Kimono Flea Market ICHIROYA's News Letter No.760
Dear Ichiroya newsletter readers,
Hello from beautiful sea! I'm Nagisa writing. How was your summer vacation? Did you go somewhere? I went to Okinawa for the first time with my friends. Okinawa is southernmost prefecture of Japan located in the East China Sea, and consists of over 150 islands. It is popular tourist destination because of warm climate throughout the year. However, it is also well known as a region where a lot of typhoons are coming during summer. Before the trip, there were five typhoons No.15 - No.19 around the south side of the main island of Japan. (Theses typhoons were born for five days in a row, and it was the first time in a history.) The first day of the trip, we enjoyed shopping, taking a lot of photos at various instagenic spots, drinking and eating local foods in the heavy rain. However, the second day, we can enjoy scuba diving under the sunny summer sky! It was a miracle! It was just because our everyday actions are good, it must be so. The sun shower, blue gradation, clear sea water, colorful fishes and corals... They were beautiful beyond description, so I'll show you some photos taken over and under the sea instead.
Speaking of Okinawa, have you ever heard of 'Ryukyu Bingata'? It is one of the dying technique representing Okinawa, and is designated traditional craft-work. It has some characteristics. The first one is to dye with pigments. The second one is to use hand-carved Katagami(stencil paper). And above all, it is dyed with vibrant colors which have tropical atmosphere. It has already existed around 15th century, and it was formal wear, and was also casual wear worn by from royal family to common people. However, there were some rules about it base color or designs. For example, royal women were wearing yellow Bingata Kimono at formal occasions, and light blue Bingata Kimono was worn as a casual wear. Only prince and queen were allowed to wear Bingata Kimono with dragon or Houou(phoenix) design. A person of high status was wearing Bingata Kimono of large sized pattern, but old person's one is small. Please refer to these information, if you buy Bingata Kimonos!
These are the REAL Bingata we have, so delightful and tasteful:
Bingata coloration are so pupular- I'd like to introduce you Bingata-style items which have vibrant colors!
Lastly, it is personal note, I celebrated my 30th birth day and 30th diving during the trip to Okinawa. I'm sooooo HAPPY to go there with them, and really grateful for celebrations, surprises, handmade presents and their gentleness! It was the BEST summer vacation ever! I will never forget this trip.
Kimono Flea Market ICHIROYA's News Letter No.756
6
Hi, Ichiroya newsletter readers! How are you?
This is Azusa writing.
High summer is here in Japan! I opened the window and let the fresh air in this morning, when I heard a buzz of a cicada, and the buzz made me feel hot.
There are bamboo shades called 'Sudare' hanging outside my windows. A bamboo shade is a blind made of thin strips of bamboo, which can keep out the intense sunlight while allowing nice and cool breezes through them. Besides, it can stop insects coming in the window. It's very comfortable in the climate of high temperature and high humidity, and I like the cool breezes in the summer.
In summer, there are a lot of summer festivals in Japan. Especially in Tondabayashi city in Osaka, a large fireworks festival is held. Over 20,000 fireworks launched in this fireworks festival. It can be seen from my house, so I would go outside and watch it in blue Yukata with an asagao(morning glory) design, holding a round shape fan called 'Uchiwa' in my hand.
This is Azusa writing.
High summer is here in Japan! I opened the window and let the fresh air in this morning, when I heard a buzz of a cicada, and the buzz made me feel hot.
There are bamboo shades called 'Sudare' hanging outside my windows. A bamboo shade is a blind made of thin strips of bamboo, which can keep out the intense sunlight while allowing nice and cool breezes through them. Besides, it can stop insects coming in the window. It's very comfortable in the climate of high temperature and high humidity, and I like the cool breezes in the summer.
In summer, there are a lot of summer festivals in Japan. Especially in Tondabayashi city in Osaka, a large fireworks festival is held. Over 20,000 fireworks launched in this fireworks festival. It can be seen from my house, so I would go outside and watch it in blue Yukata with an asagao(morning glory) design, holding a round shape fan called 'Uchiwa' in my hand.
Yukata is a summer kimono which is single-layered. It is an airy kimono, and worn in summer festivals, or after taking a shower. So most of Yukata are made of airy cotton. Yukata can prevent the direct sunlight while it is breathable like bamboo shades! Some summer kimonos are made of Asa. Asa is a general term for linen, ramie and hemp. Asa feels crisp and cool, so it is very nice to wear in the high temperature. I remember cool air blowing through the wide sleeves of Yukata and coolness of a Japanese sandals while I was watching the fireworks.
These are airy and comfortable Yukata!
These are airy and comfortable Yukata!
Kimono Flea Market ICHIROYA's News Letter No.755
http://www.ichiroya.com/item/list2/363902/
Hello Ichiroya news letter readers! How are you doing?
This time Iori is writing.
The rainy season is over here in Osaka. It's been hot and humid these days! I can't stand it without an air conditioner. Last night I could not sleep well with this heat so I turned the air conditioner on till the morning.
Actually I don't want to sleep with the air conditioner because I feel tired when I wake up. I have tried some ways to get cooler sleep, for example an ice pillow, a cool bed sheet, a fan and so on. I need to find the better way this summer, too.
Do you have any good idea to get over the heat in summer?
eat shaved ice? go to swim at a pool or the sea? or maybe drink cold beer at night??
In summer, I look forward to something. That is 'Yomise'. 'Yomise' literally means a night shop. We have lots of summer festivals such as fireworks, 'Bonodori'(dance festival) and so on. There are food stalls and game stands at the festival which you can get yummy foods or play fun games. We called them 'Yomise'. When I was a child, my parents always took me to summer festivals. My favorite food and game at 'yomise' were 'wataame'(cotton candy) and 'Kingyo sukui'(goldfish scooping). Now I am a parent of three kids and I take them to summer festivals. They enjoy playing games such as 'Yo-yo'(water balloon) scooping, quoits, hitting a target.They also love cotton candies. It reminds me of my old sweet memories.
Indi and Rani Soemardjan | Flickr
You can see lots of people of all ages in Yukata Kimono at summer festivals. Yukata textile is cotton or linen as it feels cool while wearing. There are many designs and patterns such as seasonal flowers, fish, fan, dragonfly, butterfly, swallow, stream and so on. The yukata designs look refreshing and cool. Yukata is easier to get dressed than the way of Kimono.
I have not worn Yukata for these past years because I had to carry my kid on my back. I want to wear it this year with my kids. I got children's yukata already but I still don't have mine! Hmm... I need to look for a good one at Ichiroya maybe....
If you don't get used to wear Kimono, would you like to try Yukata at first?
We are now offering lots of attractive and Kawaii Yukata at Ichiroya web site!
You may find a good one on sale maybe :)
We would be very happy to help you to find your favorite one.
Here is our Youtube video to show how to wear yukata:
For your informaiton,
We sell "How to wear kimono" DVD on our site too. It includes the yukata dressing to
most typical square bow(otaiko) and a fancy bow tie (fukurasuzume) for formal kimono`furisode'.
Today, I introduce Yukata and Kimono for summer.
yukata
yukata for boys and girls
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http://www.ichiroya.com/item/list2
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summer kimono
http://www.ichiroya.com/item/list2/
Please enjoy wearing yukata and kimono in summer!
Thank you for reading.
Have a nice weekend!
Kimono Flea Market ICHIROYA's News Letter No.754
Dear Newsletter readers,
Hello, this is Mari. It's my turn to write Ichiroya's weekly newsletter.
It is still rainy season. I think we haven't have enough rain so far.
I think I should dance in kimono to pray for rain!
A little while ago, I went to Uji, Kyoto to attend "Sencha" demonstration.
"Sencha" is green tea which is not powdered, as opposed to Matcha.
You may be familier with "Matcha" which is a bowl of whisked and creamy green tea.
It was a "Sencha" tea ceremony for the first time in my life.One of our customers,
Ms. Ueda in California, USA invited me to the event. She flew in Japan for the specific
event! If you are not farmilier with Sencha, please take a look at Wikipedia.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sencha
It was one of the biggest Sencha demonstrations in Japan. 13 different schools
from all over Japan gathered at a big temple in Kyoto for the weekend. Each
school has different manners. We attended three different schools' ceremonies
in different rooms. Each room was very unique and interesting.
The first one we attended was held at a hall. They served two cups of tea and
a sweet. The tea was sooooo goooood! The luke tea was not bitter, but almost
salty.
The teacher of this school told us she likes "Matsu"(pine tree). So, the saucers
and sweet had pine needles pattern on them. Actually, all the students who were
serving tea wore green iromuji with woven pine needle pattern. It was impressive
view.
The second one was held at a room with unique sliding doors. The dynamic drawings
entertained guests very much at beginning.
The second cup of tea was pour in front of us. The way they serve tea was efficient
yet elegant.
The last ceremony we attended was held at the large room where had more than 20 guests
at a time. The school was from Kyushu area, far west of Japan. They brought all the
tools and tea. There is a famous tea produce center "Yame" in Kyushu. So, they brought
"Yamecha"("Yame" tea) all the way from Kyushu to Kyoto.
Some of disciples who served us were very young girls in cute kids kimono.
They did very good job, and impressed all the guest.
It was very interesting expeience. I had such a good time. I have to thank Ms. Ueda who invited me to this great event. We promised to attend next year, too. Oh, I forgot to mention that me and Ms. Ueda were wearing kimono and obi which we bought from Ichiroya! The white Oshima hitoe which I wore is the one I washed by myself:-)
(Here is the past newsletter about `washing my Oshima kimono')
Most of the people at the event were wearing kimono. I think "Iromuji" is
all time favorite at tea ceremony. There are summer Iromuji for those who will attend
tea ceremonies in this summer!
Thank you for reading until the end.
See you next time!
Kimono Flea Market ICHIROYA's News Letter No.753
Hello everyone.
This is Yoko writing this week's newsletter. Ogenki desuka?
I hope everyone is having a nice weekend.
Water is drawn into nearby rice patties, and Taue , rice planting, has been done.
Sunset shows beautifully against rice patties, summer is almost here. :)
Oh! Did you know we can now ship by DHL?
If you are interested, please ask for a comparison when you place your order. Yoroshiku onegai shimasu!
Today, I would like to write about a family of Tsubame (swallows) that built a nest in our building.
Each year, a couple of charming Tsubame build a nest just under a corner of our first floor ceiling, next to an elevator of our building.
Tsubame come back every year. They renovate the nest which is already there from the previous year to bring a new family.
After a while, you see one adult Tsubame sitting quietly, at that point, we all assume.....expecting??? with a smile.
After a few weeks, we hear very weak chirping, and after weeks more or so, we find thin soft short hair peeking out and moving slowly over the nest.
Well, in some years, eggs do not hatch successfully because of predators like crows, snakes or mouses come to hunt them. (tear)
It looks like this year has been lucky.
The owner of our building tries really hard to take care of the nest, too.
He tries hanging a CD-ROM to scare the predators away (well it does not seem to scare the Tsubame away....) and place a mat under the nest for their droppings. How sweet is that!!
Soon after, you see cute heads of babies with mouth wide open waiting for their parents to feed them.
Before you knew, a few full grown haired Tsubame just trying not to knock each other out of the nest.
Well then, just this Monday morning, they were gone!! They must have flew off over the weekend... A bit sad but glad that they were grown safely.
See you guys next year! Bye-bye!
Tsubame are known to be an auspicious animal in Japan.
It is told that they bring happiness to a house that they decides to make a nest on.
It is perhaps because they are always a pair and make a lot of babies.
They sure bring us smiles and make us cheerful each time!
You must know by now that you find many kimono and obi with Tsubame motif?
Thanks for reading until the end.
Have a wonderful weekend!
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The omoshiroi work of Itsuki
Welocme to Itsuki World!
We went to her exhibition for the first time. Her theme is always Itsuki, herself!
The big Itsuki with ears of cats welcome you, and yes, Itsuki is standing next to her work!
Itsuki pops up here and there!
More and more Itsuki, looking at you!
All these Itsuki are so unique but we can tell they are all Itsuki.
Each work can tell it is her, and we really enjoyed the exhibition.
After graduationg from art college in Kyoto, majoring in textile, she has been doing the same theme since then. She never thought about working full time, but continues her art work consistently. She even dyed kimono with this motif (her face!).
This one (the title is Neko-san) is shibori dyed and itome yuzen.
Strong impression, and her whimsical work make us smile- we could not help bringing a wicked look Itsuki home! I am sure she will bring us smiles at her new home.
I hope you enjoy her work! She keeps other work at her place too-if you are interested in her work, contact us any time:-)
Rainer Nicolai | Flickr
Hello, how have you been? This is Mitsue writing.
Deadly heat wave have continued across Japan. Summer has become much hotter than ever before. More than 20 thousands of people were carried in ambulance by heat stroke, and more than 60 people died of it. Historic high temperature is recorded in several places. It also rained so hard and the disaster such as flood and landslide struck Western Japan. Some typhoon has already passed through Japan which usually approach in autumn. It is crazy summer! Global warming which causes natural disaster is a serious matter that we have to think about it much more.
Well, do you have any summer plans? I have already enjoyed cruise excursion with my friend last month. First, we flied to Singapore and got on a ship to Port Kelang of Malaysia. After enjoyed sightseeing at Kuala Lumpur, we were back to Singapore by the ship. So we enjoyed 2 nights shore excursion. The cruise on a big ship was my first experience, and I enjoyed ethnic food (Chinese, Malaysian and Indian), music, entertainments and activities. In Kuala Lumpur, an Islam mosque was impressive to me. Visitors had to wear pale purple gown to enter inside. The wide praying place have very holy atmosphere. The monument which remembers the soldier of the independence war in Malaysia made me think about peace.
In Singapore, I visited the city's remarkable places and Indian town for shopping. I've never been to India, but I could feel it if I were brought to Indian market. The smell, excitement and hustle were so impressive to me. There are also China and Arab towns, so I thought various cultures coexist near by with its own originality. I also enjoyed swimming at the top of a hotel. The night view from the pool was so splendid with massive tall buildings! I felt Singapore is performing fusion and coexistent of new and old culture. It might be same as Japan, but Singapore has more diversity of languages, religions, and cultures.
We offer modern and retro kimono fashion. Click here for the official Kimonotte instagram!
https://www.instagram.com/kimonotteichiroya/
Let me introduce some items with ship design.
nagoya obi
www.ichiroya.com
www.ichiroya.com
fukuro obi
www.ichiroya.com
kurotomesode
www.ichiroya.com
vintage kimono
www.ichiroya.com
www.ichiroya.com
houmongi
www.ichiroya.com
komon
www.ichiroya.com
Thank you for reading. Have a nice week end.