The Japanese umbrella

A real work of art, the traditional Japanese umbrella - wagasa 「和傘」 - serves a more complex purpose than the occidental version: besides the protection against rain or sun, wagasa is made as a stylish fashion accessory and sometimes is even a ceremonial object (for tea ceremonies, weddings and funerals). Also, sometimes the color of the umbrella is associated with the user, for example geisha tend to use purple wagasa, while the actors are using black or brown umbrellas. During the tea ceremony and weddings the wagasa used are red, while during funerals the umbrellas are white...

Umbrellas are also used in Japan very creatively during the day-to-day life and one of the most interesting uses I have seen is, as you can see in today's photo, as decoration in front of a restaurant from Ponto-chō, Kyoto.