Kurochiku
Higashiyama-ku
Fine traditional crafts, including reasonably priced dolls, ceramics, lacquerware, prints, incense, textiles, and bonsai, can be found at this center.
5 Best Shopping in Kyoto, Japan
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Most shops slide their doors open at 10, and many shopkeepers partake of the morning ritual of sweeping and watering the entrance to welcome the first customers. Traditional shops lock up at 6 or 7 in the evening. Stores often close sporadically once or twice a month (closings are irregular), so it helps to call in advance if you're making a special trip. On weekends, downtown can be very crowded.
A shopkeeper's traditional greeting to a customer is o-ideyasu (Kyoto-ben, or Kyoto dialect, for "honored to have you here"), voiced in the lilting Kyoto intonations with the required bowing of the head. When a customer makes a purchase, the shopkeeper will respond with o-okini ("thank you" in Kyoto-ben), a smile, and a bow. Take notice of the careful effort and adroitness with which purchases are wrapped; it's an art in itself.
Kyoto's depato (department stores) are small in comparison to their mammoth counterparts in Tokyo and Osaka. They still carry a wide range of goods and are great places for one-stop souvenir shopping. Wandering around the basement food halls is a good way to build up an appetite. Prices drop dramatically during end-of-season sales.
Kyoto has several popular seasonal fairs, from local area pottery sales to the national antiques fairs, usually held in May, June, and October. Several temple markets take place in Kyoto each month. These are great places to pick up bargain kimonos or unusual souvenirs. They're also some of the best spots for people-watching.
Kyoto Handicraft Center
Sakyo-ku
This center has served visitors and residents for decades with its huge selection of crafts and art, both new and old. Various vendors sell dolls, kimonos, pottery, swords, woodblock prints, and pearls, and you'll find one of the best collections of English-language books on Japan. The prices are reasonable in this duty-free commercial center that's also great just for browsing. Regular demonstrations of traditional craft techniques and hands-on workshops (reservation required before 5 pm) make this place tourist-oriented, though not a tourist trap. Everything is of high quality.
Kyukyodo
Shimogyo-ku
In an attractive traditional building, this shop has been in business for 330 years, specializing in stationery, brushes for calligraphy, and incense, some of which (aloeswood) is more expensive than gold.
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Miyawaki Baisen-an
Nakagyo-ku
The famous fan shop Miyawaki Baisen-an has been in business since 1823, delighting customers not only with its fine collection of lacquered, scented, painted, and paper fans, but also with the old-world atmosphere of the shop itself.
Yamato Mingei-ten
Nakagyo-ku
The ceramics, glass, basketry, lacquerware, and other objects sold here are made with such artistry that only their utilitarian nature nudges them into the craft, as opposed to fine art, category. The owner keeps the prices reasonable so these beautiful things will be appreciated and used daily.
