を感じる暮らし - JAPAN QUALITY REVIEW

8
2011August
vol. 04
FREE
QUALITY REVIEW SPECIAL
Transparent Black –
The Ultimate in Elegance
JQRファッション
涼
Dressing Up
[ F E A T U R E ]
“Chilling”the old-fashioned way
を感じる暮らし
RYO
Eco-friendly options for beating this year's summer heat
QR Quality Review
Breathable, Cool “Airweave Cool 016”
Airweave Cool
A Unique Bag with a Flexible Shape
Bao Bao Issey Miyake
eng.jqrmag.com
C O N T E N T S
August 2011(distributed 7.7, 2011)
涼
NEW OPENING
05 Sake Hall Hibiya Bar
Photograph
（Spread）／ Hiroyuki Kiseki
JQR REPORT
07 Following 3/11
The Great East Japan Earthquake:
a volunteer’s DisasterReconstruction Report
26
New Series
STREET SNAP
“Chilling”the old-fashioned way
を感じる暮らし
08
RYO
JQR FASHION
29
Eco-friendly options for beating this year's summer heat
Dressing Up
QUALITY REVIEW 1
20 Breathable, Cool
Quality Japanese Inns and Hotels［Final Installment］
46 Akan Tsuruga Besso Hinanoza
“Airweave Cool 016”
Continuing serial ［Essay］
Japan and Me: The
Modern is in the
48 Traditional
Francoise Morechand,
Essayist
QUALITY REVIEW 2
A Unique Bag with a
22 Flexible Shape
Bao Bao Issey Miyake
24
We asked smartly dressed passers
by how they are feeling right now.
In Praise of Fine Sake
50 Hakurakusei
QUALITY REVIEW SPECIAL
Shozo Izuishi Selection
A black-japan ring
Transparent Black – The Ultimate
in Elegance
Publisher and Editor-in-Chief
Jun Shinozuka
Editors
Jun Nakaki
Editorial Committee
Syozou Izuishi ［Fashion Critic］
Tanehide Egami ［Executive Producer, Ecole De Cuisine Egami］
Kyoko Ohtsu
Shinichi Hanawa ［Joint Representative Director Ramsar Network Japan］
Maki Taguchi
Ryuichiro Matsubara ［Economist, Professor at the University of Tokyo］
Fashion Director
Souta Yamaguchi
Humio Maruyama ［High-Tech Industry Innovation Agency］
Assistant
Dai Furusawa
Yumi Yamaguchi ［Travel Writer］
Web Director
Tokuhisa Maruyama
Additional Editing
High-Tech Industry Innovation Agency
Designer
Wakako Kawasaki
Advertising
Masaya Mutoh (No Design)
Editing
Digital Lights Inc.
Akari Sugawara(No Design)
Digital Lights Inc.
（JQR editorial department）
2-1-14 Sarugakucho, Chiyoda-ku
Tokyo 101-0064
03-3518-2270
Integral Corp.（JQR advertising department）
2-1-14 Sarugakucho, Chiyoda-ku
Tokyo 101-0064
03-3518-4488
Integral Corp.
eng.jqrmag.com
This Month’s New Opening
Sake Hall
Hibiya Ba
Photography/ Susumu Nagao… Text/ Jun Nakaki
ROOM
URL
www.hibiya-bar.com/shop/sake_hall/
Each room has a display of sake from a different brewery, and
photographs showing the sake-making process. The seven breweries
currently featured are: Tsukasa Botan (Kochi), Ichinokura (Miyagi),
Kato Kahachiro (Yamagata), Sakai (Yamaguchi), Yoshinogawa
(Niigata), Bunraku (Saitama), and Imanishi Seibei Shoten (Nara).
Seats 111. The set menu of three cocktails plus three limited-period
dishes is priced at 3,200 yen. Choose a different brewery each time
you go, and you can enjoy different food and sake every time. The
round objects hanging at the entrance (pictured above), are genuine
sugi-dama — globes made of Japanese cedar that symbolize sake
breweries and hang from their eaves.
MAP
SAKE
o
Toky
E xp
ress
way
Sukiyabashi
entary
Elem
i
e
Taim l
Mosaic
o
Scho
Ginza Hankyu
So
to
b
or
i-d
or
i
Ginza-nishi 5-chome
Ginza-nishi 6-chome
Ha
ru
m
i-d
or
B3 exit
i
Ginza
Ginza Station Mitsukoshi
Ginza 4-chome
New Melsa
SAKE HALL HIBIYA BAR
Located very conveniently about one minutes walk from the Ginza
Station B3 exit. But take care, its location in the basement of an
office building makes it easy to miss at first. When you step inside
you enter a retro-modern atmosphere, one that brewery workers
apparently often like to visit as well.
The Sake Espuma Style cocktail is popular. Aromatic sake is turned
into a mousse that lightly tops a cocktail made in front of the
customer. Pictured is Mousse On The Peach, a summery cocktail
made from sake combined with blue Curacao, peach nectar and
espuma foam. (680 yen)
Enjoying Sake Bar-Style
half tonic water garnished with orange
of drinking sake together with delicious
peel. The bar’s own ice-cubes are made
food accompaniments.
The Sake Hall Hibiya Bar opened on
of mineral water frozen over three days,
April 20 in Ginza, Tokyo. It’s the first
which do not melt easily and thus do
bar in the world devoted to cocktails
not dilute the taste. The fresh fragrance
made from sake. The usual method of
of orange and pleasant feel in the
drinking sake is to have it warm or cold,
mouth imparted by the soda water make
from sake cups and special ceramic
this a popular drink that can be enjoyed
bottles called tokkuri, but here it is
even by customers drinking sake for the
drunk from wine glasses, and on the
first time.
rocks.
The menu also offers dishes made from
The bar is divided into seven rooms,
ingredients available in the areas where
the idea being to enjoy sake from a
each brewery is located. Sake lees
different brewery in each room. Every
(sediment) are used in almost all
room also serves the Sake Nic (580
dishes, and are a distinguishing feature
yen). This cocktail is made with the
of the food here. Naturally it goes well
breweries’ sake as the base, and
with the sake cocktails. This bar is a
contains a mix of half soda water and
place you can experience a new style
Pictured are
dishes made
with sake
lees, which
are called
“Kojo Sozai”
at this bar.
Sake Hall Hibiya Bar
Miyuki Building B1, 5-6-12 Ginza,Chuo-ku,Tokyo
Tel. 03-3572-7123
17:00-23:00 (last order)
Table charge 500 yen
2 011 August
5
REPORT
from ISHINOMAKI
On-the-spot report from a volunteer in disaster-relief
activity for the Tohoku Earthquake.
Embracing 3.11
Photography and Text / Julian Ross
Destruction beyond belief. Even
after blanket TV coverage of horrific
images, I was not prepared for the
abject misery that is Ishinomaki.
[ NO.1]
They, one of the devastated household, showed
a little smile on their face after we helped them
clean up their home.
me it was time to meet her parents again after so
long, then silently slipped away. And my wife soon
followed her.”
“When the first tsunami receded before the second
bigger wave came, I could get up the stairs to the
As we drove slowly through the mounds of rubbish on
second floor. After a freezing night, the next morning
either side of the street, the sides of every house
I could see my daughter on the roof of the house
carried the high water mark of the tsunami. Here it
opposite, clinging onto her daughter. Their feet had
was 2 meters, far short of the maximum 37 meters,
frozen in the icy water during the night, so I swam
but enough to destroy the entire ground floor of every
across and hauled them back to my second floor. I
house in the area. Those who had returned to what
could see another two neighbors on their roof, but
was left of their houses were methodically throwing
they weren’t moving.”
out all their possessions onto the street.
“When cars started floating past my house, I dropped
everything to save my wife, mother and myself,” said
the brawny sixty-something year old. As he spoke
quietly, his fingers restlessly writhed with unvoiced
tension.
“The water was already above my waist. Our only
hope was to get up the stairs to the second floor, but
the water was rising too fast. I grabbed my mother in
one arm and young grandchild in the other, but the
It appeared, after the waters receded, that the rubble
piled up to the second floor.
water ripped the toddler out of my grip. When the
“That morning, we saw something floating toward our
water receded four days later, I found her lying face
house, and realized it was a woman clinging to the
up.” As the words came tumbling out, our team of five
top of a tatami mat. We managed to grab her as she
volunteers could only listen.
passed and hauled her in, but she was severely
“My mother, half paralyzed, couldn’t get up the stairs
lacerated and weak from the cold, and she soon died.
on her own. The freezing water rose fast, carrying us
Like my wife and mother, I guess she was lucky not
and the furniture toward the roof. I gripped her tightly
to die on her own.”
in one arm and punched a breathing hole through the
there we stayed suspended for 30 minutes as the
There are hundreds of thousands
of similar, untold stories. They do
tsunami reached its peak with just a little air-gap left.
not appear in the media.
approaching living room ceiling with my other. And
But my weak mother couldn’t take it. She softly told
Julian Ross
Julian Ross has lived in Japan since 1990 and works as a freelance　technical editor. (When
not working, he can usually be found hiking in the mountains with his dog, also from the UK.)
2 011 August
7
涼
Special feature RYO
Eco-friendly options for beating this year's summer heat
“Chilling”
the old-fashioned way
For centuries the Japanese have been experts at
incorporating nature in everyday living.
As serious efforts to reduce power consumption and
save energy gather momentum, this summer is the perfect
opportunity to remind ourselves of the wise ways of our
forebears, hone our senses and test some time-honored
techniques for combating soaring temperatures.
Photos (spread) Hiroyuki Kiseki
(products/people) Satoru Naito
Text Kyoko Ohtsu
8
2 011 August
2 011 August
9
Long, narrow uchiwa
涼
made from Tosa washi
paper, oval-shaped
“Chilling”
¥1,500
the old-fashioned way
Designer uchiwa
¥1,000
Marugame fans
A shibu-uchiwa , a well-known example
of a Marugame fan. Fishing line
reinforcing makes the fans robust and
hard to tear, while a coating of
kakishibu (persimmon tannin juice) helps
to ward off insects. The souvenir “kon ”
(gold) character marking a visit to the
Konpira shrine remains a favorite
motif. ¥500
うちわ
UCHIWA
Along with the Kyo uchiwa of Kyoto and
supplement their incomes. Originally
Boshu uchiwa of Chiba, Marugame-
made with a round handle (i.e. of
uchiwa constitute one of the three main
un-split bamboo), in 1882 examples
types of uchiwa fan made in Japan. The
with a flat handle formed by splitting
brilliant red shibu-uchiwa fan with a
the bamboo and planing it flat began
marukin design shown here was
to appear. These days, the term
originally designed as a souvenir for
Marugame-uchiwa generally refers to
Shikoku's Konpira shrine. Fan
a flat-handled fan.
manufacture appears to have become
Uchiwa are produced all over Japan,
established in Marugame in the mid-Edo
but Marugame accounts for by far
period, when the local lord's retainers
the most of any single location:
were encouraged to take it up to
an impressive 90 percent of
the total.
Komangetsu
fan made from
yukata (cotton
fans
kimono) fabric
White ¥300
The story goes that round uchiwa fans were originally used to swat away
insect pests such as flies and mosquitoes. They are also believed
Uchiwa no Minato Museum
to have been used to ward off sickness. While the rise of electric fans
307-15 Minato-machi Marugame-shi, Kagawa
Tel: 0877-24-7055
Fax: 0877-43-6966
Website: http://www16.ocn.ne.jp/~polca/polca_1.html
and air conditioning means there are now fewer opportunities for day-to-day
use of uchiwa, there's no doubt their natural breeze makes for a softer,
10
2 011 August
more soothing cooling sensation.
Komangetsu Aizome
indigo-dyed fabric
¥1,200
2 011 August
11
Uchiwa made from medake
(Simon bamboo) Mangetsu
type From ¥2,600
Uchiwa manufacture in action
Masao Uyama of the Uyama Kobo
studio is the only fan maker able to
complete in person all twenty-one
steps in the fan making process from
bamboo harvesting to final finishing,
making him a true master craftsman of
the ancient province of Awa-no-Kuni.
1
2
Boshu uchiwa
Chinese calendar motifs are
popular, and ideal for
decorative use.
From ¥800
Black bamboo uchiwa
are highly prized.
Mangetsu type
Awa-no-Kuni (Minami-Boso in present-
From ¥4,000
day Chiba) was a source of highquality bamboo in the Edo period,
supplying it to the uchiwa fan makers
of Edo (Tokyo). However, with the
razing of most Nihonbashi uchiwa
wholesalers in the blazing inferno
accompanying the Great Kanto
3
Earthquake of 1923, craftsmen were
1. Bamboo splitting.
summoned here from Edo and went
A single stalk of bamboo
on to make it the caenter of Boshu
is split into 60-64 equal
uchiwa production. Minami-Boso is
strips, in this case using
also a fishing port, and the techniques
an old razor blade.
of fan making are said to have been
2. Several of the tools
passed down as a source of extra
used by Uyama-san. The
cutting board is handmade.
3. The bamboo is flexed
income among women waiting for the
4
return of their men who were out
fishing. Once a workforce of around a
and spread to make the
thousand, now there are only a andful
window at the base.
of fan makers left.
4. All ten fingers move in
Boshu uchiwa , with their characteristic
concert to perform the job.
cylindrical handles, are distinguished
5. With the cutting
by their rounded grips and attractive
complete, the edging is
semi-circular “windows” made by
attached.
5
binding bamboo split into 48-64 equal
ribs with thread.
2040 Moto-ori Minami-Boso-shi, Chiba
Tel: 0470-36-2130
12
2 011 August
*Prices are a guide only, and vary between retailers.
涼
Uyama Kobo
Uchiwa made from the root of
the bamboo. The wider shape is
known as “Yamato pattern”
From ¥8,000
2 011 August
13
涼
Square lantern wind chime with plover motif
¥2,625
Nanbu-tetsu wind chimes
Nanbu-tetsu wind chimes
The manufacture of Nanbu-tetsu ware, the
best-known examples of which include iron
kettles and sukiyaki pans, dates back over
900 years. Around the year 1962 Nanbutetsu wind chimes suddenly experienced an
explosion in popularity, with production
reaching over four million at its peak.
風鈴
The classic lantern-shaped chimes are now
joined by designs to suit modern homes
FURIN
Wind
without eaves, but that soul-striking sound
chimes
The tinkle of wind chimes (furin) wafting from nowhere in
particular is a classic sound of the Japanese summer, resonating
refreshingly in a way that soothes the soul. Changing wind to
sound and enjoying that elegant transformation is a way of
Round lantern wide
clime with mountain
stream motif
¥2,625
rings eternal.
Oigen Juzo
45 Horinouchi Hada-cho Mizusawa-ku
Oshu-shi Iwate
Tel: 0197-24-2411
Fax: 0197-25-3619
Website: http://www.oigen.co.jp/
● Visit http://eng.jqrmag.com/ to hear an online
version of the Nanbu-tetsu wind chime.
savoring summer breezes that is very much in tune with
Japanese sensibilities.
14
2 011 August
2 011 August
15
Edo wind chimes
Wind chime manufacture in action
We visited the main store of
Shinohara Furin, a manufacturer
synonymous with Edo wind chimes.
Here chimes are individually
fashioned by a team of dedicated
craftsmen.
1
2
Edo wind chimes
Glass wind chimes came to Edo in the
mid-Edo period (from 1700 onward)
following a demonstration by a Nagasaki
glassblower. By the late Edo period (1800
onward), peddlers balancing poles of
chimes on their shoulders could be found
plying their trade in every corner of the city.
Legend has it that not one of them ever
called out to advertise his wares, yet still a
constant stream of customers came: drawn
instead by the harmonious tinkling of their
chimes. Modern times have seen this staple
3
scene of Japan's summer landscape
4
1.Yoshiharu Shinohara, second-generation
disappear.
glassblower; Edogawa-ku Preserver of
Every Edo wind chime, handmade by glass
Important Intangible Cultural Properties
blowing, ends up with a different shape.
and Tokyo Honorary Citizen.
Differences in the way the bulb expands,
2. After winding glass heated to 1,320 ºC
the cut opening, and the weight ensure that
onto the rod, Shinohara blows a bulb.
each resonates in a different way.
3. Picking up more glass, he inflates the
Time-honored designs such as goldfish and
bulb slightly more, then after making a
morning glory flowers are perennial
hole to pass thread through later, gives a
favorites, but this year pictures of the Tokyo
single large puff. The method is referred to
Sky Tree are also popular. Before you buy
as freeform glassblowing, i.e. without the
be sure to first check not just the design,
use of molds.
but the sound.
Shinsui
Longer and narrower
than modern-day wind
chimes, giving a more
mellow tone.
¥2,835
Komaru
Pre-war wind chimes were
red, and usually featured
some sort of play on words.
This example has a pine
tree (matsu ) on the reverse
of a treasure ship, meaning
“to wait (also matsu ) for
riches”.
¥1,470
4. Once it is cool enough to touch, the
bulb is severed. The edge is left rough to
5. The bulb is painted. Illustrating from the
inside is a distinguishing feature of Edo
5
wind chimes.
Shinohara Furin main store
4-22-5 Minami-Shinozaki-cho, Edogawa-ku,
Tokyo
Tel: 03-3670-2512
Fax: 03-3677-2552
Website: http://www.edofurin.com/
● Visit http://eng.jqrmag.com/ to hear an online
version of the Edo Furin wind chime.
16
2 011 August
Utamaro
Replica of a wind chime
made 300 years ago, with
a long thin gourd shape.
¥5,250
涼
ensure a unique tone for each chime.
2 011 August
17
涼
打ち水
UCHIMIZU
Uchimizu, the sprinkling of water for cooling purposes, is no longer a common sight in urban areas.
Over 300 years ago the working-class citizens of Edo already knew that sprinkling water
on the ground had a cooling effect, and were putting that knowledge into practice.
Sprinkling water on and then ventilating areas of the house such as the entrance hall and veranda
also helps bring a cool breeze indoors.
Why does sprinkling water cool things down?
The answer lies in the process of vaporization,
in which water takes heat from the surrounding
air as it evaporates.
Japan faces impending power shortages this
summer, a repeat of a similar crisis in 2003. It
was during this earlier crisis that ideas were
conceived to combat the phenomenon of heat
islands in densely built-up areas of the city.
The focus was on the effect of sprinkling
water, via a social experiment aimed at
lowering the air temperature in the CBD
through uchimizu: the “Oedo Uchimizu Dai-
sakusen ” or “Great Edo Water Sprinkling
Operation”. Thanks to an estimated 340,000
participants across the twenty-three wards of
1
Tokyo, a temperature drop of 1ºC was
recorded, making the campaign a huge
success. Now the project has extended
outside Japan to other countries such as
France, and uptake is steadily growing. In
2010 an estimated 7.95 million people across
Japan took part in this coordinated uchimizu.
According to Midori Matsumura from the
2
Uchimizu Dai-sakusen office, “One can of
3
course perform uchimizu in isolation, but if we
all do it at a particular time then it's likely to
be more effective. We also recommend this
because coordinating in this way encourages
people to communicate with each other.”
The time-honored ritual of sprinkling water for
purification is now proving a valid means of
alleviating, even if only temporarily, a serious
4
5
present-day situation.
1. Ambassadors and their spouses from various embassies donned yukata to
take part in uchimizu at Asakusa. 2. and 3. Demonstrations in front of the Paris
city hall in 2005 and 2006 were a huge hit with crowds of locals and tourists. 4.
In Sugamo, women dressed in yukata sprinkle water in flamboyant fashion. 5.
Women dressed as maids also took part in an event at Kanda Meijin shrine near
Akihabara (all photos courtesy of the Uchimizu Dai-sakusen HQ)
The iron rule of uchimizu
1. Never use tap water.
This is the iron rule. Use rainwater or water recycled from bathwater or
the exterior units of air conditioners, etc.
See the Uchimizu Dai-sakusen website for further hints on getting the best out of uchimizu. ● Uchimizu Dai-sakusen office：http://uchimizu.jp/
18
2 011 August
QR 1
Quality Review
Photo at left shows
steam being applied.
The Airweave material
allows heat to escape,
providing for comfortable
sleep even when
perspiring.
Photo at right shows
water being poured
through the mat.
Both pad and cover are
washable and easy
to keep clean.
Single 33,600 yen, semi-double 40,950 yen.
The Airweave Cool 16 is a limited-time product,
available only through August 31. Regular
Airweave products are available year-round.
Airweave cool
Airweave Cool
Breathable, Cool “Airweave Cool 016”
Photography/Hiroyuki Kiseki, Text/Jun Nakaki
Athletes love
the environmentally-friendly,
comfortable Airweave Cool
mattress pad.
As everyone works to save energy, it
pad also makes turning over in bed
Today, Airweave mattress pads have
more comfortable, and even pressure
even found their way into use in first
distribution puts less stress on the
class cabin service on All Nippon
body. The polyethylene fibers mean the
Airways international routes. The
mattress pad is also completely
Airweave Cool 016 features an
washable, giving it all the qualities
improved mattress cover made of a
people look for in a mattress.
cooler fabric. This limited edition is
available only this summer.
gets harder to find a place to cool off.
Wouldn’t it be nice to at least get away
While the product did not sell well
from the heat at night…? A slew of
when first introduced, no sooner was it
Airweave is used with bedding in the
personal cooling products has hit the
put into use at accommodations run by
guestrooms at Kagaya, a famous and
market this summer, but one bedding
the Japan Institute of Sports Sciences
exclusive hot springs resort in
product that really stands out is the
than the Olympic athletes staying at
Wakura, Ishikawa Prefecture. This
Airweave Cool 016 mattress pad. Easy
the facilities began talking about it.
mattress pad is good for the body and
to use, it goes right on top of your
Word soon spread that the Airweave
beats the heat—the perfect
existing bedding.
mattress pad provided a good night’s
prescription for a good night’s sleep
sleep regardless of the temperature,
over the hot summer nights to come.
The secret to how this mattress pad
and left the body feeling rested the next
keeps its cool lies in its unique
day. Athletes such as swimmer Kosuke
“airweave” filling. Polyethylene material
Kitajima and members of Japan’s track
is melted and extruded into water as
and field team brought their own
thin filaments, hardening into a mat of
mattress pads to the Beijing Olympics
fibers. The resin forms a three-
the following year, and soon Mao
dimensional, interwoven pad that is
Asada and other figure skaters,
composed more than 90% of air, giving
members of the Japanese national
it outstanding breathability and
soccer team, and other athletes began
preventing build-up of heat and
taking the mattresses to competitions
dampness. With just the right amount of
overseas as a way of combating back
spring and a highly stable shape, the
pain.
● Inquiries: Weava Japan: Tel. 0120-824-811　http://airweave.jp
20
2 011 August
The Airweave mattress
pad is composed of
intricately intertwined
polyethylene threads,
with a durability of over
seven years. Once
used, the pads can by
heat fused for recycling
into PET bottles and
other items.
Folds compactly for storage during
the winter or when not in use.
2 011 August
21
QR 2
Quality Review
Bilbao Prism 2
– 28,350 yen.
Stretch it lengthwise
or longwise ; one
bag with an infinite
variety of shapes.
Bao Bao Issey Miyake
Bao Bao Issey Miyake
A Unique Bag with a Flexible Shape
Photography/Hiroyuki Kiseki, Text/Jun Nakaki
Have fun adding gussets to
and folding this bag
gores (shaped fabric segments that
summer vacation. As an added bonus,
facilitate folding and expansion to
the surface is mostly stain-resistant.
create 3-D shapes). Taking on various
This one versatile bag, which can
shapes and contours depending on the
be folded into a mini-bag or used as a
This unique bag – part of the accessory-
contents, the bag never looks the same
large bag, is ideal for everyday use or
brand series Bao Bao Issey Miyake,
twice – no matter how you try – because
when traveling. Most importantly, this
which debuted last autumn – resembles
the shape alters slightly each time. The
fun bag can be adjusted to
a 3-D puzzle made from pieces of fabric.
colors of the metallic-look bag slightly
complement your outfit.
The beautiful design has smooth, shiny,
differ depending on the light. The design
inter-connected triangular pieces on the
of a studded or patterned bag will look
outside with a black mesh fabric on the
different every time. This makes carrying
inside.
this ever-changing bag exciting.
This summer the stud-covered Bilbao
The handles can be adjusted to two
Lucent Studs and check pattern Bilbao
different lengths. Lengthen the handle
Lucent Check were added to the
to slip it over your shoulder. The pocket
straightforward and popular Bilbao
on the inside is handy for holding
Prism 2 series.
lipstick or other small items.
These bags are unique in that their
Of course, when folded small, the
shape can be freely changed by folding
bag can be carried around without being
along the triangular pieces or by making
bulky. Slip it in your suitcase for your
● Inquiries: Issey Miyake Inc. Tel: +81-3-5454-1705 http://www.isseymiyake.com/
22
2 011 August
The black mesh
visible between the
triangular pieces is
also part of the design.
The fabric is soft
and pliable.
Bilbao Lucent Studs (35 × 35cm), a white bag with silver studs, also comes in black – 36,750 yen. Bilbao Lucent Check (35 × 35cm), a checked
patterned bag with studs comes in blue or red – 38,850 yen each. The Bilbao Prism 2, at bottom right, comes in light purple (28 × 28cm) – 19,950 yen.
A large-sized Bilbao Prism 2 (bottom right) in the same series in bordeaux (39.5 × 39.5cm) – 28,350 yen. The products at the top of the page on the left
are shown here in different colors.
2 011 August
23
QR
SPECIAL Selection
The Shozo Izushi Selection No.5
A black-japan ring
Transparent Black – The Ultimate in Elegance
Photography/Satoru Naito
The earliest use of the word “japan”
humid climate is perfect for creating
mere chance, I realized, that our
to mean Japanese lacquer in English
lacquerware.
ancestors, having discovered lacquer,
“But in the still dimmer light of
Japan knew of the beauty of lacquer
the candle stand, as I gazed at the
objects finished in it.” (In Praise of
long before then.
trays and bowls standing in the
Shadows , Junichiro Tanizaki)
shadows cast by that flickering point
In Praise of Shadows is a rare and
Lacquerware was produced in
Japan as far back as the Early Jomon
unparalleled classic on Japanese
period (6,000-5,000 BCE), as
aesthetics. In this essay, Tanizaki
exemplified by a vermillion
likens the beauty of lacquerware to “a
lacquerware comb discovered at the
depth and richness like that of a still,
Torihama ruins in Mikata, Fukui
dark pond.” Is there much more I can
Prefecture. The bold design of this
add to that?
approximately 6,000-year-old piece of
Showzi Tsukamoto is the leading
lacquer work has horn-like protrusions
expert in Japan for kintaishitsugei , the
rising up on both ends. Some teeth
technique of applying lacquer on the
are missing, but the vermillion lacquer
surface of precious metals. Once,
shines like new.
Tsukamoto was fortunate to encounter
Lacquerware shines black, and is
other chemicals, vulnerable only to
ultraviolet rays. Thanks to this the
comb still looks alive after being
buried for 6,000 years. The main
probably never see again. Upon
Decorative ring (gold lacquer, motherof-pearl inlay, black lacquer, mirror
coating) K18YG, black japan, limpet,
K24YG 2,100,000 yen incl. tax
component of lacquer is urushiol, and
seeing it, he realized the appealing
contrast of crimson on black – the
transparent black lacquer unique to
Japan and known as ‘black japan’,
applied 20 times in repeated layers.
good-quality lacquerware contains
of flame,
70% urushiol. While various types of
I discovered in the gloss of this
“depth and richness like that of a still,
lacquerware can be found across
lacquerware a depth and richness like
dark pond.” If Tanizaki were alive, he
Asia, pieces of this quality are only
that of a still, dark pond, a beauty I
would most definitely have chosen
found in Japan, where the hot and
had not before seen. It had not been
one of Tsukamoto’s pieces as a gift.
Shozo Izuishi
2 011 August
Ring (garnet, black japan,
mirror coating) garnet, K18YG,
black japan 1,050,000 yen
incl. tax
a giant garnet of a size he will
strong and impervious to acid and
24
had conceived such a fondness for
is circa 1688. Yet foreigners visiting
His works have an undoubted
Born 1944. Izuishi has forged a career as a fashion designer, consultant, and critic. Author of numerous books including Bruu
Jiinzu no Bunkashi (“Blue Jeans: a Cultural History”) (NTT Shuppan). His recent work Suutsu no Hyakka Jiten (“An Encyclopedia
of Suits”) (Banraisha) lecturing males on how to wear a suit properly has attracted favorable reviews.
(from left) Ring “Tortoiseshell” (emerald, gold lacquer, mother-of-pearl inlay, black japan, mirror coating) K18WG, black japan, limpet, K24YG
892,500 yen incl. tax/Decorative ring (vermilio n lacquer, black japan, mirror coating) K18YG, vermilion lacquer, black japan 1,155,000 yen incl.
tax/Ring (vermilion lacquer, mirror coating) K18YG, vermilion lacquer 210,000 yen incl. tax/Ring “Tortoiseshell” (gold lacquer, mother-of-pearl inlay,
black japan, mirror coating) K18YG, black japan, limpet, K24YG 525,000 yen incl. tax
● Enquiries: Zivaco Inc. <http://urushiart.com>
2 011 August
25
［This Month’s Questions］
We asked smartly dressed passersby how they are feeling right now.
Street Snap
Q1 Who do you think epitomizes Japanese quality?
Q2 What do you think is a waste of electricity?
Q3 What was the biggest change within you after the recent earthquake?
［Morika’s Answers］
Q1 My grandfather who runs a
farm and leads a selfsufficient lifestyle
Q2 Sleeping with the lights on
Q3 A feeling of belonging
［S’s Answers］
□ Name:Saya
□ Occupation:Hairdresser
□ Age:19
26
2 011 August
□ Name:Akane
□ Occupation:Student
□ Age:21
Jacket: American Apparel
Shorts: H&M
Shoes: Converse
Watch: MARC BY MARC J
Bag: Bought at a flea market
Jacket: Dior
Skirt: American Apparel
Shoes: UNBILICAL
Bag: miu miu
□ Name:Morika Sugiyama
□ Occupation:KINSELLA employee
□ Age:23
Dress: Bought at a local boutique　Inner shirt: Forever21
Shoes: Katharine Hamnett　Sunglasses: Forever21
Bag: Bought at a vintage shop　Belt: H&M
Q1 All craftsmen
Q2 Pachinko parlors
Q3 Understanding
□ Name:S
□ Occupation:Black MiQuri
□ Age:23
［Saya’s Answers］
？
Q1
Pachinko
parlors
Q2
I
Q3 contact my parents in Iwate more frequently.
Jacket: Black MiQuri
Inner shirt: Black MiQuri
Pants: Bought at a vintage shop
Shoes: CELINE
Bag: London
［Akane’s Answers］
Kiko
Mizuhara
Q1
Shop
windows
Q2
I
unplug appliances I’m not using.
Q3
2 011 August
27
OMEKASHI
Dressing Up
JAPAN QUALITY REVIEW
JQR FASHION
Worldwide Online Media Publication
2011 August Vol.2
RIN
凛
The Language of Dressing Up
Rin is like power concealed in the tranquil beauty of elegance
Text / Hiroshi Ashida
“Before everything else I’
m a human
francaise of the Rococo period were
they made. Probably because they
being”(A Doll’
s House, Henrik Ibsen)
certainly splendid and beautiful, but you
made clothes in accordance with existing
do not perceive any sense of elegance
socially accepted idea of dress at the time.
More than just a few Japanese words
in them. If you think about it, excess
are difficult to translate into Western
is unmistakably one reason for this.
progressed for some time after the war
Women’
s social advancement
languages. Wabi and sabi are well-
Enormous amounts of time, money and
and inevitably changes in fashion also
known examples, and kawaii is another
skill were lavished on the extravagant
emerged. In the eighties the likes of Yoji
one that has recently gained currency
embroidery with its abundance of gold
Yamamoto and Comme des Garçons
in English. Rin may well be another of
and silver thread, intricate lace and other
broke away from the mannish pantsuits
these words. Maybe it’
s because of an
trimmings. However, the purpose of
insufficient knowledge of languages apart
such clothing was largely to symbolize
from Japanese on my part, but I have the
status and power, and it is difficult to
present styles that went beyond existing
feeling that there is no real equivalent
say honestly that it had any refinement.
notions of women’
s clothing as dresses.
for rin in Western languages. It’
s difficult
The empire style emerged at the end
These styles, which made a difference
enough to explain in Japanese, but the
of the eighteenth century after rococo,
to the way women defined themselves,
impression that the word conjures up for
and was by contrast a style with a
projected an easily comprehensible
me personally, is of strength concealed
simple silhouette and no excessive
visual strength, that also appeared as
behind a beautiful, quiet demeanor.
ornamentation. But when you consider
a kind of swaggering pose. But from
Something in short, that seems to have
aspects of it such as the tendency
the nineties onwards unisex styles
a transparent kind of strength. Follow
towards over-simplification, and the
became widespread, and rather than
this line of thought and it seems that rin
transparency of the clothing which lead
women’
s fashions incorporating more
may have things in common with the
to more sex appeal than was perhaps
male sexuality, things went in a neutral
Western concept of“elegant.”Elegant
necessary, it seems clear that it deviated
direction. That’
s when you could say
is often used in connection with dress
from any sense of elegance.
that more relaxed fashions with a supple
and deportment, but let’
s think about the
subject of elegant dress a little more.
Tracing the history of clothing,
of Yves Saint Laurent and western-style
“beautiful fashion”of the seventies, to
strength, came on the scene. But with
it is possible to see the emergence
brands like COSMIC WONDER, for
of elegance in the work of Madelaine
example, with its insistence on organic
It’
s linguistic origins are in the Latin
Vionnet at the beginning of the twentieth
materials, and designing not just clothes
elegantem (fine); e (out of) and - legant
century. Known for inventing the bias
but living spacing and environment as
(select), meaning to select with care.
cut, Vionnet’
s clothing was flawless.
well, or ASEEDONCLOUD, which spins
In other words, it is not a simple
In comparison to other couturiers and
stories through its clothes and tends to
equivalent for yuga —the Japanese word
couturières of the same period, she
come across as a brand with natural,
corresponding to elegant—but rather
trimmed away all that was unnecessary
light touch, the designers’
ideas and
points to something that is minimal in
from the garments she made, which
concepts are integrated into the brand’
s
design yet carefully chosen. This closely
exuded an air of tranquility. In a later
garments, so that you have a sense
parallels Antoine de Saint-Exupery’
s
generation clothing by Grès gave the
of a firm will behind them. It’
s not an
idea that perfection is achieved not when
same impression. However, while each
ostentatious strength that you find in
there is nothing left to add, but when
of these women had her own individual
these, but a quiet, inner strength which
there is nothing left to be taken away.
sensibility, you don’t feel the full strength
could, quite appropriately, be called rin .
To begin with, what is elegance?
Dresses such as the robe à la
of their personalities in the garments
Hiroshi Ashida: Born 1978. Ashida quit his Ph.D. research program at the Kyoto University Graduate School. He is now assistant curator at the Kyoto Costume Institute.
Watch
Silk Dress
Citizen
Nocturne #22 in C Sharp Minor, Op. Posth.
Glasses
Label,. The wearer cuts an even
gives a clear field of vision and an
more beautiful figure as the front
intellectual look.
section sways in synch with her
Titanium frame (left) 79,800 yen
movements.
Titanium frame (center) 79,800 yen
The dark-colored print graphically
47,250 yen
Metal frame (right) 35,700 yen
expresses the texture of knit
Nocturne #22 in C Sharp Minor,
alain mikli (mikli japon)
Op. Posth. (RE.BIRTH information
tweed. Simply wearing an elegant
accessory.
Silver/ Black each 26,250 yen
Kii (Citizen Watch Co.)
desk)
Panama Hat
jacket makes one straighten up.
touch. Wear the watch like an
formerly designer with Y’
s Red
The narrow-framed classy design
John Lawrence Sullivan
any clothing and add a classy
A new brand from Michiko Suzuki,
alain mikli
Jacket
Simple designs go well with
66,150 yen
Borsalino
John Lawrence Sullivan (John
Lawrence Sullivan)
A stark white hat with an air of
Choker
distinction handmade by craftsmen.
Look and feel elegant simply by
YOSHiKO CREATiON
putting it on.
The shape of a necklace blown
44,100 yen Borsalino (test,)
by the wind is captured in this
Accoutrements
choker. Its lightness of form is
exquisite.
Silver/ Black each 17,325yen
Shawl
YOSHiKO CREATiON (RE.BIRTH
information desk)
Hiroko Hayashi
Carrying around these beautifully matched
leather accessories with functional and
textured embossed designs, will make you
Tank Top
Tricker’
s
Thom Browne
This white tank top projects a
leather shoes. Wear these fine articles
clean image. The linear Henley
from an old established maker and
neck in the wide open neckline
your step will naturally become
gives it that extra something.
dignified.
15,750 yen
58,800 yen
Thom Browne (Loveless)
Tricker's (Trading Post Shibuya Shop)
Clutch bag 48,300 yen
Long purse 30,450 yen
Card case 11,550 yen
Delicate yet Strong.
Hiroko Hayashi (Hiroko Hayashi)
Belt
Amboise
Light and Composed.
Gently swaying blue feathers
Photography/ Satoru Naito, Takemi Yabuki (Femme)
bring out elegant aspects of the
wearer’
s carriage.
Text/ Dai Furusawa
31,500 yen
Amboise (United Arrows, Harajuku
Shawl
for Women))
Miyao
A designer with experience at Comme
des Garçons, Miyao starting out in the
Spring/Summer 2011 collections.
From the black lace you can sense
Pins
delicacy, and from the wool a
contrasting lightweight strength.
13,125 yen Miyao (Miyao)
JAM HOME MADE and ready made
The safety pin, once a symbol of punk
fashion, is the motif here in a simple
silver accessory. Wear it to show an
unwavering attitude.
Nagagi
Shirt
Basket
matohu
United Arrows
The traditional Japanese nagagi
A basket to tote around casually as an
(long kimono) reworked in Western-
eco-bag. The black coloring and tassels bring
style is a trademark item by
elegance to even an informal outing.
matohu. With its simple straight
L 2,520 yen / M 2,310 yen / S 2,205 yen
lines, the kimono-like design
United Arrows (United Arrows, Harajuku for
confers a dignified mien on the
Women)
wearer.
115,500 yen matohu (Lews Ten)
L 52,500 yen/ M 31,500 yen/
S 15,750 yen
Akira Naka
The beautiful flowing line of
the drape that extends from the
shoulder along the side, combined
with the linear shape of the shirt
suggests a light, yet strong beauty.
36,750 yen
Akira Naka (Esteem Press)
JAM HOME MADE
(JAM HOME MADE)
02 - 03
Beauty for the feet with pure white
want to smarten up your deportment.
ITEM
Shoes
Necklace: In a design suggestive of an ancient gladiator’
s breastplate, this necklace
Bangle: The design looks as if it could be ethnically inspired, or part of the costume
made of transparent acrylic conveys an impression of lightness and sophistication.
for an anime heroine. Because of the transparent material the effect is not too hard,
Care has been paid that the attachable parts made of flexible materials, are
and this bangle could be worn in a pop or modish.
comfortable to wear.
22,050 yen mame (Maiko Kurogochi Design Office)
53,550 yen mame (Maiko Kurogouchi Design Office)
No.2 mame
Fun Dressing Up
Mask 60,900 yen mame (Maiko Kurogochi Design Office)
Photography/ Satoru Naito (p. 4), Takemi Yabuki (Femme) (p. 5) Text/ Kyoko Ozawa
fashion.
of 2011 and is an up-and coming
majority of‘ordinary’women. Whether
presence on the fashion scene. The
it was as a reflection of these social
that mame presents is not, however,
brand concept is the combat uniform for
conditions, or a simple reaction against
simply a regression to earlier generations.
women in modern society. The kind of
the minimalist and conceptualist modes
Designer Maiko Kurogouchi worked
thing that might make you think of suits
of the nineties, whichever the case, in the
at the Miyake Design Studio, and has
with power-shoulders. In contrast to the
2000s feminine, and even more girlish
background experience with the A-POC
textures that provide camouflage in the
fashions, became popular in the form of
(a piece of cloth) design concept, and
giant metropolis and type of designs
intersecting“tribes.”
collection planning and design. Working
generally regarded as being for‘fighting
“Girly culture”—as this trend was
The image of the“combat woman”
in cooperation with the network of artisans
women`—neutral colors to blend in with
called—along with the emergence of
she made connections with during that
concrete and straight-line silhouettes to
a cultured class“young girl”trend,
time plays a large part in underpinning
replicate the shape of high-rise buildings
continues as a type of underground
the delicateness that she has perfected
— mame’
s clothing is delicate, with
subculture. However the“girly”culture of
which is imbued with her own style. She
ornamental detail. Minimal yet elaborately
the 2000s had a stronger introspective,
dares to use artificial materials such as
calculated patterns, lace delineated in
conservative and self-protective nature
plastic and chemical fibres in traditional
complicated and gorgeous designs, plastic
to it. The espousal of motekawa —a new
designs. She blends classical and folk
accessories incorporating methods from
fashion ideal backed by the so-called
designs with a futuristic texture, and
leathercraft, and the masks… if anything,
akamojikei fashion magazines aimed at
in doing so produces a mysteriously
these evoke the accomplishment and
young women—which dispensed with
sophisticated and distinctive world. With
sophistication attained by diligent hand-
the notion of women dressing to please
its delicacy of detail, refusal to hide or
working in traditional arts and crafts.
themselves and instead bluntly embraced
distort the lines of the body, design that
Formerly, aspirations to be a‘strong
the notion of dressing to attract men; the
traces inherent beauty, and a respect for
woman’—at least in Japan— went hand
Lolita fashion that played out a more old-
the classical coexisting with a futuristic
in hand with soaring economic expansion.
fashioned girlishness and“princess”
consciousness, mame’
s collection hints
Of course not everyone became a
-style while maintaining the nature of a
at the awe-inspiring qualities of women
career woman, but it was a period
‘s line
counterculture; and the aomojikei
living in a new age, one in which their light
when women aspired to be‘strong’
on the yurufuwa (fluffy, buoyant) style,
graceful strength bears no relation to the
were uniformly incompatible with the
thorns and poison aimed at others, and
Lace Dress: A striking dress made of exquisite dainty lace in deep midnight blue.
Lace Blouse: Lace on the blouse like milky-white mist, captures the eye. With
and even if they weren’
t, they could at
The cascade of chiffon sways elegantly as you move.
sportive elements concealed in the cutting of the back and motif around the chest, it
least look the part by dressing in the
86,100 yen mame (Maiko Kurogochi Design Office)
can be coordinated into a wide range of styles.
fashions. Eventually with the slump in the
90s. Actually, it is also a fact that such
57,750 yen mame (Maiko Kurogochi Design Office)
economy and accompanying insecurity
trends are now fast becoming clichéd
“combat woman”image of the 80s and
combines mutually contradictory elements
with an all-encompassing flexibility.
Kyoko Ozawa: Born in 1976 in Gunma prefecture. Ozawa passed the coursework section for the University of Tokyo Graduate School doctoral course then withdrew.
She is a specially appointed researcher at the University of Tokyo Center for Philosophy.
04 - 05
amongst teens, at least in the area of
ceased to become good news for the
Works
in employment, the tides of feminism
debuted in the spring/ summer collection
Professional
The eccentrically-named mame brand
The days when hats were a
must are a thing of the past.
But a capeline will still endow
women with grace in any time.
Dressed-up People
STYLING
06 - 07
The solid strength,
At the core of beautiful deportment.
A lightness as heavy as this.
Photography/ Takemi Yabuki (Femme) (p. 6, 8, 1 0, 12), Maki
Taguchi (p. 7, 9, 11, 13 )
Hair and make-up/ Tsukushi Ichikawa
Model/ Shohei Yamashita (p. 8, 10), Sayo Akasaka (p. 6, 12)
Text/ Hiroshi Asada
Hat 44,100 yen
Stephen Jones / test,
Dress 115,500 yen
Yohji Yamamoto /
Yohji Yamamoto information desk
Pierced stud earrings 8,400 yen
YOSHiKO CREATiON /
RE.BIRTH information desk
Kaori Mochizuki (model/ Omotesando)
Hat (display item only)
paille d’or by Barairo no boushi
A coat is the outmost layer of clothing,
it becomes the body’s surface.
It’s power lies in the ability to change
our image with just one layer.
STYLING
08 - 09
Coat (display item only)
araisara / Esteem Press
Corset (display item only)
araisara / Esteem Press
Hakama (display item only)
araisara /Esteem Press
Ring 23,100 yen
YOSHiKO CREATiON /
RE.BIRTH information desk
Ring 21,000 yen
YOSHiKO CREATiON /
2 BOY (DJ / Harajuku)
RE.BIRTH information desk
Coat 72,450 yen
Earrings (privately owned)
Molfic / Esteem Press
Because of its simplicity the white
shirt can be influenced greatly by the
combination with other items. Maximal
contrast with black pants paradoxically
produces the best balance.
STYLING
10 - 11
Shirt 35,700 yen
Yohji Yamamoto /
Yohji Yamamoto information desk
Vest (display item only) Yohji Yamamoto /
Yohji Yamamoto information desk
Suspenders 12,600 yen
Yohji Yamamoto /
Yohji Yamamoto information desk
Pants 56,700 yen
Yohji Yamamoto /
Yohji Yamamoto information desk
Choker 39,900 yen
YOSHiKO CREATiON /
RE.BIRTH information desk
Hiroshi Ito (shop attendant/ Shibuya)
Shirt (display item only)
Luciole_jean pierre / XANADU
Blocking the eyeline with sunglasses
neutralizes emotion. A hard expression
shows neither, anger, happiness nor sadness.
STYLING
12 -13
Cut and sew 31,500 yen
Yohji Yamamoto /
Yohji Yamamoto information desk
Pleated skirt 89,250 yen
Yohji Yamamoto /
Yohji Yamamoto information desk
Sunglasses 43,050 yen
Linda Farrow / test,
Rings each 23,100 yen
Rei Shito (fashion blogger/ Aoyama)
YOSHiKO CREATiON /
Sunglasses 25,900 yen
RE.BIRTH information desk
Ray Ban / Reminence Tokyo
JAPAN QUALITY REVIEW
JQR FASHION
Worldwide Online Media Publication
2011 August Vol.2
Editor in Chief and Publisher
Jun Shinozuka
Fashion Director and Stylist
Souta Yamaguchi
Art Director
Masya Mutoh (No Design)
Designer
Akari Sugawara (No Design)
Assistant Editor
Dai Furusawa
Planning
Integral Corporation
2-1-14 Sarugaku-cho,
Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 101- 0064
Tel. 03-3518-4488
Publishing
JQR Editorial Department
2-1-14 Sarugaku-cho,
Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 101-0064
Tel. 03-3518-2270
Shop/Brand Information
Esteem Press 03-5428-0928
Hiroko Hayashi 03-3499-7364
JAM HOME MADE 03-3478-7113
John Lawrence Sullivan 03-5428-0068
Lews Ten 03-6805-0573
Loveless Aoyama 03-3401-2301
Miyao 03-6804-3494
paille d’
or by Barairo no Boushi 03-3498-8005
Reminence Tokyo 03-3499-7755
RE.BIRTH information desk 03-6452-3987
test, 03-5775-1537
Xanadu 03-6459-2826
Maiko Kurogouchi Design Office 03-3413-3338
Citizen Watch Co. 0120-78-4807
Trading Post Shibuya 03-3407-0689
Mikli japon 03-3401-7981
United Arrows, Harajuku main branch, Women’
s 03-3479-8176
Yohji Yamamoto information desk 03-5463-1537
jqrmag.com
We asked travel writer Yumi Yamaguchi about
Quality Japanese
Inns and Hotels
Bea
n
a
p
Ja
[Final Installment]
Photography/Yuko Iida
Q
ay
t
S
l
utifu
Hinanoza
Lake Akan
Highway bus
Sapporo
Kushiro
the expected power restrictions. For
my vacation I've decided to leave
Seafood sourced that same day from
Kushiro, Abashiri and other local fishing
grounds graces the table. Dishes made
from local ingredients such as Hokkaido
Sika Deer tataki and tempura of smelt
caught in Lake Akan make for an
unforgettable dining experience.
A
(Male, 48, restaurant owner)
scorcher in Tokyo, especially with
The bedroom is separate from the living room and tatami room facing
the lake. The spacious sleeping space is partitioned off by paper doors
to ensure privacy, also making it perfect for families.
Super Ozora
Where can I stay to best take in
the natural grandeur of Hokkaido?
This summer is shaping up to be a
The outdoor baths attached to the
rooms have a constant supply of
fresh running spring water. After a
warming soak in the cypress wood
tub, take a seat on the terrace
overlooking the native forest and cool
off in the bracing mountain air.
For what you want to do,
Hinanoza is the ideal spot.
(Yamaguchi)
the capital for the cooler clime of
Hinanoza in the Lake Akan hot spring region of Hokkaido
Hokkaido. Can you recommend
is a modern hotel distinguished by indigenous Ainu
somewhere to stay that will allow
design and handcrafted work with a contemporary twist.
me to relax and enjoy the natural
The lounge, which features traditional woodcarvings,
surroundings?
offers picture-perfect views across Lake Akan. Akan is
famous for its colonies of marimo moss balls, and in fact
apart from the town itself the whole of the lake shore is
native forest. This is the place to immerse yourself in the
majestic natural splendor of Hokkaido.
Tasty cuisine perfect
complement to natural
splendor
On entering Hinanoza one is greeted
by a galleria of dramatic design and
decoration. First to catch the eye is a
shimafukuro (Blakiston's fish owl)
perched on a bench, wings spread
wide as though it were about to take
flight. According to hotel staff, the bird
was carved from wood by a group of
local craftsmen. Next, guests are
lured into the main entrance hall. At
first glance the hotel appears to be a
conventional Japanese inn. Beyond
the tatami matting, however, an exotic
space with carved wooden furniture is
positioned to perfect effect against
the breathtaking backdrop of Lake
Akan. Carvings of wild animals are
dotted throughout the hotel. The hotel
staff members who kindly explain it all
46
2 011 August
wear uniforms incorporating Ainu
motifs. Judging from its interior,
vacuum tube amps.
Dinner is served in a private room
Hinanoza is a hostelry suffused with
at the hotel's “Hina” restaurant, and
the very essence of Hokkaido.
consists of a succession of delectable
Ushered into a room of
dishes with a definite seasonal flavor,
extraordinary luxury, I find a panoramic
sourced from the land and seas of
view of Lake Akan. Rooms at
Hokkaido. With the sake tasting just
Hinanoza also featured in the Chinese
as good, it would be a waste to stop
film If You Are the One, triggering a
these fresh, tasty morsels coming. I
boom in Hokkaido tourism in China.
decide to forget about calorie-
Bathing in the cypress wood outdoor
counting just for today.
tub attached to the room, I gaze
post-breakfast stroll along the nature
devoid of human habitation. Soaking
trail circling the shores of Lake Akan.
in the soothing waters while drinking
Bokke (mud pools) bubble out of the
in views of the beautiful lakeshore, I
ground quite close to the hotel. This
feel all that pent-up fatigue dissolve
place is also said to have been home
away.
to the Ainu since ancient times. The
sun's rays are powerful, but the
find an Ainu pattern resembling sharp
breeze blowing through the trees is
sword tips decorating a massive
cool, tirelessly rustling the fresh
natural wood counter, and
young leaves.
contemplate the setting sun while
listening to slow music wafting from
Akan Tsuruga Besso
Hinanoza
The following day starts with a
across the lake to indigenous forest
Visiting the bar before dinner, I
The Amanoza Suite overlooking Lake Akan with interconnecting tatami room, living room and bath. The view opening up across the lakeshore is simply superb.
2-8-1, Akanko Onsen, Akan-cho, Kushiro, Hokkaido, Japan
Tel: 0154-67-3050
Prices start at ¥29,000 per person per night including
dinner and breakfast
http://www.hinanoza.com/
In the listening room guests can enjoy the mellow tones
emanating from handcrafted wooden JBL Paragon speakers.
The lounge overlooking the lakeshore also boasts a
collection of books on Lake Akan, the Ainu and other local
subjects.
［Getting there］
● By train from Sapporo
Super Ozora limited express from Sapporo Station to
Tsuruga Station (approx. 230 minutes), then highway
bus to Hinanoza (approx. 100 minutes)
● By bus from Kushiro Airport
Approx. 80 minutes by highway bus from Kushiro
Airport to Hinanoza
Yumi Yamaguchi
Travel Writer. Author of Teikoku Hotel・Wright kan no nazo (Mysteries of the Imperial Hotel and Wright Buildings), Shueisha
Shinsho; Kieta shukuhaku meibo~hotel ga kataru senso no kioku (A Register of Vanished Hotels: Memories of War that
Hotels can tell us), Shichosha; Tabi no mado kara (Window Scenes from my Travels), Chihaya Shobo, and others.
2 011 August
47
Françoise Moréchand
Japan and Me
-The Modern is in the Traditional-
VOI.
2
私と日本
Francoise Morechand, Essayist
Bamboo and Japan
The Epitome of Japanese Elegance
I'm not sure what Japanese people think of when
they hear the word bamboo, but for the French
bambou long possessed the exotic aura that once
surrounded everything Asian. From Vietnam and
Cambodia (Indochina in the colonial period), to
Thailand, Indonesia and China, for people in the
West bamboo conjures up visions of faraway Eastern
lands.
On hearing the word “bamboo” we French are
reminded of the distinctive furniture that almost
certainly graced our grandparents' parlors: at the very
least one or two seats, a few armchairs, and a dainty
tea table. Such pieces chimed perfectly with Gallic
tastes in furnishings and added a whiff of the
mysterious East to the French-style interiors beloved
of Europeans.
In the 1860s, the advent of steamship travel
under the Second Empire of Napoleon I's nephew
Napoleon III made distant lands more accessible.
Long-term French residents of Asia returned bearing
attractive bamboo furniture as souvenirs from the
colonies. Europeans found this delicately-wrought
furniture irresistible, so French furniture-makers
began to produce imitations. For this they employed
timbers other than bamboo, but took care to
meticulously reproduce the bamboo joints.
French-made“bamboo chairs”
of this period now fetch
enormous sums on
the antique market!
The image of bamboo is closely linked to Asia. The
last wife of the late Serge Gainsbourg—singer,
songwriter, composer, and father of actress Charlotte
Gainsbourg—went by the stage name of Bambou, a
nod to her Vietnamese ancestry.
Prior to arriving in Japan in the late 1950s, my
image of bamboo was confined to its aforementioned
48
2 011 August
French colonial period charms.
Japan, on the other hand, had never been
colonized, thanks to the (wise, as it transpired)
determination of the Tokugawa Shogunate, having
observed developments in other parts of Asia, to
guard against foreign invasion through the system of
sakoku. By the time Iemitsu ruled Japan, this closing
of borders was complete. Coming here I discovered a
distinctly Japanese bamboo culture that epitomized
Japanese elegance and refinement.
My first visit to Japan was in 1958, just thirteen
years after the end of the Second World War. By
now the country was already quite far down the road
to Americanization, but its traditions remained robust,
and the people's way of life was closer to that of the
Edo period than Los Angeles. These were the good
days, before the archipelago was swamped in plastic
from end to end.
The call “Take! take!” still rings in my ears. This
was the cry of the peddlers who went from street to
street selling long bamboo poles for hanging out
laundry to dry.
I was renting a small house in Shimo-Meguro, on
the property of a Mrs. Okada, who lived in the main
house next door. Here, one truly had the sensation of
being in Japan, and I was happy to make my home
there.
Through the woven bamboo door to the garden,
the path to my little house passed through a small
thicket of bamboo. While it swayed in the spring
breezes, and bent under the weight of winter snow,
that bamboo never snapped.
I often visited Mrs. Okada at the main house,
which had escaped the B-29 firestorms of 1945. In
her entranceway, the ceiling woven in a lattice
pattern for strength was made of bamboo. Ushered
into the living room, I spied the tokonoma alcove
where the Japanese display prized works of art: here
the posts were again made of bamboo, this time a
different variety.
A Japanese ikebana flower
arrangement was displayed
in a bamboo basket of
splendid
spiral weave.
Enjoying a chat in the garden, Mrs. Okada and I
would sit on the engawa, a kind of veranda or narrow
passageway circling the house. At the Okada home,
the floor of this veranda consisted of bamboo stalks
split in half. This was highly pleasurable to walk on,
and a great relief for aching feet. The sharp clack of
a shishi odoshi water fountain resonating at regular
intervals from the garden was the most pleasant
sound imaginable. A shishi odoshi is a device
consisting of a bamboo tube open at one end into
which water pours, until its weight tips the tube,
causing it to hit stone and make a sound. In earlier
days, shishi odoshi were used in the fields to scare
off animals that came to eat the crops.
Calling on the Okadas of an evening I would be
met with sake served in a hollowed out bamboo tube.
The son would come home late at night after kendo,
a bamboo practice sword over his shoulder.
When I called the butcher to place an order, it
would arrive wrapped in bamboo skin.
Visiting the shrine near my house, to purify the
soul I would use a bamboo ladle to scoop up spring
water and wash my hands.
Bamboo features in pictures everywhere. Often
portrayed as a symbol of strength (because it flexes
but doesn't break), or purity (because a bamboo ladle
is used to scoop water and wash the hands or
mouth), it is in fact a fitting subject for any artist
seeking to pay homage to the attractions of nature
with minimal affectation.
The beauty of a bamboo grove, the trunks of soft,
lustrous green tracing crisp vertical lines, provides
the most wonderful inspiration for screens, kimono,
and lacquerware, while the crisp contours of bamboo
leaves make the perfect motif for the family crests
with which the Japanese mark their most precious
belongings.
Thanks to Japan, bamboo has escaped being a
symbol of colonialism. Bamboo is the soul of Japan. I
sincerely hope its people do not forget this.
2 011 August
49
Sake to Drink From aWineglass
In Praise
of
Fine Sake
Special Junmai
4
Vol.
Niizawa Brewery
Address: Sanbongi Kita-machi 63, Osaki-shi,, Miyagi
Telephone: 0229-52-3002
● Alcohol content: 15.8% ● Seimaibuai (rice milling percentage): 60%
● Nihonshu-do (Sake Meter Value + dry, -sweet): +3 ● Amino acidity:1.3%
● Acidity:1.5 ● Rice: Yamada-nishiki ● Volume: 720ml
● Price: 1,365 yen (tax inclusive)
Hakurakusei
Text/ Kaori Haishi (sake sommelier) Photography/ Susumu Nagao
The Lucky Sake that
Survived Disaster
“This sake was rescued safely from the
golden-basted meatballs? I also
Great Eastern Japan Earthquake.” It
recommend Chinese dishes containing
makes you want to take great care not
oyster sauce, such as green pepper
It’s been three months since the Great
to waste a single drop when drinking it.
steak.
Tilt your glass and the somewhat
aftermath caused unprecedented
golden yellow tinged sake drips slowly
solid strength akin to having two feet
damage to many sake breweries.
down the edge. If this were wine I’d say
planted firmly on the ground. Mr. Niizawa
Whether they feel that it has been a
it belonged in the long legs category,
is a man who has faced natural
long time or not since the disaster
with a light viscosity that covers the
disasters many times. I’m sure that he
probably depends greatly on present
tongue. A fresh aroma reminiscent of
will once again overcome any difficulties
circumstances. The Niizawa Brewery
lactic acid and green apples rises
and go on to brew even more delicious
sustained enormous damage in the
gracefully, and upon taking a sip, it has
sake. That might sound presumptuous
quake, and has only just taken its first
the full-bodied rice flavor you'd expect
coming from someone who was not a
real step towards recovery. The chief
from its appearance.
victim themselves, but everyone is
brewer there, Iwao Niizawa, is a rising
50
Somewhere in this sake there lies a
Eastern Japan Earthquake and its
This sake goes very well with
hoping for even greater things from him.
star of the sake world said to have “the
strongly-flavored dishes. It is also good
The decision to rebuild the brewery has
palate of a god.” The sake he brews
in combination with the pleasant tingling
already been made. The best support
intoxicates even the soul. This Special
sensation of green sansho (prickly ash
that we sake drinkers can give is to
Junmai Hakurakusei sake was in fact
pepper), which is now in season. Or how
drink the product he put his soul and
extremely fortunate to escape the
about something like miso-simmered
spirit into making. What more can I say?
earthquake unharmed. On the reverse
mackerel and green sansho, spicy-sweet
side of the bottle you’ll find the words
flavored burdock in pork loin rolls, or
2 011 August
The September edition will be issued on August 8th
Read about traveling deep in Kumano and Yoshino,
high-quality AERO CONCEPT products, and shops with
delicious shaved-ice treats to beat the heat.