[Oike Blue]
The rain that began last night did not stop this morning, and as we were feeling the signs of a full-blown rainy season, it was announced yesterday that the rainy season had begun in the Tokai, Kinki, and Chugoku regions. When it rains, I often walk from Imadegawa, where our head office is located, to our Sanjo showroom, stopping to admire the vivid hydrangeas along the way, which is a bit of fun during this season.
Among them, the blue and purple hydrangeas that bloom along Oike-dori in the center of Kyoto City on the sidewalks are called “Oike Blue” and have become popular as a local hydrangea spot in recent years. The “blue” hydrangeas bloom on the north side of Oike-dori between Yanaginobamba-dori and Tominokoji-dori. Across the street on the south side are white hydrangeas called “Annabelle,” which are cool and beautiful as their initially light green flowers gradually turn white. In addition to hydrangeas, the flowerbeds along Oike-dori are planted with a variety of other flowers, which are maintained and managed under the “Oike Dori Sponsor Flowerbeds” system with the support and cooperation of businesses, organizations, and citizens along Oike-dori.
Another eye-catching feature is the umbrellas of people passing along the street. The colors of the flowers and the umbrellas create a beautiful scene unique to the rainy season. The “Mira Toray Folding Umbrella” we sell at our store is a “craftsman's umbrella” made by hand by Komiya Shoten, a long-established umbrella manufacturer in Higashi-Nihonbashi, Tokyo, established in 1930. The process starts with making a wooden pattern, and the tension of the fabric and the sewing method are adjusted to complete a single umbrella. The water-repellent fabric used in the umbrella, Mira Toray, developed by Toray, is a fine denier, high-density woven fabric that drains well, so you do not have to worry about water droplets when the umbrella is folded.
Walking around with your favorite umbrella is a small pleasure on a rainy day. Another charm of the rainy season is that wet hydrangeas look especially beautiful and fresh. Our Sanjo Showroom is about a 3-minute walk from “Oike Blue” on Oike-dori. If you are in the neighborhood, please visit the Sanjo Showroom while admiring the hydrangea.
Komiya Shoten's Mira Toray Folding Umbrella
https://www.shokunin.com/en/komiya/
Sanjo Showroom
https://www.shokunin.com/en/showroom/sanjo.html
References
https://media.mk-group.co.jp/entry/flower-ajisai-oike/
https://kyotopi.jp/articles/4MnhP
https://www.city.kyoto.lg.jp/kensetu/page/0000288360.html
https://www.komiyakasa.jp/
