WHAT I BOUGHT: KYOTO

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Le Labo Kyoto Machiya

A global brand gone deeply local: housed in a beautifully restored 145‑year‑old machiya near the Kamo River, the staff here create your custom-blended scent on the spot and personalize the bottle with your name, now available in Japanese characters.

Don’t miss walking back through the Zen garden to buy Uji‑grown matcha vegan pastries in the tiny take-out cafe.

Ujicha Kigetsudo

Seeing this celebrated family-run 100-year-old tea house in person did not disappoint.

An elderly couple sells the finest matcha powder- the color of emeralds! - in tiny tins in the same simple, honorary way they’ve been doing for years.

There was something about seeing how they carefully wrapped our package with tape from a worn dispenser that was deeply beautiful and humbling.

 

Kumagai Dougusyo

We stumbled into this third-generation antiques shop of tableware (established 1935) fresh off our bikes on our first visit to Kyoto and make it a priority every time to return. Quite simply we worry that in a few years this tiny treasure trove filled with decorative delights (some dating back as far as the Meiji era) will one day disappear.

For now, it endures! And alone merits bringing an extra empty bag to Japan: you will fill it with gifts from here and inevitably you will want to keep most of them.

For Mother’s Day my beloved surprised me with antique floral plates (which the elderly owner carefully wrapped and hid among our other purchases) that have a wonderful modernity to them.

Zohiko Lacquer Shop

A boutique known for its high-quality, elegant products since 1661! It specializes in ornately lacquered items such as tableware, boxes, and sculptures.

We bought wonderful black dinner plates swathed in half with a red-orange impossible to capture adequately.

Kungyokudo Kyoto

Considered the oldest incense supplier in Japan, Kungyokudo was established in 1594.The sophistication and subtlety of their hundreds of shades of sticks - so carefully wrapped in pretty paper- alone merit a visit and also make for ideal gifts. We bought one of their elegant circular glass incense-holders that channels a kind of Halston/Elsa Peretti vibe.

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WHERE I WAS: KYOTO
WHERE I WAS: KYOTO

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WHAT I SAW: KYOTO
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WHAT I BOUGHT: KYOTO
WHAT I BOUGHT: KYOTO

A global brand gone deeply local: housed in a beautifully restored 145‑year‑old machiya near the Kamo River, the staff here create your custom-blended scent on the spot and personalize the bottle with your name, now available in Japanese characters.

ALONG THE WAY: KYOTO
ALONG THE WAY: KYOTO
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