Introducing the latest addition to my kokeshi doll family… My friend rescued this kokeshi for me from the internet as an early birthday present. She’s absolutely gorgeous, but I don’t know anything about her origin. She has a slight wonkiness about her, which I like. The head was separate and just slots on with a … Continue reading
This week’s Weekly Photo Challenge is on the theme of ‘yellow’, and yesterday I just happened to pick up a brand new sunshiny addition to my kokeshi (こけし) doll family: ‘Yellow’ is making me think about this beautiful piece of craft right now. She’s my first yellow traditional kokeshi doll – most of my other … Continue reading
こけしのこころは見る人の心をうつすこころです “Kokeshi no kokoro wa miru hito no kokoro o utsusu kokoro desu” “The kokeshi’s heart is the heart that reflects the mind of the beholder” (or something like that!)
I had a little surprise in the post the other day – a long-awaited prize which, to be honest I had given up on. You might remember that back in June I won a Brighton Japan Festival photo contest – well, due to some kind of mix-up, I never actually received my prize. Anyway, I … Continue reading
I decided to have a go at making some Christmas cards this year, using some Christmas origami paper and origami folding techniques. What do you think? I might start a bit earlier next year and try to make a few more if they’re popular! 😀
Yesterday the Adachi Institute of Woodcut Prints, in association with the ICN gallery, held an ukiyo-e live demonstration and workshop at the Daiwa Anglo-Japanese Foundation in London, and I went along to have a go. Ukiyo-e (浮世絵) is an iconic part of Japanese culture that many people will be familiar with, even if they don’t know … Continue reading
If you’re in London this weekend I urge you to visit the free exhibition of crafts from Tohoku (the region in northeastern Japan which was devastated by the Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami in March 2011) which is currently on display at Asia House – only until Sunday! Tonight I had the pleasure of … Continue reading
When I went to the Brighton Japan Festival last year (weekend 1 & weekend 2) I had only recently returned from Japan and was dying for a hit of Japanese culture. I had been living in Bognor Regis where the only way to get a taste of Japan is to buy sushi from Tesco (yuck!) … Continue reading
I recently came across a new origami-themed online store which is opening on Sunday 1st July. Allow me to introduce… OrigArti! OrigArti’s founder, Brighton-based artist Jimmy Dean, took a little time out to explain what OrigArti is all about: I started to watch anime from the age of nine and since then I have developed … Continue reading
Never having made it as far south as Okinawa while I was in Japan, I was intrigued to hear about an exhibition in London influenced by Okinawan culture and traditions. Tonight, I went along to the opening night of LOOCHOO ‘Time’ at The Crypt Gallery in London to see what it was all about… In the … Continue reading
Haikugirl's Japan 