Takezaiku, or bamboo weaving, is an ancient form of Japanese art that involves taking a strong but inflexible material (bamboo) and making it not only moldable, but beautiful at the same time. It involves slicing the sinuous bamboo into strips, soaking them in water, and weaving them, generally into baskets and other utensils. Japanese tea…
Tag: craft
Nippori Fabric Town
For those with crafty leanings, Nippori Fabric Town is a neighborhood of northern Tokyo populated by over 100 shops selling all sorts of fabrics, ribbons and buttons and as well as over a dozen shops specializing in leather. Fabrics ranging from simple cotton to silk, from plain and printless to elaborate Japanese traditional designs are…
Handmade Ukulele
At a recent ukulele event, a dozen ukulele artists from Tokyo and Yokohama gathered to show and sell their beautiful instruments. Obviously, the ukulele is not a native instrument to Japan, but the number of artists and visitors to the show demonstrated how popular it is in Japan. The ukulele came to Japan via Hawaii,…
365 JAPAN 