Latest news with #KurumeKasuri
Hypebeast
3 days ago
- Automotive
- Hypebeast
visvim 最新「VISVIM MOTORS CLUB」別注系列第三彈即將登陸 The Repulse Bay Village
visvim將於本週六（6 月 14 日）發售 visvim 旗下概念支線「VISVIM MOTORS CLUB」的第三彈作品。此系列的核心，源於主理人中村世紀（Hiroki Nakamura）對駕駛古董車的獨特理解——這不僅是一種移動方式，更是一場需要運用五感的體驗。 中村世紀在闡述系列概念時提到，駕駛老車時，從軚盤傳來的震動、引擎的聲響與氣味，都要求駕駛者必須磨礪感官，時刻與車輛保持連結。當中充滿了不確定性，甚至需要親手維修，但正是這些與現代汽車截然不同的互動，構成了駕駛的真正樂趣。「VISVIM MOTORS CLUB」的目標，便是呈獻一系列能讓這趟體驗更為投入的服飾與鞋履。 系列推出多款為此體驗而設的單品，將賽車運動的經典元素與 visvim 的匠心工藝結合。注目單品包括一件質感厚重的皮革 Stadium Jacket，以及一條全新的 Driving Pants。當中尤其特別的是一款恤衫，採用了日本傳統的「久留米絣」（Kurume Kasuri）面料，並織上賽車格仔旗圖案，將精湛的傳統工藝與賽車主題巧妙融合。 中村世紀分享，此概念最初是為 2023 年夏季於加州 Carmel 開設的新店而構思。本次的第三彈系列，除了登陸全球指定零售商外，亦繼早前F.I.L. INDIGO CAMPING TRAILER期間限定店後再次特意選址在香港淺水灣The Repulse Bay Village設置「VISVIM MOTORS CLUB」期間限定店，讓香港 visvim 粉絲能親身感受中村世紀的復古駕駛哲學。 VISVIM MOTORS CLUB 香港期間限定店/The Repulse Bay Village日期：6 月 15 日（星期日）起對外開放地點：淺水灣道 109 號 The Repulse Bay 1 樓 G211 號舖 >JOOPITER 攜手 sacai 與韓國人氣男團 SEVENTEEN 聯手展開拍賣會 >「精靈系木雕」大師土屋仁応香港首展《Cryptids Dream Twice（幻獸重夢）》登陸海港城美術館 >日本全新機能服品牌 MURASPO 2025 春夏系列正式登陸 8Five2
Yahoo
24-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
These hotels are enlisting travelers to help support Japanese crafts
In Japan, a combination of lifestyle changes, urbanization, and a shrinking population is threatening the preservation of many of the traditional crafts for which the country is known. But over recent years, craft-focused hotels have emerged as tools to support artisans' livelihoods while providing travelers with one-of-a-kind experiences. 'The sales of traditional Japanese crafts peaked in 1975 and have been on a continuous decline ever since, dropping to one-fifth of their peak, while the number of artisans has decreased to one-third,' says Tomotsugu Yamakawa, president of Bed and Craft in Toyama Prefecture's small town of Inami, where around 150 people out of a population of 8,000 are woodcarvers. 'Given this situation, I wondered if tourism could be a means to revitalize the industry,' he says. In 2016, Yamakawa launched Bed and Craft, a scattered hotel that supports artisans' livelihoods in several ways: It offers its guests exclusive apprenticeship experiences with local craftspeople (who get paid for their time), and each of its six private villas serves as a gallery for the work of individual artisans who earn a portion of the nightly fee. In Fukuoka Prefecture's Yame region there's a similar story. 'In the 1930s, there were around 1,500 workshops producing Kurume Kasuri [Japanese ikat textiles), but today, only about 20 remain,' says Aya Tamura, owner of Craft Inn Te. By offering tourists craft experiences 'and ensuring that the majority of the revenue goes directly to the artisans, we help them secure a new source of income while also promoting their work to an overseas audience.' (Related: How to avoid touristy spots and experience Japan like a local) However, Tayama stresses that this is a mutually beneficial relationship. 'We're not simply supporting local craftspeople,' she says, 'we're able to run our accommodation and craft experience business thanks to them.' Bed and Craft occupies six historic buildings around Inami. Repurposing them, says Yamakawa, 'contributes to the preservation and transmission of traditional craftsmanship within the local community.' The project's seen results: Since 2016, numerous young entrepreneurs have moved into Inami's vacant buildings and Inami is now recognized as the only area in Toyama where building vacancies have decreased. Hotel guests can work alongside a local artisan in the workshop of their choice, from carving woodblocks or spoons to lacquering chopsticks, then dine in the hotel's Italian restaurant where dishes are smoked with wood shavings sourced from Inami's woodcarvers. Fukuoka's Yame region is home to a number of traditional crafts, including Kuruke Kasuri, washi paper, and Yame chochin (paper lanterns). Craft Inn Te's two guest rooms are themed around two more traditional crafts: indigo dyeing and bamboo work. Each room features modernized Yame-style lantern lampshades, a traditional cedar wood bath, and amenities including locally crafted ceramics, glassware, and Kurume Kasuri loungewear, which, says Tamura, allows guests 'to fully experience the region's craftsmanship during their stay.' The company also operates nearby Unagi no Nedoko, where visitors can buy traditional crafts from Yame and from around Japan. Tucked among the centuries-old merchants' mansions that line the narrow streets of Takayama, TANIYA occupies an old machiya wooden townhouse next to the Kusakabe Folk Museum, which guests can use as their own private lounge during their stay. The Kusakabe family, the owners of TANIYA, have long supported local craftspeople and carry on this tradition by providing young artisans a platform to showcase their work at the museum; by sourcing materials from the region; and by offering guest activities rooted in local craft culture, such as visiting the last remaining semi-gas (woven straw hat) craftsman. (Related: Top 10 things to do in Japan) TAKIGAHARA is more than a hotel: It's a community that's home to a farm, workshop, nature school, music festival, and more. Centered around a once-abandoned 140-year-old farmhouse, the community's mission is the revitalization of rural culture, including its traditional crafts, which, 'are deeply rooted in the lives of local people," says manager Shirei Chihiro. Four times a year, TAKIGAHARA hosts two-day, one-night craft tours, including a washi paper and gold leaf experience. Additionally, guests can take part in individual craft experiences while staying here, such as lacquerware woodturning and Takigahara-yaki pottery making. Satoyama Jujo (translating to '10 stories of a mountain village') is deep in Japan's snow country. Here, people have long made use of the resources at hand, including Echigo-jofu artisans who bleach their fabrics by spreading them on the abundant snow. If you're visiting in February or March, ask the concierge about opportunities to watch the process nearby. Niigata's rich textile heritage is one of Satoyama Jujo's '10 stories' and the hotel has helped to revive the 300-year-old textile Kamedajima by collaborating with students from Musashino Art University to create new designs that are used in the hotel's bed covers and uniforms. Surrounded by rice paddies among the sankyo-son scattered settlements of the Tonami Plain in central Japan, Rakudo-An occupies a restored farmhouse and has just three guest rooms, each designed by a different craftsperson. The hotel offers an ongoing showcase for craftspeople's work, from the restaurant's ceramic tableware to guest room lounge jackets, and the on-site boutique sells locally made craftwork and local food and drink. Experiences include visiting Toyama's last traditional silk weaver and crafting your own suzugami (tin paper). Guests at Izumigaya Craft Inn Waraku can book a local artisan-led craft workshop at next-door Takumishuku, one of Japan's biggest craft experience facilities, from Suruga bamboo latticework to tea dying. Local crafts all feature in the inn's eight guest rooms, each of which has its own private sauna. Beyond workshops, guests can purchase one-of-a kind items and view curated exhibitions of local crafts at the hotel's Gallery Teto Teto. (Related: Everything you should know before visiting Japan) Karen Gardiner is a Scottish writer based in Northern New York covering culture, craft, and sustainable travel. Her work has appeared in BBC Travel, Condé Nast Traveler, the Washington Post, The Times and other outlets. You can follow her stories on Instagram.
National Geographic
24-04-2025
- Business
- National Geographic
Traditional Japanese crafts are at risk. Here's how travelers can help.
In Japan, a combination of lifestyle changes, urbanization, and a shrinking population is threatening the preservation of many of the traditional crafts for which the country is known. But over recent years, craft-focused hotels have emerged as tools to support artisans' livelihoods while providing travelers with one-of-a-kind experiences. 'The sales of traditional Japanese crafts peaked in 1975 and have been on a continuous decline ever since, dropping to one-fifth of their peak, while the number of artisans has decreased to one-third,' says Tomotsugu Yamakawa, president of Bed and Craft in Toyama Prefecture's small town of Inami, where around 150 people out of a population of 8,000 are woodcarvers. 'Given this situation, I wondered if tourism could be a means to revitalize the industry,' he says. In 2016, Yamakawa launched Bed and Craft, a scattered hotel that supports artisans' livelihoods in several ways: It offers its guests exclusive apprenticeship experiences with local craftspeople (who get paid for their time), and each of its six private villas serves as a gallery for the work of individual artisans who earn a portion of the nightly fee. A Toyama artisan carefully cuts mother of pearl to create the intricate designs of Takaoka shikki lacquerware. Photograph provided by Rakudo-An Takaoka shikki lacquerware made by master craftsman Takeshi Musashigawa. Photograph provided by Rakudo-An A wood carving by master carpenter, Shoichiro Kono. Photograph by Momoka Omote via TANIYA Master carpenter, Shoichiro Kono, at work in the studio. Photograph by Momoka Omote via TANIYA In Fukuoka Prefecture's Yame region there's a similar story. 'In the 1930s, there were around 1,500 workshops producing Kurume Kasuri [Japanese ikat textiles), but today, only about 20 remain,' says Aya Tamura, owner of Craft Inn Te. By offering tourists craft experiences 'and ensuring that the majority of the revenue goes directly to the artisans, we help them secure a new source of income while also promoting their work to an overseas audience.' (Related: How to avoid touristy spots and experience Japan like a local) However, Tayama stresses that this is a mutually beneficial relationship. 'We're not simply supporting local craftspeople,' she says, 'we're able to run our accommodation and craft experience business thanks to them.' 1. Bed and Craft, Toyama Prefecture Bed and Craft occupies six historic buildings around Inami. Repurposing them, says Yamakawa, 'contributes to the preservation and transmission of traditional craftsmanship within the local community.' The project's seen results: Since 2016, numerous young entrepreneurs have moved into Inami's vacant buildings and Inami is now recognized as the only area in Toyama where building vacancies have decreased. Hotel guests can work alongside a local artisan in the workshop of their choice, from carving woodblocks or spoons to lacquering chopsticks, then dine in the hotel's Italian restaurant where dishes are smoked with wood shavings sourced from Inami's woodcarvers. 2. Craft Inn Te, Fukuoka Prefecture Fukuoka's Yame region is home to a number of traditional crafts, including Kuruke Kasuri, washi paper, and Yame chochin (paper lanterns). Craft Inn Te's two guest rooms are themed around two more traditional crafts: indigo dyeing and bamboo work. Each room features modernized Yame-style lantern lampshades, a traditional cedar wood bath, and amenities including locally crafted ceramics, glassware, and Kurume Kasuri loungewear, which, says Tamura, allows guests 'to fully experience the region's craftsmanship during their stay.' The company also operates nearby Unagi no Nedoko, where visitors can buy traditional crafts from Yame and from around Japan. 3. TANIYA, Gifu Prefecture A semi-gas (woven straw hat) craftsman at work in Gifu Prefecture. Photograph by Hiroaki Tanooka via TANAYA Tucked among the centuries-old merchants' mansions that line the narrow streets of Takayama, TANIYA occupies an old machiya wooden townhouse next to the Kusakabe Folk Museum, which guests can use as their own private lounge during their stay. The Kusakabe family, the owners of TANIYA, have long supported local craftspeople and carry on this tradition by providing young artisans a platform to showcase their work at the museum; by sourcing materials from the region; and by offering guest activities rooted in local craft culture, such as visiting the last remaining semi-gas (woven straw hat) craftsman. (Related: Top 10 things to do in Japan) 4. TAKIGAHARA, Ishikawa Prefecture TAKIGAHARA is more than a hotel: It's a community that's home to a farm, workshop, nature school, music festival, and more. Centered around a once-abandoned 140-year-old farmhouse, the community's mission is the revitalization of rural culture, including its traditional crafts, which, 'are deeply rooted in the lives of local people," says manager Shirei Chihiro. Four times a year, TAKIGAHARA hosts two-day, one-night craft tours, including a washi paper and gold leaf experience. Additionally, guests can take part in individual craft experiences while staying here, such as lacquerware woodturning and Takigahara-yaki pottery making. 5. Satoyama Jujo, Niigata Prefecture Satoyama Jujo (translating to '10 stories of a mountain village') is deep in Japan's snow country. Here, people have long made use of the resources at hand, including Echigo-jofu artisans who bleach their fabrics by spreading them on the abundant snow. If you're visiting in February or March, ask the concierge about opportunities to watch the process nearby. Niigata's rich textile heritage is one of Satoyama Jujo's '10 stories' and the hotel has helped to revive the 300-year-old textile Kamedajima by collaborating with students from Musashino Art University to create new designs that are used in the hotel's bed covers and uniforms. 6. Rakudo-An, Toyama Prefecture Visit Toyama's last traditional silk weaver with a stay at Rakudo-An. Surrounded by rice paddies among the sankyo-son scattered settlements of the Tonami Plain in central Japan, Rakudo-An occupies a restored farmhouse and has just three guest rooms, each designed by a different craftsperson. The hotel offers an ongoing showcase for craftspeople's work, from the restaurant's ceramic tableware to guest room lounge jackets, and the on-site boutique sells locally made craftwork and local food and drink. Experiences include visiting Toyama's last traditional silk weaver and crafting your own suzugami (tin paper). 7. Izumigaya Craft Inn Waraku, Shizuoka Prefecture Guests at Izumigaya Craft Inn Waraku can book a local artisan-led craft workshop at next-door Takumishuku, one of Japan's biggest craft experience facilities, from Suruga bamboo latticework to tea dying. Local crafts all feature in the inn's eight guest rooms, each of which has its own private sauna. Beyond workshops, guests can purchase one-of-a kind items and view curated exhibitions of local crafts at the hotel's Gallery Teto Teto. (Related: Everything you should know before visiting Japan) Karen Gardiner is a Scottish writer based in Northern New York covering culture, craft, and sustainable travel. Her work has appeared in BBC Travel, Condé Nast Traveler, the Washington Post, The Times and other outlets. You can follow her stories on Instagram.
