Kyoto is arguably one of the best places in Japan to appreciate the beauty of autumn. The western Japanese prefecture has tons of natural spots lush with red maples and golden larches and even within the city of Kyoto itself, there are hundreds of years-old temples and shrines that make for excellent backdrops to enjoy the beauty of autumn with.

One Kyoto-based jewelry maker is taking these autumnal charms of Kyoto and turning them into a line of beautifully made earrings. Labeled as “Kyoto Journey (京の旅)”, each piece was handmade by local craftsmen and the designs represent different aspects of Kyoto. There are two types of earrings included in the collection: regular pierced earrings and the brand’s unique clip-on earrings, which were designed not to fall off or hurt when wearing them.

For the first two items in the collection, their designs are based on traditional items found in Kyoto (incense burners used in Kyoto’s wooden townhouses or machiyas, and painted paper umbrellas carried around by Kyoto’s geisha).

The remaining three, on the other hand, are inspired by nature: the yellow-green & orange piece represents the colors of fallen leaves and pinecones in Kiyomizu in autumn, the golden earrings imitate yellowed ginkgo leaves along Horikawa-dori, while the last piece is inspired by fallen flowers drifting on water.

You can find the Kyoto Journey earrings up for sale from October 8, 2021 on the JewelryKyoto Online Store. They will also be available for purchases for those living outside of Japan.


By - Jen Laforteza.