北野天満宮自転車屋Across the street from the rear of the east side of Kitano Tenmangu Shrine is an old mom-and-pop bike shop.
It is a small and messy shop, and the owner rarely comes out.
The nearby shrine dominates the streetscape.
However, the shrine is not the only reason tourists visit.
Just down the block from the shop is one of Kyoto's four geisha districts.
The smallest and oldest of the four, Kamishichiken is basically one long block of tea houses, restaurants, and boutiques with traditional goods.
We like to imagine the owner is a regular (jorensan, in Kyoto dialect) - not, god forbid, unknown (ichigensan) to the establishment and therefore denied entry - at one or more of the tea houses, and spends his evenings carousing with the maiko and geisha until the wee hours.
Then, the next day, he dons his workman's smock and is back fixing flat tires.
© CycleKyoto.com
Tags
Japan
Touring
Kyoto
Cycle
Bicycle Shop
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