Noren - Beautiful Japanese Curtains

Traditional Japanese Beauty - 1

Larry Knipfing Sep 07, 2014 - 1 min read

<p>This restaurant's noren features the design of a gourd</p>

<p>Inside looking out at a restaurant in Kita Kamakura</p>

<p>Entrance to a beautiful little shop in the Arashiyama section of Kyoto</p>

<p>Notice the fine detail and quality of the fabric</p>

<p>Inside looking out at a traditional bath inside a Japanese inn</p>

<p>Total simplicity - a trademark of Japanese traditional beauty - Kyoto</p>

<p>A noren in traditional Japanese blue tied up to let customers pass into the shop more easily</p>

<p>How cute is this?! The noren of a yakitori (grilled chicken) restaurant in Kyoto</p>

<p>Close up on the chicken - the fabric is thick and heavy</p>

<p>Noren at the entrance to a tofu restaurant</p>

<p>Same restaruant, different entrance</p>

Japanese noren (暖簾) curtains are used in a number of ways: At the entrance to shops and restaurants, public baths and onsen, and as room dividers. Most noren you see are machine-made and tacky, but some are so beautiful they will take your breath away. Just do an image search on Google or Pinterest and you'll see what I mean! You will most likely find the nicer ones in more traditional towns and cities like Kyoto or Kamakura. Keep your eyes open and your camera handy as you walk around Japan. See if you can find some really nice ones and start a collection of noren photos. Noren make great souvenirs, too!

Larry Knipfing @larry.knipfing

Born on Long Island, New York in 1958, I have spent the last 30 years of my life living in Japan, and enjoying every minute of it! I especially love photography, and Japan is definitely one of the most beautiful places in the world to photograph! My other love is fiction writing and I have pub...