A hot afternoon in Gion
Yoshie Doi
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Taken on July 28, 2023 Gion’s post box Café Hiyashi Zenzai
On a hot afternoon in July, I went to Gion for a meeting. A maiko was walking coolly in her yukata, and she admired the maiko’s back. Tourists walking around in rental yukata look hot, but maiko look cool. Is she a gift of training? In the past, yukata were worn at home, but nowadays we are worn outside. Even in her yukata, the maiko wears her tabi and walks coolly.
Tourists who recognize rental yukata often wear sneakers or sandals. There are many people who have a wonderful combination. Previously, when I invited an NHK announcer at Kyo-suzume’s lecture, he appeared in a nice Nishijin kimono. Although it was a male announcer, he was wearing specially made sneakers made of gold brocade. In the questionnaire of attendees, there were many hints for the future rise of kimono. It was over 20 years ago, but I still remember it vividly. New combinations are refreshing.
When I was walking down Hanamikoji, I was surprised to see so many inbound tourists walking around. The stone pavement and the atmosphere of Kyomachiya are wonderful, and all of them must be impressive. They were speaking in a loud voice.
I had a cold zenzai at a cafe run by a tea shop. Delicious adzuki beans will ease the heat. Am I the only one who feels especially hot this summer in Kyoto.
Gion’s hospitality professionals show off their ingenuity to make you look cool in the hot summer. Uchimizu is the same, but in Kyoto cuisine, there is chasenmizu. According to one theory, on a hot summer day when Sen no Rikyu invited Hideyoshi, the tea whisk was dipped in water and sprinkled on the lid of a bowl to create a refreshing feeling. Nowadays, it expresses not only summer but also freshness. You can feel the hospitality.
The bamboo blinds hanging over the windows on the second floor of the teahouse serve as sunshades and blindfolds, making them look cool. Kyomachiya is designed to be well ventilated in the summer. You can feel the dignity of Hanamachi hospitality in the water-sprinkled stone pavement and the entrance. Kyoto has a lot of hints to beat the heat wave.
I once read “World’s Best Hospitality” on the Shinkansen returning from Tokyo to Kyoto. The book was written by Mr. Shin Miyazaki who won the world’s best “Coupe Georges Baptiste” service world competition (Château restaurant He is Jewel Robuchon’s premier d’hôtel)
It was said that the secret of hospitality begins with gratitude for encounters.
Kyoto’s hospitality is a once-in-a-lifetime encounter, and the Kyoto style is to make their body smaller and bow down in gratitude for encounters. It’s a world-class hospitality.
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