Tag - washi

 
 

WASHI

Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
May 17, 2023
Manga artists preserve drawings on washi for generations to come
Artists who helmed series such as 'Ashita no Joe' and 'Thermae Romae' launch an initiative to leave ink drawings of their work to posterity and ensure the future of 'gampi' paper-making.
Japan Times
LIFE
Feb 12, 2023
Fukui’s dwindling washi makers hold on to paper-thin margins
As a product, washi's beauty is unassailable. As an industry, it's future is in doubt.
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design / ON: DESIGN
Feb 17, 2020
Fresh ideas for old-school crafts
As many of Japan's traditional crafts and industries hope to adapt to survive, more young designers are offering their creative help
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle / Kateigaho International Japan Edition
Dec 14, 2019
Mizuhiki: Paper with a spiritual twist
Mizuhiki are an indispensable part of the country's new year celebrations, embodying people's hopes and prayers for the 12 months ahead.
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design / ON: DESIGN
Nov 25, 2019
Need last-minute, shipping-friendly holiday gifts?
The holiday season is closing in fast, and if you're looking to send gifts — especially to overseas — you likely only have a week or so at the most to get to the post office. Here are a few ideas that shouldn't need more than a Jiffy bag to pop in the mail.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle / Kateigaho International Japan Edition
Sep 21, 2019
Wonders of washi: Tesuki Washi Tanino makes ultrarefined paper with an amber sheen
The third UNESCO-commended washi paper, Hosokawa-shi from Saitama Prefecture, was once used to keep records and accounts but is now used to make art prints and to preserve and restore cultural properties.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle / Kateigaho International Japan Edition
Sep 14, 2019
Wonders of washi: Sekishu Washi Kubota produces strong, pliant paper from local mulberry plants
The Sekishu-washi produced by Akira Kubota, prized for its delicate watermark patterns and subtle colors, is used to restore precious cultural properties.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Regional voices: Chubu
Sep 13, 2019
Gifu washi apprentice publishes book of 'insanely difficult' origami animals
Yuga Arisawa, 21, who has loved making complex artworks using origami since he was a child, traveled throughout Japan as a high school student looking for the best paper — fine but able to endure nearly 100 folds.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle / Kateigaho International Japan Edition
Sep 7, 2019
Wonders of washi: Exacting standards at Mino Takegami Kobo
At Mino Takegami Kobo, Toyomi Suzuki and her family make Honmino-shi, a delicate handmade washi paper with a magnificent irregular texture.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle / Kateigaho International Japan Edition
Aug 31, 2019
Wonders of washi: Discovering the tradition of handcrafted paper
In November 2014, traditional washi papermaking techniques were included on UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage list. Over the next few weeks, we shall visit three of the nation's most prominent washi-making sites, largely unchanged for centuries, to discover the charm and potential inherent in handmade Japanese paper.
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design
Mar 31, 2019
Baku Sakashita: In light of good design
Designer and artisan Baku Sakashita sheds light on his striking Suki series of lamps and the history of design in Japan.
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design / ON: DESIGN
Feb 24, 2019
Japan's hotels design new experiences
Among a crop of new hotels in Japan are several unique establishments aiming to support local artisans, while offering guests experiences that go way beyond a comfy bed and fine dining.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Jan 5, 2019
Examining Japan's traditional paper trail
As temperatures drop across the country, washi makers nationwide enter their peak production season.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Jul 29, 2018
'Paper sommelier' hopes to help revive Japan's washi industry
Yoshinao Sugihara, head of a traditional paper wholesaler in Echizen, Fukui Prefecture, takes the use of washi paper to a new level in interior design.
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design / ON: DESIGN
Mar 4, 2018
Classic ways to relax in style
Crafts that help perfect a calming break from it all
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle / CHILD'S PLAY
Feb 18, 2018
Washi workshop: Good on paper, better firsthand
"Mummy, where does paper come from?" This was a question recently asked by my young daughter that was easier to answer than her usual string of whats and whys ("Do insects cry?" and "Why were we born?" among them).
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design / ON: DESIGN
Dec 3, 2017
It's time to stop blocking color
Minimalist interiors have been a growing trend for many years now, primarily dominated by a monochromatic palette of white. But who says we need to abandon color to live a de-cluttered life?
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Jul 15, 2017
Kamiko: Growing paper clothes in rural Japan
A small community in Miyagi Prefecture is struggling to continue making one of its most-famous craft exports — Shiroishi handmade paper and paper clothes
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design / ON: DESIGN
Jun 4, 2017
Souvenirs for the summer holidays
As Japan heats up as a tourist destination, On Design looks into souvenir ideas that won't take up much space in the suitcase and are a little less cliched than the usual airport fare.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Apr 2, 2017
Leiji Matsumoto surfs the floating world
The work of manga artist Leiji Matsumoto mixes historical periods, themes and technologies, often in a science-fiction setting: His signature comics involve steam locomotives and reborn World War II battleships sailing among the stars. These grand flights of fancy, which have found fans around the world, become even more magical when transposed into a traditional Japanese art form, such as ukiyo-e, the "pictures of the floating world" from Japan's Edo Period (1603-1868).

Longform

Later this month, author Shogo Imamura will open Honmaru, a bookstore that allows other businesses to rent its shelves. It's part of a wave of ideas Japanese booksellers are trying to compete with online spaces.
The story isn't over for Japan's bookstores