Noren

In Japan, above the doors of the shops and restaurants, you will often see short rectangular, variously decorated curtains. These are noren, traditional fabric dividers, used to protect against sun, wind and dust but also with a typical Japanese aesthetic role.

The noren can be a simple, monochromatic fabric, with vertical slits for ease of access, but more often you will see it inscribed with the name of the shop, like in this photo from inside the sentō (Japanese bath) from the Edo Tokyo Open Air Museum. In this case, the kanji are indicating the name of the establishment 子宝湯 - Kodakara-yu (yu, the last kanji, means "hot water" and it often marks the entrance to a sentō).