We are pleased to be in the Member Spotlight for this issue of NYS Retailer, a publication of the NYS Retail Council. Our two-page spread will be published on line towards the end of the year, but in the meantime, read all about us by clicking below…
I wish I could be there, but at least my kimono will be! The Missouri Botanical Gardens in Saint Louis hosts a Japanese Festival each year and THIS year they will be offering a selection of Kyoto Kimono haori and kimono in their Garden Gate Shop. It’s Sept 2nd, 3rd and 4th. Stop by and try one on…
And then head to the festival: taiko drumming, sumo, storytelling, the beautiful garden….you name it! I WISH I could be there. Maybe next year. Enjoy!
For more info and to see the schedule of events, click here.
Here’s a great site where you can download dozens of images to use for your desktop wallpaper. The site was founded by Jaakko Saari, a photographer in Yokohama, Japan. The site offers some great “insider” information about all things Japanese. Click on the logo above to visit the site.
John Marshall is a unique and talented fiber artist and instructor and I have always wanted to take one of his classes. He will be in Upstate NY this Fall and the only other place I’d rather be would be Japan and, alas, his classes are happening while I am taking my annual group tour to Kyoto. So my loss is your gain – seats are limited!
John will be offering three classes:
October 26-28 – Combining Katazome and Shibori Techniques
October 29-31 – Working with Natural Pigments
November 1-2 – Japanese Garment Design
From John’s website: John Marshall is an American fiber artist specializing in the traditional Japanese techniques of Katazome (stencil dyeing) and tsutsugaki (cone drawing). He is internationally noted for his use of color and line to create truly unique one-of-a-kind art-to-wear, turning traditionally inspired aesthetics into contemporary treasures for daily life. As a teacher he is recognized for his ability to adapt traditional recipes and methods to suit local climates, resources, and temperaments; and for his ability to distill complex techniques into easy to understand steps.
Marshall’s publications include the book Make Your Own Japanese Clothes: Patterns and Ideas for Modern Wear (Kodansha International, 1988), which is in its twelfth printing with sales over 22,000, as well as the video Japanese Textile Dyeing: Introduction to Paste-Resist Techniques (A/zo Productions, 1990, 70 minutes). He has written articles for, or been repeatedly featured in, such magazines as Threads, FiberArts, and Ornament, to name just a few.
The sento, or public bath, is one of many rituals in Japanese culture that foreigners would be smart to research before they disrobe. While the Japanese are generally very forgiving of our cultural blunders, the sento is one setting where the uninformed can make remarkably offensive mistakes. Sento etiquette may not be familiar to westerners – in fact, the idea of “bathing” without soap may even seem counter-intuitive – but the ignorant risk being corrected on the spot, which can be even more embarrassing when you’re naked and they’re speaking Japanese.
Neighborhood bath houses are still common in Japan, even though most floor plans of private houses have included a bathing area since the 1950′s. Student housing, low rent apartment buildings, and older homes may have toilets but often no shower or tub. Many Japanese continue to use the sento (even if they have a bath at home) because of the community aspect it offers or because some of the modern sento facilities offer dozens of bathing options they can’t get at home: herbal baths, very hot soaks, cold plunges, jacuzzis, saunas, steam rooms, and more.
You can identify a sento from the street by the hiragana letter for “yu”, which refers to “hot water”.
Sento noren (entry curtain)
There will be a single entrance where you remove your shoes and pay the fee ($3-$4), but then men and women enter their own side of the sento through separate doorways. The cashier sits between the rooms and can see into both changing rooms.
Once inside, find a locker, basket, or cubby hole to put your clothes. Disrobe and take your soap, shampoo, and small washing towel into the bathing area. Leave your larger drying towel (there is no dry place to hang it in the sento room) as well as any lotions, powders, creams, shaving or tooth brushing items with your clothes. Once inside the sliding, fogged up glass doors, choose an open washing area along the wall. There may be plastic stools to perch on in front of the low spigots and showers – you’re supposed to sit as you wash. Some sentos may have shower stalls, but most Japanese prefer to sit and use the showerheads (at waist height) and faucets (even lower on the wall).
Be prepared to be looked at and watched – foreigners have interesting bodies – and be prepared to accept help from fellow bathers on how to regulate the water temperature, find a plastic stool, use the rinsing basin, and so on. Anyone who speaks English might take this opportunity to practice conversation.
The basic sequence is sit, get wet, soap up, rinse off, then, once you are clean and soap-free, soak in a tub of your choice. Seems simple, but there are many layers of unspoken bathing conventions many westerners may not be familiar with. For example, speak softly if at all, rinse any borrowed items (stool, basin) before and after using them, always wash from head to toe (the reverse is unclean), turn off the showerhead while you wash or shampoo so as to not waste water, rinse your area when you’re done, and in general, maintain a small, quiet, efficient presence. If your washing area is near the tubs, be very careful not to inadvertently flick soap into the communal tub water. Be sure to rinse all of the soap off of every part of your hair and body before even thinking of entering any of the soaking tubs.
Ah…the tubs. Leave your soaps on a ledge in the washing area and move to the bathing area. Modest Japanese will hold their small towel in front of their private parts, but if you bring yours into the bathing area make sure it has been rinsed clean and that it never goes into the bathing water. Put it on your head before entering a tub!
Depending on the age and size of the sento, there might be three to ten or more bathing tubs, each with a different offering. In the center is usually the largest, hottest tub, sure to challenge even the most dedicated hot tub connoisseur. Other tubs might have warm to cold temperatures, herbs to relax and soothe, or massaging jets. Beware the tub with the warning placard that looks like an electric current – it IS an electric current, which is used to relax sore and tense muscles. The sensation is strongest (and most painful) closest to the walls, so if you opt to try it, step into the center of the tub first and then decide if you want to try sitting down.
Stay as long as you like, sample the different tubs, relax, and enjoy the experience. It is not OK to leave the bathing area to go to the changing area and return to the tubs without washing all over again, so be sure to use the toilet and have your drink before you wash. When you’re ready to leave, take your soaps and towel to the changing area, dry off and dress, then feel free to sit and relax for a while before heading for your shoes. Don’t rush anything.
Small houses with thin walls, extended families living together, and a general modesty combine to make romance difficult for young Japanese lovers. But it creates a unique and considerable economic niche: the Love Hotel. These rent-by-the-hour hotels offer couples a cherished opportunity for intimacy that sure beats making out in the car or worse – going without!
Love hotels are conveniently located near a train station or clustered as a group off the highway just outside of town. Older establishments are easily identified by unusual and even gaudy themes (pyramids, spaceships, castles, etc.) with lots of neon lights and color. Recently, the industry has begun to practice discretion in architecture as well as in customer service, resulting in buildings that resemble more reputable hotels or perhaps even not resembling a hotel at all.
Love hotels take great pains to offer a unique “room” experience. While rates may seem reasonable ($10-$20 an hour) the amenities are designed to extend the visit beyond just a “quickie”. Extra large beds, fine linen, techno-toilets and baths, and extravagant decor are the norm. For example, an anime theme might include costumes for role playing, a safari theme might include a waterfall and a stuffed tiger, and a Hollywood theme might include a green screen and karaoke.
Room themes can be quite worth the price of admission...
Rates can vary by room and are based on a standard “length of rest” — typically one to three hours. Rates may be lower during the daytime, but leaving the hotel forfeits access to the room.
Love hotel logistics heed the need for guest discretion as well as indulgence. Entrances are hidden behind curtains or a maze of short walls, and check in is usually automated. Patrons choose a room from a picture menu (the ones that are not illuminated are occupied) and may even be provided with a license plate cover to further protect anonymity. Paying by credit card is possible these days (though not nearly as commonplace in Japan as it is in the US), but it is not unusual to pay with cash via pneumatic tube or to a pair of hands behind a pane of frosted glass. Alas, it is possible that some patrons are married, but not to each other.
We are happy to be listed in this MegaMall shopping site. And I find myself doing a lot of window shopping with the other vendors – there really are SO MANY places to find authentic, affordable, and amazing Japanese treasures. This is our newest link partner and the place we’ll be recommending to our customers who are searching for that elusive craft, piece of furniture, artwork, martial arts equipment……you name it. Enjoy!
In Western culture, exchanging business cards is a simple, casual gesture of introduction. In Japan, the protocol used to exchange meishi properly is formal, rule-laden, and full of meaning. Those who ignore this difference risk an insult that is likely to affect any future relationship.
The Japanese consider the business card to be part of the person and company identified on the card. To treat that card inappropriately is to disrespect its owner and their associates; to honor the card signifies deference to the business associate and the company.
In Japan, meishi are carried in protected cases — never tucked into a wallet or pocket — and are issued to all employees regardless of status. Cards are also exchanged routinely in non-business settings, so “name cards” (with personal contact information only) are sometimes given in social situations. Savvy Westerners meeting any Japanese person anywhere in the world will always have their business cards at the ready and know how to offer them.
The proper way to exchange business cards in a one-on-one situation begins with the presenter holding the card at the top corners using both hands, face up and turned so that it can be read by the receiver. Before offering the card to be taken, the presenter introduces him/ herself by company affiliation, position, and name. The receiver reads the card as the introduction is being made. The presenter then offers the card with a gesture, and the receiver accepts it by taking the two bottom corners with both hands and pausing to re-read the card silently, nodding to acknowledge the information. It is especially polite to comment briefly on the information on the card, for example, “Ah yes, ABC Company, I am familiar with your products” or “I see your offices are in XYZ City. Is this far from Tokyo?” The receiver then thanks the presenter, bows, and carefully stores the card in a protected place, but never in a pocket and never folded or written on. The receiver then follows the same procedure to offer his/her own card. How the meishi is treated is an indicator (to the presenter) of how the presenter will be treated in future dealings.
The proper way to exchange business cards in Japan
When meishi are being exchanged at a meeting, received cards can be kept on the table while business is conducted. If several cards have been exchanged, they can be arranged on the table in front of the receiver but the highest ranking person’s meishi should be honored by a higher position than the others.
Exchanging business cards in Japan is as common as bowing and arguably more important than any business ritual done in the West. Businessmen who ignore the opportunity offered by the business card exchange risk appearing inept and – worse – impolite. Taking the time to establish a respectful rapport through the meishi exchange will set a tone of honor and appreciation that will benefit all future transactions.
This YouTube video offers a bit more detail about exchanging business cards with people from Asian countries:
Ikat is the textile technique where the threads of the cloth are dyed before they are woven, and the pattern emerges on the loom. It’s a fascinating process and one that, once you recognize it on cloth, will be sure to make you wonder about the time and skill involved in creating it. The technique is sometimes called “fuzzy weave” since the patterning is often blurred because even the most accurate dying and weaving may not align the differently dyed threads exactly. When only the warp threads are ikat-dyed, this is a single ikat and you will see the “fuzziness” running in only one direction. When both the warp and weft threads are dyed before weaving, this is a double ikat and the fuzziness runs in both directions.
Hundreds of books, videos, and documentaries about ikat are available on line, but here I offer a short slideshow of examples of Japanese ikat from the Kyoto Kimono past inventory. See if you can distinquish the single and double ikat patterning….
A family crest featuring bonsai, from embroidery done by Kyoto Kimono on custom made kimono.
Cultivating bonsai is an art form — an important facet of Japan’s cultural and artistic tradition. Bonzai is the junction of Japanese respect for living things and their sense of what is beautiful. Bonsai is not simply growing a potted plant, it is a physical and emotional commitment to nurture the plant. Unlike other art forms, bonsai is never a “finished” work because it is a living thing.
Starting in the 14th Century, bonsai was practiced by the aristocracy, priests and other high-ranking social elite in Japan. In modern day Japan, however, bonsai is considered a fitting pastime for retirees, who have the time, patience, and life experience to provide the attention required to care for them. Some bonsai are centuries old, passed down through the generations. For the bonsai enthusiast, it is this enduring timelessness that makes the art worthwhile.
Bonsai trees are container-grown plants that are cared for in such a way that they become sculpted to look their most beautiful—even more so than if they had grown in the wild. Specialized pruning and shaping tools are used to create a miniature version of what the plant would look like if full grown. Any plant that can be grown in a small container can be cultivated as a bonsai. The most popular varieties are pines, maples, flowering trees such as cherries, and even fruit trees such as quince. The choice of plant depends on the climate where the bonsai will live, since there must be harmony between the plant and its environment. Bonsai normally grow no taller than three feet but can be small enough to fit in the palm of a hand.
Raising bonsai requires controlling the kind of shape the tree takes. This may require the grower to bend a branch with wire or remove the branch altogether. While this may seem harsh, it is necessary to keep the plant healthy and allow it to achieve its artistic character. Trees have a life of their own and grow according to the laws of nature, so they can never be completely controlled. The key is not to force one’s will on it, but to nurture and appreciate the tree, caring for it as a living thing that deserves dignity and respect.
