Strolling the Quaint Lanes of Kiyomizu | 漫步清水巷弄

In my last post, I showed you a tofu specialty meal in Kyoto, and now I'd like to share some street sights in the city's Kiyomizu region. While the Kiyomizu-dera temple area is often congested with visitors owing to its fame, there are other less crowded places, such as the narrow alleyways at Gojo, where I stayed for a week.

Gojo-zaka, located south of Kiyomizu-dera Temple, is a lively street with a mix of traditional and contemporary stores. Here, you can find a variety of souvenirs, clothing stores, tea houses, and cafes.

The adjacent Chawan-zaka, also known as "Teapot Lane," is a sloping path that leads up to Kiyomizu-dera Temple. It is named after the shops selling traditional Japanese tea utensils and other ceramics.

These lanes are the birthplace of Kiyomizu-yaki pottery, one of the earliest Kyo-yaki ceramics started in Kyoto. I happened to visit during the Kyoto Ceramics Week, and I enjoyed watching the exhibits, exploring the stores and appreciating the craftsmanship.

上篇提到京都的豆腐料理，想起来在那里的清水五条呆了一周多，这次就来分享一些在附近的街道随拍。

清水区有着久负盛名的清水寺和二年坂三年坂等古色古香的石板小径，深得游客青睐，每天早上出门，都看到滚滚人潮向东流（去清水寺）。豆腐名店奥丹在二年坂的岔路也开有一家清水料理店哦，不过看上去比南禅寺的八千代要拥挤许多。

而旁边的一些小巷弄里则清净不少，比如五条坂和茶碗坂的小岔道们。这两条参道都分布着多家售卖茶具和其他陶瓷器的手工艺品小店，岔路边也有几间数寄屋风格的茶室。

“清水烧”最初就是指在清水寺的五条坂和茶碗坂这一带制造的陶瓷器。在店名或招贴里看到的“陶器（とうき）”，在日语里除了表示陶器，也包括瓷器，而“磁器”就单单是指瓷器了。在日本旅行，不时会有种穿越到古代的错觉，因为身边常常冒出来些源自中国古时的词语，比如“磁器”，而在中国，反倒是只剩“磁器口”这类旧地名存在了。

江户时代初期，品茶文化开始流行，为了喝茶，陶瓷器自然也要跟上。于是，以五条坂所在的东山地区为中心，越来越多的陶瓷器「京烧・清水烧」被烧制出来。后来，估计人们也懒得给城里不同地区的陶瓷一一取名，只要是在京都烧制的陶瓷器，就被统称为「京烧・清水烧」了。

我在那边的时候，正巧碰上京都陶瓷周，很多店家在搞展览促销等活动，在有家店还看到店主夫妇在厅堂里展示手作陶瓷，后来在东福寺的传统工艺展上竟然又再次遇到。听朋友说京都在八月份还会举办五条坂陶器祭，有几百家店参展，展出售卖各种陶器瓷器。

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