So I got back yesterday from my 5 day holiday with my mom to Kyoto & Nara. They are located in Western Japan (Kansai), and are also the two previous capitals before Tokyo - and as usual, I picked up some local beauty goodies :) (I would say exclusive but these lot have branched out quite a bit - however their reputation as a Kyoto brand is still very much alive!)
This time the products are from a brand called Yojiya that started in Kyoto in 1904. They are famous for their blotting papers (pictured above) that initially became very popular amongst 'maiko's (apprentice 'geisha's) in the 20's, but today they're probably the best known blotting sheets in the country! These were originally made from the paper that is left behind when stamping gold-leaf onto art and other fancy things, and have been developed/improved since then :)
The brand has loads of make-up items too, but I decided to purchase the 2nd and 3rd most popular products: the mini-sized handcream made from silkworm.. stuffs? (left) and the full-sized lip balm made with 'yuzu' (right), which is a type of citrus.
I've only tried the lipbalm as of yet, but it smells LUSH and does a really good job as far as I can tell :) Not the cheapest of brands, but these two weren't too bad - the two tub set was about £10 and the blotting sheets for one booklet of 20 sheets is about £3. But what kind of a beauty blogger would I be if I didn't think illogically at times? :P
Here are some of my favourite shots of Kyoto and Nara :)
Arashi-yama station
Fushimi-Inari: torii gates built as gifts to the gods by those who want their wishes to come true :)
Inside Tenryuuji - those signs telling people not to roll around was definitely aimed at me.. how tempting does it look?!
Gardens of Tenryuuji
Nanzenji
Todaiji Entrance in Nara - with lots of wild deer :P
Being bullied by a deer into giving her some food lol.
Toji Pagoda (and a pretty white bird.. very picturesque/cliche :P)
A very Kyoto-ey lunch! :)
Some goodies I picked up while I was there - I know, the hippo is probably the most pointless thing I've bought in years but she was too cute to not get! :P
Most of my mom's side of the family is from this area of Japan and to be honest - I have no idea why anyone would pick to live in Tokyo over Kansai - to me, it's much more chilled out and interesting!
Also, the peaceful elegance of old Japan never ceases to impress me. I only wish I knew more about Buddhism and Japanese history so I could really understand the significance of the temples, the statues, the national treasures and the buildings that I saw!
I know those were a lot of pictures of travelling for a beauty blog but I couldn't help myself! :P
And thanks again for helping me reach 1,000 readers! :)
<3yu