Tag - crafts

 
 

CRAFTS

Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Oct 6, 2019
The white rose that blossoms in the rain
White Rose Co. invented the plastic umbrella in the 1950s when Mitsuo Sudo was inspired by vinyl tablecloths brought to Japan by occupation forces. Now it's just one of few makers weathering the storm of cheap, mass-produced imports.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Jul 9, 2019
How folk craft found its place in the art world
'Japanese Tableware' highlights the passion with which Soetsu Yanagi — one of the founding fathers of the Japanese folk crafts movement — appreciated artisanal works into his own life, displaying the actual tableware that his family used when they gathered for meals.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Apr 30, 2019
Motohiko Katano: Tied to shibori dyeing
A pioneer of shibori textile dyeing, Motohiko Katano created striking modern designs and fascinating tessellations of motifs that seemed to defy the capricious nature of resist dyeing.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Mar 26, 2019
Japanese artisanship: As real as it can get
From perfect replicas of fruit to tiny articulated dragons, Japan's ceramic, metal, wood and other craft industries excel at making decorative items that are so detailed and realistic, they can fool the naked eye.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Mar 12, 2019
Bizen: Pottery that rose from the ashes
Of all the ancient high-fired unglazed stoneware styles in Japan, none is as popular as Bizen pottery, with its vareid colors and textures all the results of melting ash from the kiln.
LIFE / Digital / ON: TECH
Feb 17, 2019
Home and life improvements
Keep the pets happy, clean the apartment in style and walk for your money. On Tech looks at home tech with a little extra something.
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 / Style & Design / ON: DESIGN
Dec 2, 2018
When the thought really counts
This month's On: Design focuses on a few everyday items that offer much more than meets the naked eye.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Oct 9, 2018
White is not as monotone as some think
Devoid of ornamentation, yet still sculptural and expressive, Korean Joseon dynasty porcelain could change the way you think about minimalist ceramics.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Aug 18, 2018
Staying razor sharp: At the sharp end of Sakai's handmade knife industry
In Sakai, Osaka Prefecture, two things are certain: You're never far from the remains of dead people and you're never far from a knife. The two are connected, but not in the way you might think.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Jun 9, 2018
Takaoka crafts a new tourism industry
In the entrance of Nousaku in Takaoka, Toyama Prefecture, a group of schoolchildren skip by and point excitedly at an eclectic display of hundreds of brightly colored objects. Other visitors, meanwhile, look down in wonder toward the concrete floor, where a huge golden silhouette of the Japanese archipelago...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / 20 QUESTIONS
Apr 21, 2018
Dyeing to keep Japanese textile crafts alive
Kimono artist Masanobu Ota on traditional Japanese customs, his design process and sneakers.
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
Oct 15, 2017
A crafty way to give the kids a creative workout
It's one of those fleeting parenting moments when my normally nonstop high-volume children are awake, but silent. The reason for this? They are studiously poring over a table covered with a neatly aligned assortment of wood cutouts — a cat, a witch, a star, a moon, a pumpkin — and, unusually quiet...
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design
Jul 9, 2017
Tokyo filling the shoes of European artisans
While Yohei Fukuda was learning the art of shoemaking in London in the early 2000s he applied to work at John Lobb, one of the oldest and most prestigious footwear firms in the world. He was offered a position, but was asked if he would accept payment in shoes — not money. Somewhat taken aback, Fukuda...
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Jun 18, 2017
Japan’s 'kanban' are still hanging in there
Little information remains about the personal life of the artisan Kojiro Shimizu. His personality and interests, his passions and motivations — all are shrouded in mystery. What we know is that he worked in Kyoto in the late 19th and early 20th century and that he appeared to be on good terms with...
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.

Longform

Professional cleaner Hirofumi Sakurai takes a moment to appreciate some photographs in a Gotanda apartment whose occupant died alone.
The last cleanup: Life and death in a lonely Japan