JapaneseHandCraft.com owner blog Owner of web shop Japanese Hand Craft presents traditional Japanese culture and grace goods for all over the sea. Sake Green Tea Japanese Tableware Pottery Statistics Unique Visitors: Total Unique Visitors: Outgoing: Total Outgoing: 4 0 30 2159

Articles from JapaneseHandCraft.com owner blog

Chigo parade 2007-12-14 03:48:00 One of the old Shinto shrines in Mie prefecture hada Chigo parade last Saturday.The shrine is Tado-Taisha.The parade is a commemoration for rebuilding one of their buildings. Japanese famous shrines have this kind of parade when they construct or rebuild their building.The Chigo parade was led by 600 kids and the Shinto priest and horse.The shrine is famous for religious services with horses.Then, my daughter joined the Chigo parade.They rented us kimonos and a hair ornaments.There is the custom in Aichi and the nearby areas.If girls (under 10 years old) have joined the Chigo parade,the girls will be happy for life.My daughter has done this once.I have to find two more the kinds of parades...I never joined the parade, when I was boy.It may be OK, because I am boy!My wife has done this once.Oops.It is Ok, better than nothing. ...

Japanese Table Manners for Chopsticks 2 2007-12-10 01:27:00 Handmade chopsticks from Wakasahttp://www.japanesehandcraft.com/5. Do not lick your chopsticks.There are many Japanese meals served on the large plate or in the bowl.We have to share it other people.How would you feel if somebody licked their chopsticks.Recently many Japanese people use other chopsticks for only sharing.Some people use the opposite end of your chopsticks in order to move food from a shared plate to your own plate,if you have already used your chopsticks.6. Do not pick up a cup/bowl with the hand that is holding your chopsticks.The chopsticks sometimes hit something.7. Finished eatingLay them down in front of you with the tip to left.If disposal chopsticks have a cover, put them into the cover and fold the top of the cover. It means I am finished eating. If waiters see it, they take your dishes and clean up your table. How much did you know that? ...

Japanese Table Manners for Chopsticks 1 2007-12-05 19:34:00 Hand made chopsticks from Wakasahttp://www.japanesehandcraft.com/1. Do not stick chopsticks into your food.You have to pick up your food with chopsticks. Especially do not stick chopsticks into rice.This is only done at funerals. You stick chopsticks in the rice on the altar. It is a custom of Buddhism.2. Do not pass food with your chopsticks to somebody else’s chopsticks.That’s also only done at funerals and is a custom of Buddhism. After cremating we send bone around by using chopsticks.3. Do not hit tableware with chopsticks.There are not drum sticks.Do not make noise.4. Do not point with chopsticks.Not only at somebody, but also at something.To be continued. ...

How to use chopsticks? 2 2007-12-05 19:26:00 2. Hold the top chopstick between tips of the first and second fingers.3. You can support the top chopstick tip of the thumb.4. Only move the first and the second fingers.5. It is like quotation marks.6. The back of the chopsticks are never crossed. It is important you do not move the bottom chopstick.You only move the top chopstick. ...

How to use chopsticks? 1 2007-12-05 19:16:00 New additional category was set up on my web shop.It is chopsticks.I present about chopsticks on this blog.First of all I tell you how to use chopsticks.1. Hold bottom chopstick between base of the thumb and the fourth finger.You do not need to move this chopstick.(Please see the photo.) ...

Living National Treasure 2 2007-11-30 21:32:00 Tea pot: Jozan Yamada from TokonameI told my father Iwould tell his vase story on my blog.He told me more stories.If a Living National Treasure dies, his products will increase in value.Then, the values never drop down and keep increasing.If my father dies….It is not a good joke.It might be a good investment, if I find good young potters.It is one of the joys to collect pottery.There are 26 Living National Treasures in pottery.I picked up 5 potteres from four districts as follows,KutaniMinori Yushitawww.nihon-kogeikai.com/KOKUHO/YOSHIDA-MINORI/YOSHIDA-MINORI-SAKUHIN.htmlBizenToshu Yamamotowww.nihon-kogeikai.com/KOKUHO/YAMAMOTO-TOSHU/YAMAMOTO-TOSHU-SAKUHIN.htmlYu Hujiwarawww.nihon-kogeikai.com/KOKUHO/FUJIWARA-YU/FUJIWARA-YU-SAKUHIN.htmlTokonameJozan Yamadawww.nihon-kogeikai.com/KOKUHO/YAMADA-JOZAN/YAMADA-JOZAN-SAKUHIN.htmlSeto (Shino)Osamu Suzukiwww.nihon-kogeikai.com/KOKUHO/SUZUKI-OSAMU/SUZUKI-OSAMU-SAKUHIN.html ...

Living National Treasure 2007-11-30 01:54:00 Yashokichi Tokuda from KutaniI went to a Pottery Fair in my city with my parents.My father loves sake ware.He likes to see pottery shops when he takes a trip.Sometime he bought special sake ware.13 years ago, he bought a vase and a guinomi (sake cups) at Kutani.It is a beautiful blue vase and guinomi.He has kept the vase in the dining room since that day.He sometimes tells me the vase's price is increasing,because the potter was designated a Living National Treasure three years after my father bought the vase.His name is Mr. Yasokichi Tokuda.His items are as follows,www.nihon-kogeikai.com/KOKUHO/TOKUDA-YASOKICHI/TOKUDA-YASOKICHI-SAKUHIN.htmlSo, we went to the Kutani booth at the Pottery Fair.My father found the same kind of vases.Those were around $3000 and over.He bought the vase for $600 with free guinomi.I saw similar sake cups sold around $300.What a lucky guy!The value of pottery is related to the potter.If a potter is nameless, his works are low priced.If a potter has many award ...

Shichi Go San 2007-11-25 20:04:00 I went to a Shinto shrine to celebrate my daughter's growth and to pray for her well being.It is Shichi Go San.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shichi-Go-SanMy daughter, wife and I wore kimonos.My mother has a license to teach kimono wearing.She loves to let us wear kimonos.Especially she wants this for my daughter, because I do not have any sisters.So now, Japanese people do not wear kinomos very often.Only a few people do.Most Japanese do not have many chances to wear a kinomo.We wear kinomos at wedding parties (host and guest)Coming of Age ceremony (girl)and New years.On new years many Japanese go to a Shinto shrine to pray.When I was kid, I could see many people wearing kimonos.Now there are not so many.It is so sad.I am lucky my mother wants to let us wear kimonos.My mother-in-law likes to buy kimonos.So I am going to wear a kimono every year.I can feel a graceful traditional with kimono.It is extraordinary.It is fun! ...

Thanksgiving Holiday Sale 2007-11-17 23:04:00 http://www.japanesehandcraft.com/My web shop will sale from Nov.22nd to 25th.All item will be 30% off.Please visit the shop. ... ...

Sushi dictionary 2007-11-16 01:37:00 Bowl from Imarihttp://www.JapaneseHandCraft.com/Sushi wordsAgariIt is green tea. Agari means start in English.So sushi restaurants give us tea first of all.KappaIt is cucumber. A kind of Japanese monster “Kappa” loves cucumber. The Kappa is a combination of frog, turtle and monkey.GariIt is a type of pickled vegetables. It is sweet, thinly sliced young ginger that has been marinated in a solution of sugar and vinegar. Gari is usually eaten between dishes of sushiGarageIt is mantis shrimp called “syako”. Japanese also use this word for the garage where they park a car. It is the same pronunciation. Oh! It is English!GyokuIt is egg. Egg is called “tamago”. The “tamago” is the same as gyoku. .KusaIt is Nori, a seaweed wrapper.SabiIt is wasabi, known as Japanese horseradish.SyariIt is steamed rice. Sushi steamed rice has rice vinegar, sugar and salt.NamidaIt is wasabi. Namida is a tear in English.You know why. If not, you should put a lot of wasabi on sushi.You will find ou ...

Green tea at sushi restaurant 2007-11-13 23:31:00 Tea cup from Kutanihttp://www.japanesehandcraft.com/There is a close connection between green tea and sushi.I like to drink green tea rather than sake when I eat sushi.You know “gari” is pickled ginger.Why do sushi restaurants give us gari?Ginger and wasabi have the ability to kill bacteria.Gari can cleanse your palette.If you eat “toro” (fat tuna) or eel or somethingwith strong taste, you had better eat gari to reset your taste, especially before you eat white meat fish.So I think green tea also has ability to cleanse your palette.That is the reason I drink green tea with sushi.Green tea is called “agari” in a sushi restaurant.It means start in English.So sushi restaurants give us tea first of all.Sushi restaurants use some unique Japanese words.I will list it in the blog later.Their green tea is special.There are many different ways to prepare tea.It is the secret at each sushi restaurant.Some sushi restaurants mix gyokuro and matcha.Some mix sencha and matcha.Some exclus ...

Japanese tea 2007-11-12 01:46:00 Japanese Tea pot from Tokonamewww.JapaneseHandCraft.comHow much do you know about Japanese tea?There are many kinds in Japan.But, we say "ocha" for all kinds of Japanese tea.Let's study about ocha!Japanese tea is classified roughly into five kinds as follows,MatchaMatcha is a fine, powdered green tea used particularlyin Japanese tea ceremony, as well as to dye and flavor foodssuch as noodles and green tea ice cream. The most famous Matcha area is Uji in Kyoto.It is special green tea and not daily tea.SenchaSencha is a term which refers to Japanese green tea producedwithout grinding the tea leaves.It is the most famous green tea in Japan.If Japanese say "ocha", in most of cases it means Sencha or Bancha.BanchaBancha is made the same way as sencha.But, Bancha is harvested later than Sencha. It is harvested between summer and autumn. The leaves are larger than Sencha and the flavor is less full.Bancha is more economical.It is good for diabetes.HojichaHojicha is roasted to make it more fl ...

Sake unit (Gou) 2007-11-07 01:28:00 1 gou Masu (1 gou = 6 oz. = 180ml)www.JapaneseHandCraft.comJapan has many kinds of traditional units.Most units are not used very often right now.But traditional goods still use the units.If you order a Kimono, the kimono shop would measure your size by "sun".1 sun = 30mm = 1-1/4 inchSake uses the traditional units."Gou" or "shou" is a traditional volume unit.It is used for rice too.1 gou = 6 oz. = 180ml1 shou = 10 gou = 60 oz. =1800mlYou know a large bottle of sake is 1 shou.We call that "1 shou bin".Bin means a bottle.A large soy souce bottle is 1 shou too. I talked about masu on the sake cup ware page.A masu was used as a measuring tool.The capacity is just 6 oz. (180ml).Some Japanese use it to measure when they cook steamed rice .I have some masus in my office.If you buy sake ware at my web shop, I will include a masu for free.Please contact me from web shop if you want it. ...

Sake ware (bottle) 2007-11-01 03:40:00 Choshi from Kutaniwww.JapaneseHandCraft.comBottle of sake is called choshi or tokkuri.ChoshiShape; small bottleuses; all temperature of sakeMaterial; ceramicIt is used for serving sake when we drink.We buy sake in large bottles.When we drink sake, a smaller portion is poured into the choshi.To warm up the sake, the sake in the choshi is put into boiling water or microwave.TokkuriShape; small or large bottlesuses; all temperature of sakeMaterial; ceramicTokkuri is same as choshi, but big bottles of sake are only called tokkuri.Most of tokkuri had been owned by sake shops a long time ago.It was printed with the shop logo or name.People bought sake in tokkuri.Glass made choshiRecently cold sake has boomed.There are many glass made choshi in Japan.Glass made choko is used for only cold sake.I know Satsuma Kiriko glass ware is so beautiful and so expensive.I want to sell that at my web shop.If I get it, I will present it in the blog.Sake serving ruleMy dad told me that people lay down chosh ...

Open shopping site Today! 2007-10-31 04:00:00 October 31st 2007!Today our shopping web site is open!http://www.japanesehandcraft.com/Special Thanks,Mr. Masatoshi Okada (Office DC Inc., web page designer)Mr. Kazuhiro Asano (Office DC Inc., web page creator)Mrs. Marla Prince (English consultant)Mr. Hiroshi Imawaga ( He has connected me with Mr. Okada.)All associates of Blue Ridge Metals corp. (I learned English from them.)andMy family Riho & RumiI am so happy and excited! ...