baubles

as it is gift-giving time, i can unveil the little presents i bought at the kamigamo handmade market. there were so many kaitei charms at each booth, it was difficult to choose just four. they're all just too kawaii.

one of the things i'm incorporating into my daily life is japanese incense; it smells lovely unburned, exotic while burning, and lingers for several days in a pleasant way. i hope it will freshen up the air in my studio as well. further updates on that front soon.

i knew of kumihimo before i went to japan, but it was still a charming surprise to come across it and find that i liked the fresh colors and modern aesthetic.

interestingness

did you know that a single stick of incense could smell so delightfully heady, sweet, fruity, musky, intense, light, and dark all at once? if that one stick was of the finest kyara agarwood, then yes. while at lisn today, i just wanted to keep smelling it, in its unburnt form. if they bottled up that smell and sold it as perfume i would definitely be in the queue to buy it. or if i had to choose one scent to smell in the moment before i passed on, that would be it (well, maybe; now that i'm thinking such macabre thoughts the smell of rich, dark, hot chocolate would be nice too).

well, i thought i would post photos of interesting things i saw today.

this building reminded me of a ship, or some massive gate from a sci-fi movie. it's kind of ominous, as if that stone is waiting to drop at the merest signal.

things in miniature; miniature pond, miniature torii gate.

and, of course, my personal favorite and mecca to the japanese textile craft, gallery kei. bashou fiber, ramie, shifu, linden, kuzu, banana tree, pineapple fiber, all the lovely fibers japanese people have spun and woven for centuries. kawasaki kei has created such an amazing space filled with precious cloths from times past; each an artform in and of itself, each an incredible undertaking by unknown hands, all lovingly displayed and collected by her. one day i wish to create with such skill these things that women have always done.

scents and sushi

japanese incense is really quite lovely to smell. not at all like the type which comes to mind when you say incense; the ones that are often found in hippie and crystal shops. those give me migraines. no, the finest japanese incense is much more subtle, and elegant, and made from natural sources such as clove, sandalwood, agarwood, and cinnamon.

today, there was a school festival and they brought in the president of shoyeido, the manufacturer of some of japan's finest quality incense. he discussed incense, and then we were able to create our own scents using sandalwood, patchouli, cinnamon, clove, sweet pine, andcamphor. there were two bases which we could use to make a sweet or a spicy overtone. i made one which is sweet and light in scent, and the other which is stronger and invigorating. it was such fun! some of the students and teachers wore kimono and they were all very pretty.

for dinner i had my first experience with a revolving sushi restaurant. it was so mesmerizing watching to see what sushi would come around next. the place was very busy, so the sushi was delicious and fresh. there was a plastic display sign outside which was very cute!