Kyoto’s Nishijin district was formerly the heartland of Kyoto’s textile industry, characterised by narrow streets lined by rows of Kyo-machiya townhouses where silk thread would be masterfully converted into bolts of gorgeous colour. Even today, you can hear the clatter of looms and see artisans at work in private atelier. In this experience we visit a maker of obi (the broad waist sash for the kimono) which uses both hand- and machine-operated looms to create the richly elaborate Nishijin-style obi.