tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4615211909818119942024-02-20T12:54:59.008-08:00Sakiko no Kimonoya BlogWe post about the happenings at Sakiko no Kimonoya, kimono, general Japanese culture, and occasionally review events or local businesses.Sakiko no Kimonoyahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09653035473869221632noreply@blogger.comBlogger13125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-461521190981811994.post-40955450073646401622017-08-31T15:05:00.001-07:002017-08-31T15:09:10.997-07:00Upcoming events for fall 2017<p dir="ltr"><u>We've</u> got several events coming up over the next month and I'd like to take a quick moment to tell you a little more about them. :)</p>
<p dir="ltr">First up is the <u><a href="https://www.visitpensacola.com/event/bonfest-pensacola-2017/2500/">Pensacola</a></u><a href="https://www.visitpensacola.com/event/bonfest-pensacola-2017/2500/"> FL BonFest</a> on 9/9. This event is organized by the Japan-America Society of Northwest Florida and Florida Okinawa Kenjinkai. There will be food, Bon odori(dances), games, local vendors, and a whole lot of fun for all age groups. And also excellent taiko music performed by Matsuriza Taiko!</p>
<p dir="ltr">Next is <a href="htttp://www.japanfest.org"><u>JapanFest</u></a><a href="htttp://www.japanfest.org"> Atlanta</a> on 9/16-9/17. Put on annually in Duluth GA by the Japan-America Society of Georgia, this will be the festival's 31st year. Over the weekend it will draw crowds of over 30,000 people so it's best to be early to avoid the rush. Inside you'll find food stalls, traditional Japanese artisans, craft and <u>martial</u> arts demonstrations, Japanese dance and performance arts, beautiful music, and many unique vendors. </p>
<p dir="ltr">The following weekend, we'll be at the <a href="https://www.memphisbotanicgarden.com/japanese-festival">Memphis Japan Festival</a> on 9/24. In addition to food, music and vendors, there will also be kamishibai paper theater for the kids. As well as lectures on the Japanese tea ceremony, kimono, bonsai, origami and the game of go. So many awesome things to experience all in one day!</p>
<p dir="ltr">And rounding out the month of September, we will be attending a <a href="https://m.facebook.com/clearwatersistercities/"><u>Sake</u></a><a href="https://m.facebook.com/clearwatersistercities/"> tasting</a> event sponsored by the Clearwater Sister Cities organization on 9/30. </p>
<p dir="ltr">Check out our <a href="http://sakikonokimonoya.com/#">calendar</a> of events for more details including event locations and times. We hope to see see you soon!</p>
Sakiko no Kimonoyahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09653035473869221632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-461521190981811994.post-57578539246789433442017-01-31T18:28:00.001-08:002017-01-31T18:30:50.243-08:00First blog update of 2017<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Hi there everyone, it’s been a looooong time(read almost a year -_-) since I made a blog post and I had some down time today so I figured I should try to get that problem resolved and kick myself into writing again. A lot has happened in the last year. We’ve been all over the place meeting great people and enjoying the different local scenes while selling our lovely kimono. As many of you already know in a week I’m heading back to Japan to do more restock, and this time my mom is going with me! We’re excited beyond words as this will be her first time staying in Japan since she lived on US Air Force bases there as a young girl in the 60’s and 70’s.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">There may be some changes to our event scheduling in the coming year. Though I know many of you want us to sell at conventions, so far they have been very neutral venues for us as far as cost vs profit is concerned. Though I have signed up for a few this year, we may eventually be cutting a lot of them out, possibly to just one or two a year. In an attempt to make them work and because I enjoy doing conventions, I’m going try a new approach this buying trip at finding merchandise that would also appeal more to the convention goer. And of course we will still continue to stock all our regular items, but not bring as much of the traditional clothing items to the conventions. We’ll see how this works out for us, and as usual, if there is anything specific you’re looking for that we carry and you know in advance that you’ll be looking to purchase at an upcoming event, just send us a message and we’ll be sure to bring it along.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">While we’re in Japan the online store will be closed (from the 7th-27th of February), and I’m trying to figure out how to more effectively use my social media sites so that I can give you some interesting content from our trips. So be on the lookout for a few live feeds from Japan on our Facebook page in the next few weeks. I’m also doing some personal shopping for a few customers so if there’s something you’ve been wanting to purchase from the Kansai and Kanto regions, send me a message and we'll see if we can work out a way to get it to you.</span></div>
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Sakiko no Kimonoyahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09653035473869221632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-461521190981811994.post-86588151947797288742016-04-20T05:39:00.002-07:002016-05-16T16:17:06.246-07:00Keeping the Japanese traditional textile industry alive<p dir="ltr">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. </p>
<p dir="ltr">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. </p>
<p dir="ltr">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 <a href="http://www.amazon.co.jp/%E3%82%B3%E3%83%B3%E3%83%90%E3%83%BC%E3%82%B9-CONVERSE-STAR-NISHIJIN-ORI-HI/dp/B00GLHGGYU">Converse All Stars made from </a><a href="http://www.amazon.co.jp/%E3%82%B3%E3%83%B3%E3%83%90%E3%83%BC%E3%82%B9-CONVERSE-STAR-NISHIJIN-ORI-HI/dp/B00GLHGGYU"><u>Nishijin-</u></a><a href="http://www.amazon.co.jp/%E3%82%B3%E3%83%B3%E3%83%90%E3%83%BC%E3%82%B9-CONVERSE-STAR-NISHIJIN-ORI-HI/dp/B00GLHGGYU"><u>ori</u></a><a href="http://www.amazon.co.jp/%E3%82%B3%E3%83%B3%E3%83%90%E3%83%BC%E3%82%B9-CONVERSE-STAR-NISHIJIN-ORI-HI/dp/B00GLHGGYU"> weave textile</a>, traditionally used to make obi. Or how about a <a href="http://aliansa.jp/sp/wa_dress/">wedding dress made with fabric that is usually reserved for kimono</a>? There are even some really cute gamaguchi <a href="http://www.sousouus.com/product-category/accessories/wallets/">wallets</a><a href="http://www.sousouus.com/product-category/accessories/wallets/"> made of </a><a href="http://www.sousouus.com/product-category/accessories/wallets/">Bizen</a><a href="http://www.sousouus.com/product-category/accessories/wallets/"> woven cotton or </a><a href="http://www.sousouus.com/product-category/accessories/wallets/">Ise</a><a href="http://www.sousouus.com/product-category/accessories/wallets/"> cotton</a>. The list goes on and on. </p>
<p dir="ltr">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.</p>
<p dir="ltr">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?</p>
Sakiko no Kimonoyahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09653035473869221632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-461521190981811994.post-60218835181997142582016-04-13T11:07:00.001-07:002016-04-13T11:09:43.749-07:00Review of Konbini Grand Opening<br />
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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, <a href="http://www.kappoeastend.com/">www.kappoeastend.com</a>, to see what's happening. </div>
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Sakiko no Kimonoyahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09653035473869221632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-461521190981811994.post-46324168061243023432016-03-29T06:17:00.000-07:002016-03-29T06:17:47.790-07:00Sho No Ryu Performance in Fort Walton Beach, FL<div dir="ltr">
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.<br />
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<a href="https://youtu.be/Su59cek_mMM">https</a><a href="https://youtu.be/Su59cek_mMM">://</a><a href="https://youtu.be/Su59cek_mMM">youtu.be</a><a href="https://youtu.be/Su59cek_mMM">/Su59cek_</a><a href="https://youtu.be/Su59cek_mMM">mMM</a></div>
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<a href="https://youtu.be/dEtfDbmzJiQ">https://youtu.be/dEtfDbmzJiQ</a></div>
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<a href="http://shounoryu.com/home.html">http</a><a href="http://shounoryu.com/home.html">://</a><a href="http://shounoryu.com/">shounoryu.com</a><a href="http://shounoryu.com/">/</a><br />
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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. :)<br />
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<a href="http://m.yelp.com/biz/dosirak-house-fort-walton-beach">http://m.yelp.com/biz/dosirak-house-fort-walton-beach</a><br />
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Sakiko no Kimonoyahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09653035473869221632noreply@blogger.com0Fort Walton Beach, FL, USA30.420070799999991 -86.61703080000000930.310547299999989 -86.778392300000007 30.529594299999992 -86.455669300000011tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-461521190981811994.post-55313436780718246342016-02-04T17:08:00.000-08:002016-02-07T10:20:13.086-08:00Hari-kuyou<p dir="ltr">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. </p>
Sakiko no Kimonoyahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09653035473869221632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-461521190981811994.post-21153263462789263402016-01-09T13:50:00.001-08:002016-02-01T21:38:33.975-08:00Setsubun<p dir="ltr"><u>On</u> 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 <u>large</u> 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).<br></p>
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Sakiko no Kimonoyahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09653035473869221632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-461521190981811994.post-63404329293779425992016-01-09T13:13:00.001-08:002016-07-18T18:55:05.855-07:00The Furisode and Coming of Age Day<p dir="ltr"><u>Have</u> 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 <u>Seijin</u> 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. </p>
<p dir="ltr"><a href="http://<div class=" getty="" embed="" image"="" style="background-color:#fff;display:inline-block;font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;color:#a7a7a7;font-size:11px;width:100%;max-width:594px;"></a></p><div style="padding:0;margin:0;text-align:left;"><a href="http://www.gettyimages.com/detail/84253435" target="_blank" style="color:#a7a7a7;text-decoration:none;font-weight:normal !important;border:none;display:inline-block;">Embed from Getty Images</a></div><div style="overflow:hidden;position:relative;height:0;padding:66.666667% 0 0 0;width:100%;"><iframe src="//embed.gettyimages.com/embed/84253435?et=SuKBZmGrTfdg9kFpvAtSiA&viewMoreLink=on&sig=xSS6NtQGlTnCNJlZ7EjtsJcoVOYwb0NUOeQJCpLs8wg=&caption=true" width="594" height="396" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" style="display:inline-block;position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;margin:0;"></iframe></div><p style="margin:0;"></p><p></p>
Sakiko no Kimonoyahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09653035473869221632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-461521190981811994.post-27746211395145166712016-01-08T16:40:00.001-08:002016-01-08T16:40:15.521-08:00Happy New Year!<p dir="ltr">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. </p>
<p dir="ltr">May you all be happy and healthy in the coming year,<br></p>
<p dir="ltr">The Sakiko no Kimonoya staff<br>
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Sakiko no Kimonoyahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09653035473869221632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-461521190981811994.post-61432639174355191512015-10-24T10:00:00.000-07:002015-10-24T16:08:34.853-07:00Experience Asia Festival 2015, Reflections<div dir="ltr">
A few weeks ago we vendored at a really cool event and I've just realized I totally forgot to write up a review. This year was the 11th annual Experience Asia Festival in Tallahassee, FL. I'd never even heard of it before until an acquaintance happened to mention last month that it was coming up soon. Thinking that it sounded like an interesting venue, I emailed their event organizer to see if they had room for another booth. Though it was very last minute they were so gracious, kind and informative. They got us registered within a day, even though the official cutoff time for registering had already passed. When we arrived, there was a large group of volunteers waiting to help us set up our tent and the rest of our things. It was a very cool perk, even though I wasn't really sure what to tell them to help with because I'm not used to having such a large group of help. They even came back at the end of the day to help us pack up. This was an outdoor event and a bit blustery, so I've put it in my notes to think up a better method to display the products so that they won't fly away! ;) We were set up right next to the stage and they had a lot excellent entertainment. I enjoyed catching bits of dances from all over Asia. And the Matsuriza taiko drumming troupe was the highlight of the day for our ears. We could also smell all the tasty foods nearby, but sadly were a bit too busy to run and get some. And... our customers were fabulous! I had the opportunity to dress two lovely young ladies, and they were wonderfully patient and curious. I even got heartfelt hugs from the proud new owner of a beautiful garnet haori. When you're weary from a fun but exhausting day of kimono sales, nothing beats a genuinely thrilled customer coming back for a quick hug of appreciation.</div>
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Sakiko no Kimonoyahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09653035473869221632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-461521190981811994.post-52437732658073356302015-10-21T19:07:00.003-07:002015-10-25T10:23:08.475-07:00The search for men's kitsuke itemsI've gotten a lot of requests in the last few months for more men's kimono items. While I'm certainly happy to oblige them, I think it's worth noting that this is turning out to be an interesting challenge. While on a search to try to find these items, I've started wonder about why it is that they are so hard to come by. The majority of my stock is vintage, and while I do carry some new items, these tend to be pricey and I personally feel that having a lot of merchandise to choose from that is affordable for all is of more importance. While thinking about all of this, I have come up with a little theory. Women's vintage items are probably more prolific because a) they were better taken care of, and b) they were probably not used as often. Men's daily activities would have been much more hard on their clothing, making them not last nearly as long. And women probably had more of a wardrobe to choose from than men, so they're items would be less worn out overall because they weren't in constant use. Again, this is just a crazy theory. ;)Sakiko no Kimonoyahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09653035473869221632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-461521190981811994.post-75733859967393970682015-10-19T14:15:00.002-07:002015-10-25T10:22:59.185-07:00We're live!We've completed the most important parts of the website and we're now fully operational. New store items are being added and we look forward to serving you! If you've got any thoughts on what we could be doing better, or things you'd like to see in the shop leave a comment or drop us a line at sakikonokimonoya@gmail.com, and thank you for your patience while we set all of this up!Sakiko no Kimonoyahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09653035473869221632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-461521190981811994.post-24985161793317506902015-10-11T08:20:00.001-07:002015-10-25T10:22:45.957-07:00And so it begins...Well we've almost got the web store up and ready for public use. All parts may not be functioning to begin with but I'm hoping to make some really useful and entertaining content that will help customers make to make educated purchases and learn more about kimono. Whether or not you're new to Japanese kimono or this an old and cherished topic for you, I really hope you'll enjoy this site and what it has to offer. More to come soon, so keep your eyes peeled. Sakiko no Kimonoyahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09653035473869221632noreply@blogger.com0