DATE:		April 29, 2006 from 2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
PLACE:		7 Toba Rikyu-cho, Fushimi-ku, Kyoto
DIRECTION:		3-minute walk from the bus stop at Jonangu Higashiguchi (city bus South #1, South #2 or South #3) from Takeda station in Kyoto Subway Line / Kintetsu Line
TEL:		81-75-623-0846
ADMISSION:		Free (April 29 only)
TEXT:		Kyokusui parties, which poetry is read while participants drink sake beside a stream, are believed to have begun in China during the Shu era. To purify oneself in a slow-moving stream at the beginning of spring is believed to ensure sound health. From Nara era to the middle of Heian era, Kyokusui parties were official annual events at the Imperial court. The elegant, classical event is reenacted by poets dressed with colorful Kariginu and Kouchiki kimonos, which were exquisite costumes for noble people in Heian era.