Visit the Nishijin weaving workshop and try on a loom-woven kimono; from ~3.500 ¥ with dressing.
Nishijin-ori weaving is one of the most luxurious and sophisticated textiles in Japan, with more than 1.200 years of history. Made in the northwestern Nishijin district of Kyoto, it is characterised by its designs dyed before weaving —the kasuri technique— that produce geometric and figurative motifs of extraordinary precision, used mainly in obi and high-end kimonos. The Nishijin Textile Center offers several ways to get close to this craft: from attending the kimono fashion shows (free, several times a day) to taking part in 40-minute weaving workshops (2.000 ¥) and the experience of dressing in an authentic Nishijin kimono (from 3.500 ¥). Admission to the museum is free. It opens from 9:00 to 18:00 and closes on Tuesdays. To get there, take bus 9 or 12 from Kyoto station to the Horikawa-Imadegawa stop. The visit complements very well a morning in the Nishijin district, where you can still hear the looms of the artisans from the street.
