Kimono-clad women in downtown Kyoto.Credit:Alamy
It's very Japanese to delight in the tiniest of things. This is a country,after all,with not four seasons but 24 sub-seasons incorporating 72 poetically named micro-seasons. Each of these lasts just five or six days.
I'm visiting Kyoto in May. Checking the Japanese seasonal calendar reveals it's not the end of spring,as I thought,but the sub-season of rikka (beginning of summer). I'm here during the"worms surface"micro-season,which sits between"frogs start singing"and"bamboo shoots sprout".
This attention to nature's clock inspires me to channel the Japanese spirit,noting the smallest details. This is how my fascination with kanzashi starts. Japan's ancient capital is an epicentre of geisha culture (in Kyoto,they're called geiko and apprentices are maiko).
Cherry blossoms in Gion.Credit:Alamy
If you see one perched in a passing taxi or slipping into a teahouse for work,you'll notice their jewel-like kimonos,towering okobo or raised geta (wooden sandals) that keep kimonos from brushing the ground,white face make-up and elaborate hairdos. Look closer and you'll see decorative hairpins (kanzashi) piercing their upswept hair and wigs.
The placement and profusion of kanzashi all mean something and it is maiko who wear the more elaborate hairpins.
Originally,it was thought the kanzashi's long single pin could ward off evil spirits. There's even a theory that the pins could be used in self-defence.
A room for three at the Cafetel Kyoto Sanjo hostel.Credit:Alamy
Nowadays,there's a wide range of kanzashi – from a simple wooden bead skewered with a pin (tama kanzashi) to silver fans fringed with dangling metal streamers,and elaborate sprays of seasonal flowers. Some double as a practical grooming item,with an ear pick on one end. Visitors looking for a pretty souvenir in Kyoto can find kanzashi easily.