Kimono Flea Market ICHIROYA's News Letter No.752
Hi! This is Nagisa writing again. How have you been? By the way, do you know why 'Nagoya Obi' is called Nagoya Obi? 'Nagoya' is a place-name in Japan. According to a theory, Nagoya Obi was born there around Taisho Period(1912-1926), and spread throughout Japan. It's located in the western part of Aichi Prefecture, and we can go to there only two hours by express train from Osaka. Last month, I visited there with my friends for the first time. I'd like to talk to you about the events of the day in Nagoya.
First, we went to Atsuta Jingu Shinto Shrine in the morning. It's famous for spiritual place called 'Power Spot' in Japanese, and enshrined the God of match-making. Yes, we're all single, so we desired strongly to find good match in near future! Though it has been one and a half months from that day, none of us get it so far...
We ate Taiwan noodle, one of the famous local food in Nagoya, and we headed for Nagoya Castle in the evening. It's one of the three greatest castle in Japan, and it was built in 1610 on the order of Ieyasu Tokugawa. Unfortunately, we can't enter the castle because of the repair work, but Honmaru-Goten was opened instead. It was once designated a national treasure, but burnt down by an air raid in war. The restoration work was started in 2009, and we can see the almost all areas of its inside. There are luxurious paintings of 'Fusuma' (sliding partition) and ceiling, relieves of 'Ranma' (transom window), and decorated metal parts restored faithfully. Finally, it has been completed in this month, so you can see the all areas from now on!
Speaking of Nagoya Castle, it has the golden Shachihoko which is the symbol of it. There were so many souvenirs with brilliant gold color sold at shops and restaurant nearby the castle. LOOK! This is the soft-serve ice cream decorated with gold foils. Have you ever seen such a gorgeous soft-serve? Though its price was 980 Yen, we decided to eat it for the memory of this trip as soon as we found it.
There is one more thing that we were fascinated with. Here it is ! This is the stature of Kiyomasa Kato. He is a general who was known as skillful castle builder. He build the stone wall of the castle, too. This statue is reproduced the scene that Kiyomasa encouraged his subordinates on a large stone. The large stone named 'Kiyomasa Ishi' was also displayed among the stone wall, but it says that it was brought by Nagamasa Kuroda, not Kiyomasa. And, the lord of the castle was Yoshinao Tokugawa who was Ieyasu's ninth son, not Kiyomasa! Yayakoshiiiii! However, we don't know who is he at that time. We just love his pose! We enjoyed taking pictures here and there with Kiyomasa pose.
!There are some items of castle design with Japanese scenery!
<< Kimono >>
www.ichiroya.com
<< Obi >>
http://www.ichiroya.com/item/list2/
Lastly, we went to see Teru san at night. It was the main purpose of this trip. He is our senior in college, and I was supposed to meet him for the first time in five or six years. However, we gathered unexpectedly at the funeral of Teruko Sensei, so it has been two weeks sine we had last met actually. He showed us the slide which was projected during the funeral, and told us some episodes with Teruko Sensei. We talked together about memories with her while laughing, crying, drinking and drinking. He may be tell me some heart-warming stories as he used to be. However, I don't really remember what he talked about with deep grief. I believe that it never caused by alcohol. Never...! After that, I almost checked in at a mistaken hotel, though.
Thank you for reading till the end. I'm doing fine thanks to big love from people around me. See you next time!
Kimono Flea Market ICHIROYA's News Letter No.751
Dear Newsletter readers,
Hello, this is Mitsue writing. How are you doing?
Rainy season has started last week in Osaka and will continue for about a month. This season is called 'Tsuyu' in Japanese, literally means 'Ume' (plum blossom) rain. It is said plum fruits are picked in this season for Umeboshi, plum wine and etc.
'Ajisai'(hydrangea) blooms in this season and it is one of my favorite flowers. However, I have a sad old memory of 'Ajisai'(hydrangea). My friend suffered from uterine cancer, and entered a hospital. As soon as I heard about her disease, I visited the hospital to see her and cherish her up with 'Ajisai'(hydrangea). Because it was her favorite flower. We chatted for a while and I thought she would recover soon. She looked so good chatting, laughing and walking, and she saw me off at the hospital entrance with smiling. That was the last time I saw her, she passed away a month later. She just became 30 years old and had a fiance. I cried and cried with her mother. Good memories of traveling, driving and climbing mountains are still in my mind, but a little sad feeling reminds me off when I see 'Ajisai'(hydrangea).
Kimonotte original Summer Han-eri with Ajisai design
we have more other color variations
Yukata with Ajisai design
Summer kimono with Ajisai
Well, there is a place where does not have rainy season in Japan. Do you know?
It's Hokkaido!! I visited Hokkaido 2 weeks ago with a friend, and it was a busy trip of 3 days. We stayed at Hoshino Resort Tower in Tomamu and enjoyed comfortable atmosphere in a mountain.
Then we moved to Furano, Asahikawa and Toya-ko lake. I enjoyed a lot at Asahiyama Zoo, and my favorite animals are penguins and white bears. When I saw penguins from underwater tunnel, they were like flying in the sky. I was surprised to see the penguins swim soooo fast. As for white bears, I could see them in the same eye-level and I could feel their powerful strides! The foods in Hokkaido such as fish, potatoes, vegetables and noodle are so nice. Kaisen-don (raw fish on rice bawl) and asparagus are my favorite. I recommend to visit Hokkaido in summer, because many flowers such as lavender bloom from June and foods are so delicious! I hope you have nice plans for summer. Thank you for reading. Have a nice day!
Kimono with penguin design.
Fukuro obi with white bear design
Kimono Flea Market ICHIROYA's News Letter No.749
Hi, how are you? I'm Azusa writing.
It is like summer already here in Japan. Especially on the other day, it was so hot that I was exhausted even when I was just sitting in my house. I tried turning on the air-conditioner, when I found there was something wrong with it. It didn't work well and browing lukewarm air, and the room became warmer and warmer. I was lost in the room, eating ice cream, which a little cooled me down.
I remember the 'warabimochi', a sweet snack, my grandmother would often buy on such a day at a supermarket and cool in the refrigerator when I was a child. When she had took it out from the refrigerator, I felt that it made the air of the room a little nicer and cooler.
'Warabimochi' is a typical summer sweet in Japan especially in the Kansai region. It is a ball-shaped translucent sweet, like jelly, and a little chewy. It is cold and refreshing, and cools you down. It is dipped in the sweet flour called Kinako, and sometimes black sugar syrup is poured onto it. You can buy it at a supermarket or have it at a restaurant. Or in Osaka, mobile catering vehicles sell it singing like "Waaaraabiiimochiii". When I heard them, I really feel like the summer has come.
Let me introduce these refreshing summer kimonos and obis!
http://www.ichiroya.com/item/list2/
Kimono Flea Market ICHIROYA's News Letter No.748
Hello, ICHIROYA newsletter readers!
How are you doing?
This is Iori writing again.
May is almost over. It’s getting warmer and warmer, even hot here in Japan.
It is the time to plant rice in Japan. Most of you already know that Japanese live on rice. Japanese love rice.
In this season, you can see many rice fields are filled with water. Rice fields glisten in the sunlight and this scenery is beautiful.
When I see this scenery every time in a year, I feel 'Summer is coming soon.'
There are rice fields called ‘Tanada’ in the countryside. ‘Tanada’ means rice fields arranged in a staircase pattern on a very steep slope on a mountain. This is also beautiful and you could see the old Japanese wisdom to get better harvest at the hard place like a sloping land in mountain. A lot of people come to take the photo of ‘Tanada’ in this rice-planting season.
Here is a proverb, ‘Minoruhodo Koubewotareru Inahokana.’ This proverb means ‘The boughs that bear most hang lowest.’ or ‘The more noble, the more humble. in English.
My father always told me this meaning. I like this phrase and want to be such a person.
If you have any chance to visit Japan in this season, please come to see the ‘Tanada’.
You will like this wonderful scenery!
Here I introduce some Kimono and Obi for summer.
Please enjoy hot summer in this cool-looking pieces!
Kimono
http://www.ichiroya.com/item/list2/414310/
http://www.ichiroya.com/item/list2/414674/
http://www.ichiroya.com/item/list2/414606/
http://www.ichiroya.com/item/list2/412326/
http://www.ichiroya.com/item/list2/366416/
Obi
http://www.ichiroya.com/item/list2/414964/
http://www.ichiroya.com/item/list2/414714/
http://www.ichiroya.com/item/list2/413767/
http://www.ichiroya.com/item/list2/367960/
http://www.ichiroya.com/item/list2/411829/
Thank you for reading.
Please have a nice weekend!
Iori
Kimono Flea Market ICHIROYA's News Letter No.747
Bundle & Sale #374678 Kimono Flea Market Ichiroya
Dear Newsletter readers,
Hello, this is Mari. It's my turn to write this week's newsletter.
I introduced some of our customer's works which they use those fabric
pieces we put into packages. I would like to share more works which
they use not only those small pieces, but also our fabric bolts and
kimono
Ms. B in Hannover, Germany made this accessory from our fabric pieces.
Aren't they cute? Although I see kimono fabric bolt everyday, I had no idea
to make something like them.
Mr. G in Tronto, Canada made pretty cool shirts from our fabric and Yukata.
These shirts was made from the shibori(tie-dye) fabric. As you may know,
shibori cotton is very soft and the bumpy texture is comfortable.
The collar and cuffs are well designed!
shibori obi shirt 1
Look! How perfectly the zigzag pattern was matched!
Kimono #289078 Kimono Flea Market Ichiroya
Also, he made jackets from our "Sakiori" obi.
According to Mr. G, "The zipper is hidden, so all you see is the fabric design and texture.
The sleeves are dark, so the lighter Sakiori fabric stands out."
How cool!
You may wonder who made the shirts and jackets.
Mr. G, himself? Maybe, maybe not.
Well, he is generous enough to share his hidden treasure.
Ms. Maegan McWade is his seamstress who made all those
cool clothes out of items from Ichiroya.
If you are interested in her work, visit her shop!
You may need to get material first!
Following, please check our shibori and sakiori fabrics!
<shibori>
<Sakiori>
If you make something special from Ichiroya items,
please let us know. We would like to share any idea
with our customers!
Thank you for reading til the end. Ciao!
Kimono Flea Market ICHIROYA's News Letter No.746
Hello everyone! Ogenki desuka? This is Yoko desu.
The Golden Week is over, and I am already looking forward to my long Obon holiday in August.
Don't get me wrong, I love working at Ichiroya, but we all need something to look forward to in life, right?
So, I have started writing down list of things to do during my Obon holiday. hahaha lol I enjoy doing things like that!!!
The first thing on my list is to take my beagle Marin to a river. Care to come along? :)
I took the above photo of Marin and Renge(Chinese milk vetch) Batake during the Golden Week. Isn't it pretty?
Oh!! I would like to use this opportunity to thank a nice lady who asked Yuka about Marin at the Haura exhibition in NYC!!
Yes, Marin is doing great! We will celebrate her eighth birthday next month.
She has been with us for more than three years now, and we cannot think of a life without her!! Arigato!
Today, I have a rather unique topic! fufufu
Have you heard of Gacha?
Well, Gacha is a toy-vending machine.
It dispenses a plastic eggshell capsule which contains from a kind of miniature toy, smart phone accessory to Manga figure, etc.
Gacha was originated in Japan, and it is also known by Gashapon or Gacha Gacha.
Gacha is an onomatopoeia Japanese word, and it is used for the hand-cranking action. I think the sound translates to 'clank' in English, but I am not sure.
It has been around... well... since I was a child, so more than forty years now.
Capsules are mostly colored, so you do not know what is inside the shell until you actually open one. Isn't it quite thrilling?!
When I was a child, I grabbed one hundred yen coin as soon as I returned home from school and run to a nearby local store with my older brother to play Gacha. (Natsukashiii)
For a while, the Gacha was mainly for kids, but it is becoming quite popular among adults now.
You place 100 or 200 yen in Gacha machine, and turn this tight knob(this is where it sounds Gacha!) .
A capsule should dispense (drop!) from the machine. You need to catch it fast!, or it will slip by your hands.
My favorite Gacha series now is an Animal Gacha.
It makes me smile big when there is my favorite animal figure inside when I open it.
Gacha machines are located everywhere in Japan, but since they are becoming quite popular among tourists, you can find lines of Gacha at airports and train stations nowadays.
Hope you find your favorite Gacha when you visit Japan next time.
Here are some Kids Yukata with very Natsukashi patterns which reminds me of my childhood!
Yukata
Heko obi
Have you also seen these cool NY obi and Kimono from Kimonotte?
https://www.kimonotte.com/en/products/index?m%5B%5D=99
https://www.kimonotte.com/en/products/index?m%5B%5D=97&m%5B%5D=98
https://www.kimonotte.com/en/products/index?i%5B%5D=2&m%5B%5D=96
https://www.kimonotte.com/en/products/index?m%5B%5D=97&m%5B%5D=98
Those design are from vintage postcard collection. We already have some orders from customers. We can make summer type haori also with the same design.
Wishing you a happy and fun weekend!!
Kimono Flea Market ICHIROYA's News Letter No.745
Dear Ichiroya news letter readers,
Hello! This is Nagisa writing. How have you been? It's very comfortable season here in Osaka. By the way, have you checked Kimonotte new items yet? They have a design of the Statue of Liberty or the Empire State Building! They are so eye-catching design, aren't they? They stand out even if you're in the crowd for sure!
https://www.kimonotte.com/en/products/detail/m:96/c:7/i:2
https://www.kimonotte.com/jp/products/detail/m:98/c:15/i:2
https://www.kimonotte.com/en/products/detail/m:97/c:2/i:7
Today, I'd like to talk about Teruko Sensei again. Just a week ago, I attended a funeral held for her. She is a college teacher, and I met her at the college 10 years ago. She was also a patient of serious disease since then. However, she worked energetically while fighting against the disease. She was always thinking of students, became kind and listened to their dream or worry. She is the person who can make people around her happy.
It got harder and harder to walk and breathe for her, but she kept attending college riding an electric wheelchair and carrying an oxygen until last year. She had hospitalized since 2 months ago, and she had kept writing her serious condition, thought, complaint and hope on her facebook amusingly almost everyday. When I noticed that her post was stopped for a couple of days, sad news has arrived at me. She was 55 year-old.
The funeral held at a church in Kyoto titled 'Celebration of Life'. "I want my funeral to be hold cheerfully, not to be feel sad about my death. I hope everyone will celebrate 'Life', not only mine but also themselves at the funeral." I hear that she told her family and friends so in her lifetime. So that, it was prohibited to wear black mourning clothes. Also, she used to work as an AIDS counselor for a long time, and pushed the event named 'KG rainbow week' which is held once a year at the college sine several years ago to deepen understanding. So, we went there dressed up with colorful or bright colors clothes like a rainbow flag. I heard that it started to rain all of sudden, and a rainbow hung over the church before the funeral.
"Thank you for showing us your own weakness. Therefore we can reveal our true self to you." My senior told her in his last message. Then, I understood that's why we need her. Over 500 people came there. Men, Women and neither of them of all ages. 'Blending community' is one of her ideal concept. She also hope we will meet someone who has same will at the funeral. Of course, I miss her so much. However, I saw her will has been handed down to many people. Teruko Sensei still alive in our mind. I'm glad to have met her from the bottom of my heart. Rest in Peace, Sensei.
I hope you enjoy these colorful design items like a rainbow.
<< Kimono >>
http://www.ichiroya.com/item/list2/394692/
http://www.ichiroya.com/item/list2/405356/
http://www.ichiroya.com/item/list2/410141/
http://www.ichiroya.com/item/list2/401535/
<< Obi >>
http://www.ichiroya.com/item/list2/404038/
http://www.ichiroya.com/item/list2/397142/
http://www.ichiroya.com/item/list2/378766/
http://www.ichiroya.com/item/list2/403390/
