The best fashion and gift stores Kyoto

This shop and art gallery specializes in Japanese prints and etchings from the Edo period to the 20th century. You will find works by 18th century artists such as Utamaro as well as contemporary artists such as Tanaka Ryuhei. We also discover a pleiad of lesser known but equally talented Japanese painters who have contributed to the transmission and evolution of the art of engraving over several centuries. The range of works exhibited highlights the incredible dimension and variety of this artistic expression.

The Shinpuhkan, a trendy new shopping mall, is as much worth a visit for its architecture as for its stores and restaurants. It occupies Kyoto's former telephone center, a listed historic building with distinctive red bricks. Marked by the modernism of the early ^20th century, it is flanked by another contemporary building designed by Kengo Kuma, Japan's leading architect. The ensemble exudes an atmosphere of history and industrial elegance. Inside, a small garden meanders between the plush boutiques.

Shoyeido, one of Kyoto's historic incense brands, has opened a space in Karasuma Street where you can discover the fragrances and manufacture of incense. You place your head in a box that descends directly from the ceiling to immerse yourself in a fragrance, a mood. You then discover the plants and spices used to make the aromatic sticks. The tour continues in the adjoining store, where you'll find incense in all its forms.