I have always liked being acquainted with different cultures because I feel that it expands my horizon and helps me remember that my culture isn’t the only one existing in this world. By exposing myself to the culture of others, I learn to become more accepting of differences between different people and I get a more realistic view of the world. And last weekend, March 6-8, the 2014 Japan Week was held in New York, giving attendees a taste of Japanese culture.
At Japan Week, TAKUMI JAPAN introduced the thriving Japanese small business community to new markets and shared the tradition, design and craftsmanship of Japanese artisans and craftsmen. TAKUMI is a word used to describe a person with extraordinarily high skills and it also literally translates to “artisan” in Japanese.
Takumi Japan brought small craft and design companies to showcase their products — hand-crafted glass, metal and wood, beautiful fabrics, and other works of artistry — that represent the quality crafts and goods local artisans have created. They aimed to give a taste of Japanese traditions, techniques, designs, flavors, local qualities and other characteristics unique to Japan.
One of the products presented by Takumi Japan is the Odakodoki Ice Coffee Cup (see first photo in the collage above).
Odakou-douki was founded in 1925. Some 400 years ago in the Toyama Prefecture, Takaoka Copperware established the method for casting metal in a mould. The manufacturing process is divided into several important stages carried out by a specialised workforce. Outstanding skills are consolidated for every stage of the process. Odakodoki makes products ranging from large bronze items including temple bells and Buddhist statues to artistically decorative craftworks such as Buddhist alter articles and flower vases. The combination of red and white colors represents a lucky charm in Japan. They offer products as a brand of copperware, produced under the concept of “auspicious gifts”.
It is said that the colder the iced coffee is, the stronger the aroma can be felt. Odakodoki’s Ice Coffee Cup is made exclusively for iced coffee so that you can drink it directly and enjoy the aroma of the coffee along with the coolness of the cup.
Another set of products presented was from the Yamaguchi Craft Company (see photo above with the iPhones).
Yamaguchi Craft Co.Ltd was founded in 1962 in Sabae city, part of the Fukui prefecture, by Mr Ryoji Yamaguchi who was a traditional craftsman certified by the then Minister of International Trade and Industry. In 2001 we launched our Hacoa brand specializing in miscellaneous goods designed from wood. In 2002 we came under the limelight when we were commissioned to create a name box for Princess Aiko, daughter of the Crown Prince, to celebrate her birth. In 2010 we opened our first Hacoa direct store in Okachimachi, Tokyo. We then opened our second shop entitled Kitte in 2013, situated within the commercial district of the Tokyo Marunouchi JP Tower. Our brand name is gaining more recognition with every year that goes by and we are often asked by other major manufacturers from other industries to collaborate with them.
Yamaguchi Craft Company’s products include a Full Wooden Keyboard, a Wooden USB Flash Drive, a USB Hub House, a Memory Card Reader Factory, and a Wooden Case for iPhone5. The iPhone 5 case is precision-machined & hand-crafted for a perfect fit. Because wood does not generate static electricity, it keeps dust away. The cover will get polished as you use it, and will develop into your own unique cover.
These are just some of the products that they introduced at the 2014 Japan Week last weekend. Be sure to check out all other products at the Takumi Japan website!
I love all of these items! Thank you for sharing with us.
What a treat this must have been and a nice experience.I like their products and especially love their hand-crafted glass.They are definitely experienced in the High Tech fields too.I am so happy for you that you enjoyed this.
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Woww, thanks for the info
That wooden iPhone case sounds interesting, I need to check if they make cases for other phone models as well. Thank you for this review.
This reminds me of when I went to Japan.
I’ve always wanted to go to japan, they always have such interesting products!
I really like the vases and the little fan
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This Japan week in NY sounds like it was very interesting. I love the metal cups for iced coffee and the precision needed for the wooden IPhone 5 keyboard, etc is amazaing. I too believe that exposure to other cultures is very important to one’s education and to broaden one’s horizons.
All of these items are beautiful. Would love to have them.
I love the artwork.So much delicate detail. It’s beautiful.
OMG!!!!! How did I miss this? I am right here inn NYC! And I love Asian culture and artistic works. Aaargghhhhh!!!!!!!!!! I have to mark my calendar NOW for next year!
what a cool event! wish i could have gone!
Wish I lived in NYC. I love going to different culture markets! Learn something new every time.
It’s always nice to get in touch with other cultures!
Love the lines and detail of so many of these pieces. The Eastern aesthetic always strikes me as calm, sparing and focused. You can sense the meditative consideration that must have gone into the design.
These are such gorgeous items that are on display from Japan. The colors are amazing and the Craftmanship of the soap bottles is so pretty!
The Japanese are awesome at making handpainted glass and fans.I love this kind od thing and I think you must have had a truly amazing day here.I imagine just sampling the food would be a nice experience too.
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I can’t imagine a wooden kye-board or even a wooden I-phone5 case.They would definitely be unique.There was also a wooden USB flasher.These things really blew me away because I had never heard of them before.
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I would have enjoyed going to function as I have always been interested in Japanese culture. I would have wanted everything. I think a home or apartment decorated in Japanese decor looks so beautiful.
I’d much rather have a few items that took obvious skill to craft, but if it weren’t for the internet I’d see very little of it, sadly, owing to where I live. Thanks for the post!
I think your outlook on other cultures is awesome. My Mom is from Germany and I learned from little on about how different other countries are and they habits. Of course I never really as a child could appreciate the differences but now I see and understand thru your words I should have embraced it all especially when I visited there. Thanks for sharing
This looks like such a blast!! I love all these items, so unique!
THIS LOOKS LIKE SO MUCH FUN!
Great event to get a taste of Japanese culture! I love ice coffee. The Odakodoki’s Ice Coffee sound so great and a strong aroma would be so pleasant.