Kakishibu is a natural dye derived from juicing unripe persimmons. The juice is then fermented to create the final product, a tannin which can be used in many domestic situations. This dye is of great cultural value to the Japanese people and has been used throughout much of Japan’s extensive history for many items including sake bags, kimono, and paper.
The dye offers a beautifully subtle yet rustic appeal to natural fibers which is very familiar to the Japanese eye. Originally used in ancient China and Japan as a herbal cure for stroke, persimmon tannin has also been said to be helpful for recovering after intoxication.
The persimmon tannin also prevents bacteria making it an ideal dye for socks and undergarments. The natural dye is also perfect for individuals with chemical sensitivities.
Persimmon fruit, called “kaki” in Japanese, are native to almost all of Japan. The tannin has been used to make paper, umbrellas, and wooden crafts in Japan for thousands of years.
The dye prevents bacteria growth and also works to harden whatever material it is applied to. Kakishibu can make natural fibers, such as cloth, washi (Japanese style paper) and wood, more water resistant.
Historically, kakishibu has been combined with indigo dyes to create a beautiful, natural contract of designs on fabric. As a result, these carefully designed fabrics became expensive and sought after luxuries.
In the past, persimmon tannin was used to coat fishing net as it prevents corrosion of the fibers. The natural properties also prevent mold growth and insect infestation. They could also be reapplied every year in order to strengthen the fabric and deepen the color. When applied year after year, these fabrics began to resemble a brown leather. Some artists have recycled these fishing nets to create rare yarn (pictured below).
There’s no denying that kakishibu has a distinct aesthetic. This color is easily recognizable to those familiar with its rustic hue.
Recently, high end fashion designers have taken advantage of this versatile and subtle dye. However, because persimmon tannin takes two to five years to properly age, it is not for the impatient. In true Japanese fashion, kakishibu is a slow art that possesses an appealing imperfection.
The Japanese idea of wabi-sabi has no direct English translation. However, the concept can be described as a an artistic mindset which finds beauty in natural imperfection.
Art may be broken, incomplete, or distorted over time. All of these minor imperfections work together to create beauty. Most noteworthy is that the wab-isabi aesthetic celebrates simplicity, asymmetry, and roughness as beautiful qualities. Kakishibu falls perfectly into this idea of wabi-sabi beauty.
Its color may change overtime, the dye may never produce the same shade twice, but in these imperfections there is an irreplaceable beauty.
The post Kakishibu: Natural Color for a Natural Life appeared first on YUNOMI.
]]>Also March is the start of SAKURA (cherry blossoms) season!!
When March starts, we hear a word Sakura-zensen(桜前線)on the news. It means "cherry blossom front" referring to the advance of the cherry blossom across Japan. Sakura blooming forecast predicts it will bloom on March 17th in Kagoshima, Kyusyu, south of Japan, May 9th in Hokkaido, north of Japan this year!!
When is the earliest bloom date for your area? SAKURA Forecast for 2021 『Japan Weather Association NEWS』 2021.03.02
We hear the advance of the front every day on news. The front starts from the southern part of Japan and goes up to the north taking about 2 months to cover the whole of Japan.
Also we are hearing how much the sakura blooms. Sanbu-zaki (三部咲き) means 30% in bloom. Gobu-zaki (五分咲き) means 50% in bloom, Mankai (満開) means in full bloom.Full bloom usually lasts about 1 week to 10 days from the first day of flowering.
Maybe, you can understand how much people are looking forward to seeing sakura! One of the reasons people want the news is for Hanami(花見) -cherry blossom viewing. Hanami is a party where, people get together to see sakura and enjoy drinking and eating under sakura trees.
People are really keeping their eyes on sakura in spring!!
People also love having sakura products. So many products are in shops in March and pretty pink colr will be all around you.
Of course we have sakura in Japanese cooking ,too.
These are called Sakura mochi(桜餅) made of sweet pink mochi (rice cake) or a pink pancake. It is usually filled with anko( sweet bean paste) in a salty pickled cherry leaf. Sakura mochi is usually eaten on Girl's day on March 3rd and but also enjoy throughout the spring season in Japan.
Waiting for sakura flowers to bloom, seeing sakura, wearing sakura, eating sakura, living with sakura.....
Look how essential sakura is for Japanese people!
Now, I can introduce you sakura products in our web shop. They are so cute. It would be nice to have them on your table!
Can you see the cup has a cute sakura shape in the bottom?
Yamani - Miyama Tableware: Sakura Sencha Tea Cup Pink
It is nice, isn't it? Not only sencha green tea, but you can also see it through black tea.
How about the next ones?
These are chopstick rests.
How cute the soft pink color is. You can probably use them as decoration,too.
The tea canisters are also lovely.
You can put not only tea leaves but also something else. Possibly you just enjoy looking beautiful designs on your table?!
If you want the flavor of sakura, here is green tea with sugared sakura leaves and dried sakura blossom petals.
Chasandai: Sakura Sencha with Sugared Sakura Leaves
There is not any artificial flavoring added. You can enjoy a soft and nice flavor of real sakura!!
This time I showed you how important sakura is for people in Japan and how people enjoy sakura in their lives.
I have got more things to tell you about sakura!! I will write about a sakura bark craft and sakura in cooking, next time.
Items in this article:
Yamani - Miyama Tableware: Sakura Sencha Tea Cup Pink
Yamani - Miyama Tableware: Sakura Chopstick Rest Pink
Shizucan: Mt. Fuji Series Washi Tea Canister
Chasandai: Sakura Sencha with Sugared Sakura Leaves
]]>
The post A Home for Art on a Hill in Wazuka appeared first on YUNOMI.
]]>Wazuka is a town in Kyoto Prefecture famous for its high quality tea. The farming families in Wazuka have been producing Ujicha for over 800 years. Today around 300 farming families still live in Wazuka.
A tea processing factory sits at the edge of a tea field. Photo taken by Victoria Garafola in Wazuka, Kyoto.
Tucked away between rolling tea fields and old wayside homesteads is a handmade art sanctuary. The house is called “Wazuka oka no ue no ie (和束町丘の上の家).” This can be translated as “The house on the hill in Wazuka.” The home is open to travelers, foreign artists, and anyone else who can make their way to this remote respite.
Finished silkscreen stencils lay outside the art house in Wazuka. Photo taken by Victoria Garafola in Wazuka, Japan
Two years ago this home was nothing more than another dilapidated house. There are many of these peppered throughout the Japanese countryside. Today, it is a beautiful place which works to bring art and events to the community.
The house on the hill can be seen in the distance. Photo taken by Victoria Garafola in Wazuka, Japan
Since then, the owner and his team of volunteers have worked to make the building a habitable home for art and various events.
Visitors are free to take a stroll around the endless tea fields that surround the area. Photo taken by Victoria Garafola in Wazuka, Japan
On Monday, October 19th, the home was opened for yet another event. This time it was a silk screening DIY pizza party!
Pizza baking in a handmade stone oven overlooking tea fields. Photo taken by Victoria Garafola
Participants paid just ¥1500 for all-you-can-eat pizza and the opportunity to use equipment to make their own silk screen eco bags.
Artists prepare to make the silkscreen stencils. Photo taken by Victoria Garafola
Upon arrival, pencils and paper were passed out and people got to work creating their designs. Some traced preprinted designs, others drew freehand. After drawing the design and tracing it on to a transparent screen, we were able to get to work making the silk screen stencil.
The first part involved covering each screen with an emulsion solution and allowing the newly painted screens to dry in their homemade drying box.
Artists rinse off their stencils to clean away residual emulsion. Photo taken by Victoria Garafola in Wazuka, Japan
After applying the emulsion to the screen, designs were placed over the screen and put above a special UV light box. This impressed the image into the screen.
Each color is hand mixed allowing for artistic variety and a handmade feel! Photo taken by Victoria Garafola
Afterwords, artists took their screens outside to rinse off before the final step. Once the stencils were made, the last step was to mix the ink and learn how to successfully transfer the image onto our new canvas bags.
One participant prints his design onto the canvas bag. Photo taken by Victoria Garafola
The post Welcome to the Chagenkyo Matsuri: Wazuka’s Teatopia Festival appeared first on YUNOMI.
]]>Celebrating the long history of tea cultivation in Kyoto, the Chagenkyo Matsuri is a festival that has taken place annually for over 30 years. Located in the town of Wazuka, visitors can enjoy great tea and cultural education in a scenic location.Wazuka was one of the first places chosen to cultivate tea after it was imported from China over 800 years ago.
This year, Yunomi had the opportunity to attend this exciting event. The event was held over the course of a weekend and included many different activities such as various food vendors, tea ceremonies and tutorials, as well as farm tours and children’s games.
Spending the day at the festival meant having the chance to try plenty of unusual tea based concoctions. My first stop was a shop offering matcha cream coffee. It was a delicious combination of two unlikely flavors.
The stand also sold several Japanese confectioneries made with sweet rice and red beans. The friendly staff recommended purchasing the coffee and sweets as a set because the sweets are enhanced by the matcha flavor.
Next I followed the line of stalls only to fall upon an unlikely face. An American whisking up alcoholic green tea matcha beverages. His drinks were delicious and unique. Highly recommended.
We ordered Yuzu Matcha and Amaretto Matcha drinks. Although they look similar, they taste very different.
Along the way, I stopped by a stand collecting money to help Syrian citizens. They had “Stop Killing in Syria” signs and photos of support from many celebrities. The vendors said they’ve been participating in the festivities for the last four years.
One shop from Nara sold bamboo handmade utensils. This vendor travels to Kyoto to see their goods annually at the festival. Visitors can buy tea tools such as whisks and spoons. The stall also sold good unrelated to tea like the flower vase pictured below.
Hand dyed fabrics and accessories are displayed at one vendor. Dyes were created from tea, persimmon, and other natural ingredients. Kakishibu fabrics have recently gained the recognition they deserve in the fashion industry. These fabrics have antibacterial properties and are a symbol of Japanese culture.
Of course, no tea festival would be complete without tea tasting. Japanese teas were displayed along with unusual teas from around the world.
Local farms offered visitors the chance to tour the beautiful tea fields in the surrounding town. Visitors are also welcome to participate in traditional tea rolling.
The post Welcome to the Chagenkyo Matsuri: Wazuka’s Teatopia Festival appeared first on YUNOMI.
]]>The post 5 Places from Murakami’s Japan appeared first on YUNOMI.
]]>Murakami became a literary legend with his 1987 novel Norwegian Wood. Since then, he has stolen the hearts of readers with his quirky, slightly fantastic, yet somehow realistic worlds. His main characters are accessible yet not quite typical.
Shibuya, Tokyo 【After Dark】
While the precise location for “After Dark” goes unnamed throughout the novel, those familiar with Tokyo will identify it as none other than Shibuya.
Here you can absorb yourself in the stereotypical scene of Japanese night life, love hotels, salary men, Chinese prostitutes, stone eyed workers. Ultimately, there’s no doubt that those out after dark are outcasts looking for a place to bid their time. Find youself a 24 hour Denny’s, a think book, and order some coffee. You never know, perhaps your encounters will change you by dawn.
Takamatsu, Kagawa 【Kafka on the Shore】
Readers familiar with Murakami’s Kafka on the Shore will recall the town the protagonist, Kafka Tamura, ran away to. This port city on Shikoku Island served as the main setting for the novel.
Although some of the locations described in the book do not actually exist, a trip to the city is well worth it for both tourists and nerds a like. If you’re feeling particularly adventurous, use this map to visit every location mentioned in the novel.
Hakone, Kanagawa 【South of the Border, West of the Sun】
Much like the Vegas of Japan, secrets never leave Hakone. This resort town will hide your hidden passions in the trees, drown your dishonesty in a hotspring, and send you back to Tokyo with a frazzled mind and an anxious heart.
At least, that’s the Hakone I imagined as I read about Hajime racing to his cabin to continue his illicit affair with his childhood friend, Shimamoto. While you’re there, don’t forget to see Mt. Fuji!
Aoyama, Tokyo [Dance, Dance, Dance]
Do your shopping in at a “fancy shmancy kinokuniya supermarket.” Walk around and experience one of the wealthiest neighborhoods in Tokyo.
Finally, get lost in the Aoyama Itchome Station where the protagonists from Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World finally emerged, filthy and squinting at the blinding lights. Not surprisingly, Murakami has even called Aoyama his home.
Waseda university (Norwegian Wood]
Take a stroll down the same streets Murakami knew as a drama student at Waseda University. Hide the library. Visit in the Memorial Theatre Museum. Eat with your lover in the cafeteria. It was here, among the coffee shops and bookstores, that Toru Watanabe, the main character from Norwegian Wood, studies. Furthermore, the novel took place during the same period Murakami attended university. For this reason, it is arguably the author’s most autobiographical book. Moreover, if you’re a diehard fan, you can even tour the same dormitory Murakami lived in during his first year on campus. Wakeijuku Hall was the model for Watanabe and “Storm Trooper’s” room.
Just a short train ride away from the neon chaos of Shibuya is another Murakami fan hub. Unwind with some whisky and Jazz at bar DUG. Most noteworthy, Watanabe also frequented this Shibuya based jazz bar.
DUG
Hours: Monday- Saturday 12pm to 2am, Sundays and Holidays 12pm to 11:30pm
Address: Tokyo, Shinjuku-Ku, Shinjuku, 3-15-12
Tel 03-3354-7776
If all else fails, follow a stray cat.
The post 5 Places from Murakami’s Japan appeared first on YUNOMI.
]]>The post Camping on rooftop in Shimokitazawa appeared first on YUNOMI.
]]>
All plans include all-you-can-drink (Nomihoudai) and a selection of barbeque food depending on the plan.
Prices start from 4000 Yen ($40 USD) per person.
You can enjoy the wind and a nice cityscape of urban Tokyo.
Remember to book in advance.
More information here (In Japanese):
http://www.bbq-partystyle.com/area/?id=1373706226-112851&ca=1
(Original Article and photo)
The post Camping on rooftop in Shimokitazawa appeared first on YUNOMI.
]]>The primary difference between yukata and kimono are the fabrics used to make the garments. Yukata are typically made from a light cotton material as they are worn throughout the summer months. On the other hand, kimono are usually made from silk and have at least two colors. The second color comes from a special undergarment called a juban. This juban can be seen peeking out from under the kimono creating a layered look.
Yukata are usually in the summer during festival season and may also be worn as bathing robes at Japanese hotels and hot spring resorts.. The main difference between a yukata and a summertime kimono is the absence of the undergarment and tabi socks usually associated with kimono. Some summertime kimono may be made from cotton. A kimono is usually regarded as a more formal garnet and they typically cost more than simple yukata.
Experience a timeless Japanese tradition first hand by strolling through the old stone streets in traditional dress. There are many shops offering foreigners the chance to borrow kimono and yukata for the day. We’ve searched and searched for the shops with the best service and most authentic experience.
When visiting the famous bamboo forest area, don’t miss out on dressing your best! Akahime kimono and yukata rental studio offers indoor photo sessions, rental packages, and the opportunity to purchase your own kimono if you’re interested in owning your own garment.
If you go:
Address: 3-56 Susukinobaba-cho,Saga-Tenryuji,Ukyo-ku, Kyoto-shi
Business hours: 8:30~19:00
Website: http://akahime.com/eng
Phone: 075-865-1180
This shop also allows customers to leave their rented garments at their hotel. They can delivery your clothing and any other luggage you may have to the hotel reception. Yukawa rental is available during July and August. There are other branches of this shop located in Gion, Yasakanotomae, Okamoto, and Central Kyoto.
If you go:
Address: 2-237-1-1 Kiyomizu, Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto-shi
Business hours: 9:00 ~ 20:00
Website:http://okamoto-kimono.com/english
Phone: 075-532-1320
Yume Kyoto, located near Yasaka Shrine, is one of the best shops in the city. Offering services in English, Chinese, and Taiwanese, Yume Kyoto is very foreigner friendly. This shop can accommodate up to fifty people in one group and fittings can also be done at your hotel.
If you go:
Address: 4F Yasaka building 300 Gionmachi-kitagawa Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto
Business hours: 9:00 ~ 20:00
Website:http://yumekyotokimono.com
Phone: 075-561-9410
]]>In general, traditonal Japanese foods utilize fresh ingredients. Instead of focusing on fattening meats, many Japanese means focus on seasonal vegetables and fish.
The average meal in Japan is served with many small dishes. Not only are the portion sizes smaller, but the overall amount of food consumed is less. Is it estimated that Japanese people consume about 25% fewer calories than their Western counterparts.
While being obese is generally frowned upon no matter where you are, being obese in Japan simply isn’t tolerated. Japanese companies routinely mandate their employees to undergo medical screenings. If an employee is overweight, he or she will be forced to participate in medical counseling. Companies that fail to meet weight standards have to pay higher insurance premiums.
The “fat acceptance movement” has yet to take off in Japan. Perhaps they haven’t gotten the memo or read the tumblr thread. It is still very unacceptable to be overweight in Japan. Furthermore, while it is considered impolite to comment on a person’s weight in the United States, the Japanese are very blunt about this matter.
The majority of people in Japan live in cities. City dwellers tend to move more than those who live in the countryside. Few can afford to keep a car in the city so most Japanese depend on the country’s fantastic public transportation system. All in all, Japanese spend most of their day in motion.
While most nations would prefer for their citizens to be active, Japan takes exercise very seriously. Every October Japan celebrates 体育の日 (taiku no hi) which translates as Health Sports Day. This national holiday exists to promote sports and a healthy lifestyle. Around this time, Japanese children will partake in Sports Day Celebrations at their school. Health and exercise are an integral part of the Japanese lifestyle.
In Japan, school lunches are always a healthy balance of locally sourced vegetables, rice, and fish. Most districts hire a nutritionist to prepare their meal plan. Despite the care taken to prepare each meal, the cost of feeding Japan’s school children is surprisingly affordable at around $3 per meal. Japan’s lunches are generally prepared with the help of the children themselves. They are taught to prepare and clean up after their own meals, a valuable life lesson. Interestingly, Japanese children tend to eat their lunches in their classroom.
Not only do Japanese tend to walk more and utilize public transportation, but traveling by bicycle is also safe and commonplace throughout the country. Much like in Northern Europe, it is not unusual to see a young Japanese mother with two (or more!!!) children on a bicycle riding around town. Because bicycles are so common, drivers are less aggressive and the roads are generally very safe.
As Snopes is quick to point out, this rumor is not true. However, there is a bit of truth behind the exaggeration. Japan requires citizens between the ages of 45 and 74 to have their waists measured once a year. If the individual is at risk of being overweight, they are encouraged to seek medical attention. This law, called the “Metabo Law” was passed in January 2008.
Overweight individuals have trouble shopping in Japan. It’s no secret that the majority of Japanese are petite and, compared to Westerners, quite short. Within the Japanese fashion industry, it’s not uncommon to find “free size” clothing. This “one size fits all” trend makes shopping difficult for larger people. Even in places where sizes are available, the largest size may be a US size M. Larger individuals are forced to shop at more specialty shops or import their larger clothes.
]]>Vending machines usually have a wide variety of drinks such as coffee, soda, juice, etc… but not this one.
A vending machine placed in Ochanomizu Station in Tokyo (JR line) carries only “tea” and “water”!
This has to do with the name of the station, Ochanomizu (御茶ノ水): ocha meaning tea and mizu meaning water.
The station will mark its 110th anniversary on December 31, 2014 and this is part of the project for the anniversary event.
Today, on December 13, 2014, there will be an event at the station. If you’re in Tokyo now, it will be an interesting place to stop by!!
(Ochanomizu Station is located along the JR Chuo line or JR Sobu line).
]]>