watashi to tokyo

Kintsugi, reparing can make a new art

I found this nice video to introduce Japanese repair technique Kintsugi.  Kin means gold and Tsugi means connect.  In Japan, broken Japanese pottery are repaired by lacquer dusted and painted by gold, silver, or platinum.  The point of Kintsugi is not only "repairing", it means highlights negative/damage part as design and put a new life and new beauty.  This will be Japanese unique repair way in the world. Here is a good Englsih site to introduce Kintsugi(Studio kotokoto).

For example, a bowl (2:47 part on the second video ) of kintsugi was designed as water fall.  A bowl made by Koetsu Honami (3:00 part) has a big kintsugi part but it is one of important cultural property.

Kintsugi is not only by gold,  Yobitsugi is a way to attach parts of different ceramic.  Makie is a way to add some decoration on gold. Use Silver or Pratinum and paint black makes different mood. It is not popular but some people learn Kintsugi as hobby and we can buy Kintsugi kit at store

Do you know? The Real African Samurai

Do you know there was a REAL African Samurai in Japan? He is Yasuke. A muslim from Mozambique. He served the Japanese most famous Shogun Oda Nobunaga in the 16th century (the Sengoku Jidai). This facebook post picked up Yasuke and tells about his well.

Large Scale historical TV Show NHK Taiga Drama picks 16th century very often / the Sengoku Jidai , coz each Daimyo has unique character, they had a lot of such as tactics and an offensive and defensive strategy, win and reveresal in war etc,. In recent years, Kuroda Kanbei of 2013 was story of the Sengoku Jidai and of course there was Yasuke as servant of Nobunaga. Here is the guy on the show.

Links　
Large scale histrical Cledds Drama
Sazae-san is a economic index for Japanese

Hiroshige Vivid!

I went to “Hiroshige vivid” in Suntry museum that is the exhibition of wood printing of Hiroshige Ando, yesh! one of my favorite artist.

I love so much to see his “One hundred famous views of Edo”. I am always amazed he draw such unique composition in 19th. Without Hiroshige and Hokusai, Japanese won’t build such big manga culture, Ukiyoe (Wood print) was core of Japonism, manga may be called neo-Japonism, they are bound up in each other.

Hiroshige Vivid @ Suntry Mesuem, Tokyo
April 29-> June 12th 10:00-18:00 (Friday 20:00)
adult 1300yen

Azumabashi Konryuzan Enbo
A view from a boat on Sumida river.  A ladies enjoy Spring and cherry blossom on a boat and view of Asakusa Sensoji, Azuma bridge, Mt.Fuji.

Nihonbachi Edobashi
A fish is a skipjack tuna, we call it HATSU GATSUO. So we call tell this is summer season. And that fish is in a carrying pole, there is a fish selling guy in this print and he would delivered it to the customer from fish market.  In Nihonbash there is a big fish market and it moved into Tsukiji after Great Kantō earthquake in 1923.

Ouji Shozoku enoki Oomisoka Kitsunebi
Every New year eve, fox gathered under the big tree near the shrine and change their clothes into official one and visited the shrine. Farmers lived near the shrine predicted their next year’s harvest by amount of lights that fox had. This print tells such aid story. Very unique one, coz Hiroshima’s print are colorful like it is called Hiroshima vivid.

Link
Edo in Tokyo - Part 2

Milk Potato chips and Toast Potato chips

I wrote this post Potato Chips Japan long long time ago. In that post, the pupular flavors were consomme, light salt, nori-salt, butter. Those ranking won't be changed even now in 2016. And also Japanese unique flavors seem no change. There are wasabi, soy sauce, and yuzu pepper in calbee which is the biggest potato chips maker in Japan.

On the other hands, second position maker Koikeya's merchandise strategy is more aggressive :-). Since last year, they push potato chips for breakfast. in 2015 Last they released Banana potato chips and Peach potato chips as morning fruits. They has very sweet smell and reputation on the internet was so so. Despite of that, Koikeya has released another morning potato chips again. Those are toast potato chips and Milk potato chips. I didn't try it yet, but some said those are not bad at all, toast flavor is nothing wrong and milk flavor is taste like thin cookies. Hmm I won't need them though.

Cool soba allergy test patch

This is very cool. Japanese tattoo like soba allergy patch test. Some people has soba allergy. Soba is healthy food but please do allergy check first.

Pizza hut mistake, who made it?

Pizza Hut Japan made this grammar mistake! Who made this? Japanese worker? Yes it is, but originally Google translation.  Why they dont ask Pizza Hut America?