Tokyo – Textures
Perhaps it was the origami crane placed for good luck in my hotel room, but very quickly I gained the sense that this is a country that loves texture. Japan has a long association with paper and paper arts so it seemed fitting that I would seek out some handmade paper when I arrived. There was also a beautifully wrapped sheet of instructions on how to make a crane – along with a small square of patterned washi paper.
And sure enough in my fairly random arrival at Ginza district I was amazed at the variety and quality of the paper. Naturally I had to bring some back. There were rolls of the stuff, so I found a couple of really nice neutral paper that held out the possibilities of its texture.
Photos don’t really do it justice
Japan is also known for its fine silk kimonos and I was delighted to find a couple of ceremonial kimonos displayed in the hotel
The detail work was fantastic – if difficult to photograph!
You could tell how much into texture are the Japanese women – in the high end of town the simple classic black coats gave way to camel hair and cashmere coats and capes.
Tokyo is also a quirky place – but more on that tomorrow!
Cheers
Jerry
