-head boats.

http://www.heihachi-web.com/

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Coffee House Jittoku
One of Japan's first "live house" music venues, Jittoku opened around 40 years ago. It is housed in a converted saké brewery storehouse, and the roster of musicians from Kyoto and around the world attracts large audiences.

http://www2.odn.ne.jp/jittoku/

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Itoyamachi
The Omiya-dori Imadegawa intersection is the centerpoint of a stately neighborhood full of Nishijin silk wholesalers.

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Nishijin-ori Art Museum
Visitors can see wonderful Nishijin-ori works up close here at the Nishijin-ori Art Museum. Folding screens, partitions, scroll paintings and other typically Japanese interior fittings serve to highlight the innate beauty of this most artistic of crafts. There is also a store selling Nishijin-ori purses and other personal items.

http://www.shosuikaku.jp/

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Oharibako
Oharibako makes and sells spectacularly colored kanzashi hair decorations. Kanzashis are made by a process called tsumamizaiku, which involves folding tiny pieces of silk into petals. Kanzashis add a lively dash of color to traditional costumes worn at weddings and other special events.

http://www.oharibako.com/

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Tankiriame Honpo
Tankiriame Honpo stocks tankiriame ginger-flavored lozenges. Tankiriame were favored by Nishijin-ori craftsmen as a way of keeping their throats clear of cloth dust and thread.

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Daisen-in
Daisen-in is one of the smaller temples comprising Daitoku-ji and has a beautiful karesansui dry rock garden to contemplate. On weekends, the temple holds zazen meditation sessions, which are open to all. (Reservations are required.)

http://www.b-model.net/daisen-in/

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