Wednesday, April 20, 2016

Keeping the Japanese traditional textile industry alive

The traditional textile and kimono industries have seen such an alarming decrease in sales over the last few decades that talk of them dying out has become a subject that I think I should probably discuss at some point here. But many other people have already written very good articles on the subject, so if you get the chance you should take a look at those too. I'd like the focus of this entry to be on ways consumers can help keep these industries alive. For some dressing in kimono has become like second nature, but I realize that for the majority, this is not going to be a realistic possibility. However, with Japan's dwindling population and the lack of interest the country's citizens have in kimono, I think it's going to take a global scale effort to help it's time honored textiles continue.

The traditional way of wearing kimono probably seems like a lot of work and hassle to a public for whom wearing jeans and t-shirts has become the daily norm (and I include myself in that group, since this is what I wear a lot of the time). Convenience has become king. But, there are lots of ways becoming available that we can incorporate parts of these old-fashioned items into our daily lives.

Japanese textile industries are working hard to modernize and coming up with innovative new products that make use of traditional methods. For example there are a style of Converse All Stars made from Nishijin-ori weave textile, traditionally used to make obi. Or how about a wedding dress made with fabric that is usually reserved for kimono? There are even some really cute gamaguchi wallets made of Bizen woven cotton or Ise cotton. The list goes on and on.

In addition to these modern items, second hand textiles when worn as accessories or used to create something new, can help draw the attention of other industries to the beauty and timelessness of these designs and help create an even greater and growing market for traditional artisans.

We'd love to hear your thoughts on this subject. How do you think we could make a lasting positive impact on these industries? Have you ever bought a vintage item with the intent of giving it a glorious new purpose? Or a product of modern design using the old techniques?

Wednesday, April 13, 2016

Review of Konbini Grand Opening


It's been a very busy couple of weeks. We had a great time at the Nashville Cherry Blossom Festival last weekend and are looking forward to Hatsume Fair at the Morikami this coming weekend. Last month, my little sister got married and I house sat for her for a few weeks while she was on her honeymoon. I looked for events or places near her home that looked interesting and discovered that the owners of Kappo (a really great omikase eatery in Orlando) were having a grand opening for their latest project, Konbini. With this shop, they're trying to replicate the experience of shopping in a Japanese convenience store. And I really think they've managed to do a great job. For the event they even had fresh and tasty $5 udon noodle bowls. Inside Konbini you'll find premade bento, onigiri, and sandwiches. They have a wide variety of sake to choose from, as well as nonalcoholic beverage choices, sweets, and so much more. I was happy to see that they had a good selection of grocery staple and Japanese knick knacks as well. And I'd really missed those disposable umbrellas that are so commonly found at every FamilyMart, Lawson, and Seven Eleven in Japan. The only thing missing in my opinion are the tasty natto rolls, but in the US those would probably be a hard sell. ;) Konbini is located in Kappo's former location at the East End Market, so hopefully Kappo will be reopening in a new spot and start serving deliciousness again sometime soon. In the meantime they have several upcoming events so head over to their site, www.kappoeastend.com, to see what's happening.















Tuesday, March 29, 2016

Sho No Ryu Performance in Fort Walton Beach, FL

A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to go watch a really great performance by a dance troupe out of Tokyo named Sho No Ryu (afterwards I promptly got the flu and forgot to do a write up on it until now -_-;;;;). These performers did a fantastic job! They combine traditional elements of Japanese folk dance and music with modern flare to make it more appealing to a multicultural and diverse audience of both the young and old. When I realized it wouldn't be done exclusively in an old fashion after having driven quite a ways to attend (first time I've crossed a time zone twice in a day for an event), I had doubts as to whether I would end up liking the performance. I very strongly prefer the traditional movements and sounds. So imagine my surprise when I loved it as much as I did. I really enjoy Japanese folk music and a lot of the pieces that accompanied the dances had the feel of old favorites, but with the occasional added flair of rock music instrumentals and other new sounding bits. The wardrobe was also quite beautiful and the props were charming. From stunning dance kimono and festival hanten to matching montsuki and hakama, they had it all. Their dance fans even had the troupe's mon carefully painted on them. As to choosing a favorite dance, I think I'd have to pick "Isshinm Tasuke-The Fishmonger". It was performed by Kenta Matsushita (stage name Sho Genshiro), and he gave such vibrant emotion to each movement. But you could definitely feel the love of the art form emanating from all of the dancers.  After the program concluded the audience was treated to a meet and greet with these talented professionals. My selfie skills were lacking pretty badly that day but I did manage to get a few photos. The last is of a stylishly dressed audience member standing to the left of Mitsuki Farsky (her stage name is Sho Senfumi), who runs the only Sho no Ryu studio outside of Japan. I've not been able to find any information on that particular studio yet, but I'll post it if I do. Understandably no video was allowed to be taken, but I did find 2 of Sho Senfumi on YouTube from another performance  she did in 2011 and I'm including them along with the website of Sho No Ryu's main studio in Tokyo.

http://shounoryu.com/

On a side note, I decided to go out for a bite of sushi after the performance. Since it was a Sunday, most of the smaller Japanese places I would have liked to have visited were closed. So I ended up taking my chances on a Japanese/Korean restaurant named Dosirak House. And as a result my taste buds were rewarded with many tasty nigiri and delicious genmaicha. They had many friendly and familiar customers and the environment was warm and welcoming. And  even though they were short handed because a server had called out at the last minute, they took extremely good care of me. And as such, I'm including their Yelp page to help you find them. :)

http://m.yelp.com/biz/dosirak-house-fort-walton-beach







Thursday, February 4, 2016

Hari-kuyou

On February 8th (specifically in the Kanto region, and December 8th in the Kansai region) the Japanese celebrate a 400+ year old festival known as Hari Kuyo (Festival of Broken Needles). Traditionally a holiday geared towards women, kimono tailors and sewing hobbyists alike take their old needles to local Buddhist temples to put them "to rest" cradled on soft beds of tofu. This is done to thank them for their good service in the past year and also for sharing in their owner's personal burdens and sorrows. At this time prayers are also offered for an improvement in sewing capabilities. In addition to reflecting the traditional Japanese beliefs in animism (that all objects have souls), I think this practice also embodies the Japanese concept of mottainai (regret of wastefulness). And on that note, when we wear and use second hand kimono, I think that it's a very similar kind of action. When I wear a vintage kimono with my grandmother's pill hat and purse, I get a deep feeling of happiness in knowing that something that has brought someone else joy to wear over the years, can now bring me delight as well and still have use.

Saturday, January 9, 2016

Setsubun

On February 3rd the Japanese celebrate a holiday called Setsubun. This is the time when Oni(demons) carrying bad luck from the previous year are banished from homes by throwing dried soybeans out the door and shouting "Oni wa soto, Fuku wa Uchi!"(Throw the ogres out, bring good fortune in).  At local Shinto shrines the beans are thrown out over large crowds and it is considered lucky to catch the same number as your age. A traditional food commonly eaten on this day is Ehou maki(a type of thick vegetable roll).

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The Furisode and Coming of Age Day

Have you ever admired kimono with tremendously long sleeves? This coming Monday is a traditional Japanese holiday on which they are worn! In Japan, the 2nd Monday of January is known as Seijin no Hi(Coming of Age Day). Young women the age of 20 are dressed in a special type of kimono called furisode (so named for their characteristically long and fluttering sleeves) for a ceremony performed at local government offices to celebrate the young adults coming to maturity. This outfit is very costly just with the kimono taken into consideration, but many additional accessories are also worn. The furisode falls into the formal kimono category, and as such, a fukuro (formal made with thick woven brocade) obi must be worn with it. In addition, the obijime (decorative woven cord that holds obi in place), obiage (silk sash used to cover the obi pillow), and zori footwear must match this level of formality. Often a matching handbag and a fur wrap complete the set. Young men sometimes dress in traditional garments for the ceremony as well, but it has become more common for them to wear western formal garments such as suits. 

Friday, January 8, 2016

Happy New Year!

Happy new year from Sakiko no Kimonoya! This year we are planning several buying trips in hopes that we can better help you to find all your kimono and vintage Japan needs. I've already had several customers contact me about certain items they're looking for, so in the effort to improve our search we'd like to know what you'd like to see in the shop. We're also looking for feedback on the ease of navigating the online store, as we are considering other ordering platforms.

May you all be happy and healthy in the coming year,

The Sakiko no Kimonoya staff