Setsubun In Japan

Hello everyone !

did you hear about the Setsubun ceremony ? This traditional bean throwing festival held on 2th and 3th of February, one day before the beginning of spring in Japan. For many centuries japanese people have been performing rituals in order to purify and chase away the evil spirits for the new spring.

Nowadays the most commonly performed ritual is the throwing of roasted beans in one's house, temples and shrines across the city. You have to shout " Fuku wa uchi ! oni wa soto ! " ( happiness in, devil out ! ) Also japanese people believe that eating theses beans brings assurance of good fortune in the coming year.

Other celebration of Setsubun is eating nori maki, a special sushi roll. When you are eating the nori maki, you may face a "lucky direction" (in geomantic form) and try to eat the entire sushi roll without saying a word. Those who are able to accomplish this feat (the roll is about 20 cm long) are promised luck with their business, longevity, and freedom from illness.
 
 It's also an opportunity for Japanese people to get dress up with kimono and visit some shrines in order to enjoy this festival.

Winter season in Kyoto

Hi everyone !
Recently the weather started to be very cold, that's the reason why winter season is the quietest season in Kyoto. But it's also the perfect moment to enjoy and relax in the traditional Japanese bath at the "sento" ( public bath ) and "onsen" ( hot spa ) . Also Kyoto offers some beautiful views around the city, specially in January when the snow season starts. You can discover many hip cafes and delicious restaurants, the shops are quiet and uncrowded so this this the perfect moment to travel in the ancien capital of Japan.

Why don't you dress up and walk around the city with a kimono ? Kyoto Rental Kimono 41 is waiting for you ! during the austere winter, we can help you to rent a cozy and colorful kimono which one including a japanese kimono's jacket called " Haori " and a warm stole. Please come to visit us !

The coming of the age day

Hi everyone !
Yesterday it was the " Seijin no Hi " called the coming of the age day. This japanese holiday is held annually on the second monday of january. Japanese people are celebrating this day in order to encourage and congratulate who have reached the day of the majority which is 20 years old. Festivities are including some seijin shiki called coming of ages ceremonies and some people are coming back to their home town to celebrate the seijin no hi with families and friends.
Many japanese women are wearing furisode kimono, which one has long sleeves that hang down and mens are usually wearing a dark kimono with the traditional Hakama ( typical kimono ).

Pictures of Furisode









Kimono rental 41 has many kind of beautiful and colorful furisode.
if you desire to experiment the japanese kimono please come to visit our shop located in the city, we are waiting for you !

Happy new Year 2014

Hi everyone
Happy new year and all of the best for 2014 !
In japan, the new year celebration is called "shogastu" it's a tradition to visit shrine or temple for japanese people. The most popular and famous temple, such as " Fushiminari " shrine or " Yasaka " shrine in Kyoto attract several hundred people during theses days. Specially the first of January called " Hastumode", large temple bells are rung at midnight. If the weather is good in january, many japanese people dress up with kimono to visit temple and pray for safety, health and good fortune for the new year.







 
  This year is the year of the Horse in  
                      Japan !

Kimono Rental 41 in Kyoto is waiting you with plenty of colorful kimonos to celebrate the new year !






Please come to visit us !

How about KIMONO ?

The new year is coming soon.
We are so excited.
It is because a chance to wear a kimono comes. 

Many Japanese people visit a Shinto shrine during the first three days of January in order to make traditional New Year's wishes for health and happiness. This is called hatsumode, the first visit to a shrine. 

We recommend going to Yasaka Jinja(shrine) wearing a kimono.
You can walk from our store.
We are lookingforward to see you!

autumn season in Kyoto

Hi ! Recently it's started to be cool in Kyoto. I can feel that it will be soon the end of summer. Many tourists decide to visit the city of Kyoto during autumn, when the climate is as the most appreciable and particularly stable and comfortable.

The temperature are very pleasant and we can start to see the autumn colors everywhere around the city. It means it will be quickly crowed so hurry up if you would like to book hotel !

Also it's the best season to swap the summer yukata for the traditional kimono to take some walk and enjoy the atmosphere of autumn in Japan.

See you soon in 41 rental kimono !

Matcha sweet in Kyoto

Hi everyone ! if you take a walk in Kyoto, you will discover a lot of green tea goods for sale everywhere in the city. In Japan , "ocha" called tea is one of the most traditional and popular beverages and it uses to be a very important part of the japanese food culture, for exemple the tea ceremony. "matcha" means fine powder of green tea and it's the highest quality tea available in Japan. Matcha has been used to flavour and dye foods such as " mochi " called japanese rice cake, soba noodles, green tea ice cream and a variety of " wagashi ".

During summer, a lot of japanese people appreciate to eat matcha ice cream to cool down and enjoy the delicate and refreshing taste of this delicious dessert.

If you have the chance to walk around Gion in Kyoto, there is a famous matcha shop called " tsujiri " originates from Kyoto. The main shop is located in Gion Minamigawa on Shijo Street, about 5 minutes walking to the east from the keihan Gion shjo train station. This shop has 3 franchies in Kyoto and two in Tokyo.

Tsujiri serves their famous and original matcha ice cream, jellies and parfaits. It's absolutely delicious ! but don't be pulled of by the long queue, this ice cream shop is one of the best in kyoto.