Tag - crafts

 
 

CRAFTS

Zashikibina, an exhibit by a group organizing hina doll displays in Fukuoka Prefecture, depicts the era of "The Tale of Genji," in the Gyosho room at Hyakudan Kaidan in Tokyo.
CULTURE
Feb 18, 2024
Hina doll exhibition in Tokyo highlights Girls' Day tradition
The event is being held for the first time in four years, after it was canceled during the COVID-19 pandemic.
An in-house design by Yamagiwa, the Sui drop-shaped light uses traditional Japanese chōchin lantern techniques and is made with Mino washi paper.
LIFE / Style & Design / ON: DESIGN
Feb 17, 2024
Japan-made standouts from one of Paris' biggest design fairs
Maison & Objet is now such a popular event that it is often nicknamed the Paris Fashion Week of the interior design industry.
The Final Fantasy-inspired plate was supposed to arrive in Tokyo on Jan. 5, but the Noto craftsmen moved up the schedule to the day before the destructive Noto tremblor.
LIFE / Style & Design
Feb 3, 2024
Spared from Noto quake, Final Fantasy lacquerware inspires hope
A group committed to preserving local lacquerware hopes that the decorative plate will help turn the region's dire disaster recovery situation around.
Takahiro Taya, the 10th-generation representative of lacquerware shop Taya Shikkiten in Wajima, Ishikawa Prefecture, holds a lacquerware bowl discovered from a workshop destroyed by a quake on New Year's Day.
JAPAN / Society
Jan 22, 2024
Wajima-nuri shop resolved to protect craft after quake
When the shop started a crowdfunding campaign, donations — and many encouraging messages — came quickly from all over the country.
Foreign tourists take pictures in Tokyo's Asakusa district in November.
BUSINESS
Dec 20, 2023
Japan’s post-pandemic tourists shift spending to crafts and jewelry
Average spending on traditional handicrafts per visitor was ¥13,338 ($92) in the July-September quarter, up 80% from the same period in 2019.
Kyoji’s Ma_do Fragments Wall Art collection of stainless steel frames, designed by Katsuyama Motonori, features off-cuts and other objects selected from Kyoji’s collaborating craftspeople.
LIFE / Style & Design
Nov 18, 2023
Off-the-wall designs to spruce up your home or office
On: Design looks at some products that can bring new life to bare walls.
Yosuke Ishikawa (left) and Celine Veaute gather mulberry leaves during an internship at a silkworm farm in Seiyo, Ehime Prefecture, on Aug. 28.
JAPAN
Nov 9, 2023
Internships creating brighter future for Japanese silk farming
The industry has fallen on hard times due to a drastic decline in the number of people engaged in sericulture.
Origami enthusiast Ken Lin carefully arranges his artwork for display at a monthly gathering in Hong Kong's Tsim Sha Tsui area.
LIFE / Style & Design
Nov 1, 2023
Hong Kong's origami fans share their passion at regular meet-ups
To Ken Lin, and many other origami enthusiasts in Hong Kong, the Japanese art "feels like magic."
Mysteriously suspended on the water of the Fugan Canal in Kansui Park, Hiroko Kubo’s “Mountain Dogs” (2023) are made from materials that reflect the industries of Toyama.
CULTURE / Art
Oct 7, 2023
An introspective Go For Kogei turns its attention to Toyama
The craft-art festival focuses on the historically industrial city to explore the Hokuriku region's crafts in an urban setting.
Jessica Gerrity says kyūdō is for everyone. It's just a matter of finding a dojo that fits you best.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / 20 QUESTIONS
Sep 30, 2023
‘Archery gives me a chance to decompress from a busy life’
Gerrity is trained in several forms of traditional Japanese martial arts and works to promote Japanese culture as a tourism ambassador.
Hiroyuki Fujii, a 78-year-old craftsman at Yamashita Kogyosho, explains the "3D sheet metal forming" method to create the noses of shinkansen trains, in Kudamatsu, Yamaguchi Prefecture, on June 7.
BUSINESS
Jul 27, 2023
'Faces' of shinkansen still mostly work of skilled craftsmen
Utilizing a technique known as "3D sheet metal forming," individual craftsmen create three-dimensional shapes with subtly curved surfaces by stretching and shrinking the metal sheets.
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design / ON: DESIGN
Jun 17, 2023
Japan’s young creators go to the mat for the tatami industry
This month, On: Design looks at a few innovations designed to recycle tatami waste and help revitalize the waning industry.
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 / Style & Design
May 13, 2023
In the world of tatami, one Kyushu variety is a cut above
Shichitōi rushes can be difficult to harvest and weave, but many consider them the superior ingredient for unparalleled tatami.
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design
Apr 15, 2023
Artisans update timeless craft of intricate ‘puzzle cabinets’
Although the craft of making karakuri-dansu is slowly disappearing, a craftsman and his son are keep the tradition torch lit with story-filled pieces for collectors and enthusiasts.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / 20 QUESTIONS
Mar 26, 2023
Haruo Nishio: ‘Thatched roofs tell a story of eternity’
The ancient craft of thatching is resisting the pressures of modernity thanks to artisans like Haruo Nishio, who connects to Japan’s historic roots by preserving its original houses.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Feb 14, 2023
Japanese artist turns heads with freaky flesh-like accessories
Masataka Shishido says his art is often made-to-order by customers who request their own body parts on the items.
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
Jan 24, 2023
Echizen forged knives sought after by chefs overseas
Echizen Uchihamono blades are forged by hand using techniques carefully passed down from around 700 years ago. The knives, despite being light and thin, are durable and sharp.

Longform

A statue of "Dragon Ball" character Goku stands outside the offices of Bandai Namco in Tokyo. The figure is now as recognizable as such characters as Mickey Mouse and Spider-Man.
Akira Toriyama's gift to the world