kyoto part II: kawai kanjiro house

Kawai Kanjiro was a famous Japanese potter and woodworker whose house is now open to the public. He hand-carved a lot of the furniture and his work is on display throughout. It's a huge traditional Japanese house with paper screen windows and tatami matts. The studio side of the house includes a huge walk-in kiln with several entrances, built into the ground. It's the size of a two-car garage. Between the studio and residence sides of the house is a beautiful courtyard and a garden. You can see some of it in this picture of my little brother, Mike, who is here visiting with my dad. (My dad isn't in as many pictures because he's always busy taking his own pictures.) This was about five minutes before a sudden downpour, which included exactly one very loud clap of thunder and lasted less than a half-hour. The rain sent air circulating into the paper windows and brought a fresh leafy smell into the rooms, which was really relaxing. There were a few other people in the house and some of them sat in the artist's hand-carved furniture and watched the rain.