Iwate is located in the north of mainland Japan and there are still many craftsmen living in that area. That area is especially famous for sand casting products called Nanbu-tekki (南部鉄器). Internationally renowned Finnish designer, Mr. Harri Koskinen, collaborated with a company in Iwate to create new products from the local crafts. The Iwatemo project started in 2016 from the research…
Tag: souvenir from tokyo
Turquoise blue bowls and plates by Yoh-ichi Yajima
Summer in Tokyo can be very hot due to the high humidity as well as the heat and we have invented various ways of cooling down the heat by not only the physical attempt to cool ourselves down but also by the use of visual image and auditory sound for feeling cooler at least. For…
New Summer Collection of hand painted yuzen kimono uchiwa fan by Ms. Junko Kirino
I already introduced the hand painted yuzen kimono uchiwa fan on my blog before, so I will not explain in details, but if you are interested in how it is made, please visit my previous blog. Yuzen is a kind of technique used to dye kimono fabrics and it is all hand painted, so it…
Hanayama Katsuno puzzles in Tokyo
Hanayama is a famous Japanese puzzle game manufacturer and their products have been sold worldwide. I personally found Katsuno puzzles interesting because they stimulate brain activities as you play with these toys. They have several Katsuno puzzles (Katsuno literally means activating brain) , but I am particularly interested in Lucky cube and Double cube puzzles,…
Hanging and stand style stylish wooden mobile by mother tools in Tokyo
There are many hanging mobiles available on the market, but I personally prefer simple ones at home This mobile named “I’m only sleeping” consists of 7 wooden sticks and they slowly move in the air gradually changing the shapes. The movement is so smooth and calming, so it seems like you can hear it is…
New spring collection of hand painted yuzen kimono uchiwa fan by Ms. Junko Kirino
I introduced the hand painted yuzen kimono uchiwa fan on my blog before. Yuzen is a kind of technique used to dye kimono fabrics and it is all hand painted, so it is luxurious and beautiful piece of art. For more details of how it is made, please visit my previous blog. Ms. Junko Kirino added…
Sakura pink series by Mr. Nobuaki Honda 本田伸明
Mr. Nobuaki Honda (本田伸明) is a potter from Okinawa prefecture of Japan and his blue silhouette series have been popular at my store. He recently introduced the new Sakura Pink series. When sakura is painted, it is often colored with bright pink, but Someiyoshino (染井吉野) sakura tree, which is the most popular type of sakura in Japan,…
Beautiful annual growth ring of cypress wood lunch box from Ehime
There are numerous number of lunch boxes are available in Japan and they are made of various materials like plastics, metals, wood etc. Wooden lunch boxes are, however, getting more popular lately because they are attractive and they also visually stimulate your taste buds. There are also various types of wooden lunch boxes, but this…
Beautiful lace glass works by Mr. Taichi Itou
Mr. Ito was born in 1975 in Yamaguchi prefecture, Japan. When he was 18, he moved to the USA, where he originally studied pottery. He, then, moved onto the study of glass art. He moved back to Japan in 1999 and he eventually set up his own workshop in 2004 in Yamaguchi prefecture. His works…
The best Damascus kitchen knives from Echizen for home and professional use
There are several areas in Japan where are famous for production of high quality handmade kitchen knives and Echizen city of Fukui prefecture is one of them, and its history dates back to 14 century. They have been producing various types of knives from reasonable carbon steel knives for home use to high end Damascus…
Simple and modern yosegi parquetry business card holder and hand mirror
Yosegi marquetry in Hakone is usually made with very thinly sliced marquetry sheets, which are glued to the surfaces of boxes, photo frames and trays etc. The advantage of using the sheet is that they can produce a large amount of the same designed products at the same time. There are, however, several craftsmen who…
Hand painted Yuzen kimono fan from Kyoto
Kyoto has a long history of producing Kimono, which is a Japanese traditional clothes, and Yuzen is one technique used for dyeing the kimono fabrics. Hand painted dyeing Yuzen is all painted by hand and it is almost like a piece of art. The base bamboo fan is made in Marukame city, where is famous…
