I went to Kyoto, and now I'm back...With Lots Of Pics

Oh what a trip!

My wife and I got there on Wednesday, bright and early, and because the weather was so beautiful we went out to Arashiyama, to the northwest, to look at some of the beautiful landscape and a temple or two. But first, o course, I had to go to Bo-oku toishi, a little honeshop I found through www.kyotoishi.com, the website of the "Kyoto Natural Hone Sales Association". It's only about 4 minutes walk from the station...and my wife was agreeable.

I'm glad I did!

The owner, Yasuyuki Bo-oku, was friendly and informative. He showed me his workshop, a wonderland of hones both man-made and natural, and helped me with some questions about stones. And, of course, I got some of my own.











As we were leaving, the owner pointed out this mountain, visibale right form his front door:


That's Atagoyama, the highest mountain around Kyoto, and the original source of these stones we all love. From this peak, heading east, you find the five mines which give us "Eastern Things": Okudo, Nakayama, Shoubudani, Narutaki Mukaida, and Oozuku. So cool...

Later in the afternoon, before we headed for our hotel, we stopped in at a local knifeshop, Hayakawa Hamono. Kyoto Hamono, (bladed instruments) are one of its famous products and among the best in Japan (and thus, the world). Hayakawa is a very old name in Kyouhamono, as well as in, and the current owner of this shop has been polishing and honing knives for well over 40 years. He sells all manner of household blades, and of course sharpens and polishes them as well. The knives he sells are all made by a local blademaker especially for his shop, and are carbon steel sandwiched between stainless steel--the cutting edge is soft carbon steel, but the surfaces are all stainless to prevent damage from oxidation (especially inside the handle, where incipient moisture can cause serious damage).

We picked up some knives and I talked stones and knives, and he even had some old Kamisori to show me. A great place.








The next day was rainy so we spent it wandering around shopping and eating, going through Nishiki market, and enjoying being together in a beautiful city.

And then Friday was another stone day!

First, we looked for Hatakenaka Hone shop, but I screwed up my map and we couldn't find it. Dammit. They look like they've got some great stuff...

But we went on, and I ended up at Imanishi Toishi. The owner was gone, but his wife let me wander around their storehouse and ask questoins. She couldn't answer much, so she recommended I go down the street to Tanaka Toishi. But first I got some pictures:









A wonderful selection, ranging from massive pieces of Nakayama Kiita, to dinner-plate sized Oozuku Koppa, to tons and tons of Aoto.

I wish I could have talked to the owner, but there's always next time!

Then it was off to Tanaka!

This was a much more compact shop, but it was filled to the brim with stones. The owner was there (as was his whole family), and he was super helpful and informative, and he had some amazing stones.





From left to right, that's a Nakayama Suita (sunashi), an Ohkudo (with GORGEOUS marking) and another that is enormously thick. And those prices go from about US$1,700 to US$2,200 to US$4,400. Amazing.

All in all, I saw some amazing stones, met some great people, and had so much fun it should be a crime. Well worth it!

Now, a bit of advice for those who are considering going shopping in Kyoto:
1.) Know what KIND of stone you want. Don't worry so much about names (kiita, asagi, etc.), worry about qualities--hardness, fineness, etc., and how much you want to spend. If you just go in and ask for a good hone, you will see stones going up to the thousands of dollars. If you go and and ask for a stone with the qualities you need (hard, fine, etc.) at a certain price, then you might have better luck. Just remember, I didn't see a single stone for less than 5000 JPY, or about US$55, and they were all very small and irregular.
2.) The owners of these shops are running businesses--they will be MUCH happier to talk and help you out if you appear serious about buying.
3.) Bring a translator if you don't speak Japanese. I'm serious. It might be POSSIBLE to communicate using gestures and a dictionary, but it's not something you want to waste people's time with. And no one I met spoke any English.
4.) (An addendum) Bring something to hone! The shops all had a place to try the stones, and all of the owners suggested I use the hones before I bought to see if it was what I wanted. I only wish I'd had a razor.
5.) Have fun!

With that in mind, here's a map:

View Whetstones In Kyoto Updated in a larger map

Engish Fern "Type"? Hmmm...

Hello there!

The hiatus is over, I'm back in the saddle, yadda yadda. How've you been?

I've been pretty good, you know....

I've got a new review here, you might want to take a look.

JoAnna over at The Shave Den has been hard at work again, coming up with a new scent.

The English Fern love on the forum over there apparently inspired her to make her own version, and me being the vocal Fern Fan that I am, she sent me samples in the scent. I got soap, her new Wheat Cream, and Milk in "English Fern Type". They showed up, and I've been trying them out.

I'm going to talk about the scent here, because her soaps and creams have plenty of attention on the forum over there, and for me the scent is the thing.]

So I have talked about Penhaligon's English Fern before, and you know how I feel about that scent--I love it. It's sophisticated, warm and masculine, and I could use it every day. I have the dear, departed soap (Woe! O woe!) and some of the EdT (and I plan to get more when I have the scratch). But let's face it--it's pricey. REALLY pricey. And the thought of a more affordable replacement had me more than a little interested.

So when the package from TSD came in, it was with bated breath that I opened it up--and was greeted with a very lovely scent...lavender.

Hmmm.

I've tried all the products out, and can say with confidence that, to my nose, the TSD English Fern type is a nice, complex lavender scent. I think for me, the best indicator is the AS Milk ( a product that, in itself, I love).

Now, please be aware that scent is one of the most subjective, difficult-to-pin-down elements of any product. Everyone has their own perception of scent,s and noses just work so differently that what I say can NOT be taken as indicative of a scent. This is purely my perception, and I am not to be taken as any kind of

On first application, the scent is a light, sweet Fougere type. There is less citrus (or bergamot/vetiver) than in the real icons of the scent (The aforementioned Penhaligon's, and Trumper's Wild Fern) and something that, to my nose, comes across as a strong note of Anise. Now, I have to be perfectly honest, that turned me off at first. Anise is NOT one of my favorites...but it quickly passes down to what, I guess, is the base note--lavender.

Now, a classic fougere most definitely builds on Lavender, so this is not at all unusual, but in the Penhaligon's take (which, it must be said, is classified as Chypre on their site, though most people smelling it list it as a fougere) this lavender gives way to a warmer coumarin/oakmoss (somewhat vanilla-y scent) basenote. In the TSD version, this lavender note seems to become the focus--and lingers longer than the other elements of the scent. So, to my nose, the lavender takes over, to become almost a single-note scent. Which is not at all a bad thing, but in using it I find myself missing that warmth that the coumarin notes give to the Penhaligon's version.

So here's my take: the TSD "English Fern Type" is a very nice take on the fougere type, with a strong focus on the lavender. As such, if you like fougeres and you like lavender, definitely give it a try. However, if you're looking for a straight-up replacement for the classic Penahligon's, it might not hit on all the notes you're looking for. As always, your mileage may vary.

Forget Shaving...It's SPRING!

What can I say, the season is in my blood!



I would love to have a long, thoughtful post about wetshaving, straight razors or nice big rocks, but...I just can't. Have you looked outside? It's SPRING! (in the northern hemisphere, at least) and the cherry blossoms are in bloom and, really, who wants to sit inside and play with razors when there are BBQs to be had? Beer to be drunk? Women in skimpy clothes to be ogled?

Not I!

Never fear, though. I'm not abandoning the blog, nor the hobby. I'm working on things, getting all kinds of goodies ready, but...well, right now other things are on my mind. I will say, my big Kyoto trip is looking VERY good on the stone side of things, and I've got some very nice steel in mind, too. Then there's the translation work still ongoing, and working out just what I can or can't tell you on that. But mostly, well, I'm just enjoying the feeling of short sleeves and cool breezes.

And how about you? How is this lovely season treating your neck of the woods?

And the Winner Is.....

Wait for it...


Akshay Shah!

Congratulations Akshay, and may I say, that Haiku was a nice one! For those who missed it, here it is again:

First-time straight shaver
was warned to watch his ears;
stropping, cut finger!

The crazy thing is, I'VE DONE THAT!

Well, Akshay, let me know by twitter or email which prize you'd like, the stone or the strop, and where to ship it off to!

Thanks to everyone for playing along, and happy shaving!