A noren is a partial height hanging fabric with vertical slits that serves as a room divider. They are often seen at the entrance to small shops. We went out shopping for them and our first stop was the Nishijin Textile Center. They only had a few to choose from. I liked this one and it was only $65, so we bought it.

Our next stop, Aizenkobo, also known as the Indigo Dye Shop for the color they specialize in, was recommended to us by our friends Keiko and Mieko. The shop primarily offers clothing, in indigo, unsurprisingly. Here is the main room with racks of clothing for sale.

The shop had quite a few norens, again almost all with an indigo background. I liked this one very much; extremely high quality, really a piece of art. But at $1,200, we passed.

A few of their norens had light backgrounds, like this one for about $700. It had a slightly modern feel to it but we decided it wasn’t quite right for us.

We decided to try a lower cost establishment, the Kyoto Handicraft Center, not far from where we are staying. Rosemary selected this noren for her side of the master bedroom closet. The material is linen. It will flatten out with hanging. Cost US$65. Obviously not the quality of those at Aizenkobo, but a bargain.

Update: June 9, 2017

We met our friend Keiko for dinner and to our total surprise she gave us a noren! And we love it.

Next post about our Kyoto trip >>> When You Live in Kyoto, Parking at Home Can be a Challenge