Why Does This Japanese Table Have a Blanket? Meet the Kotatsu
The cups sit on a wooden tabletop. Below them, a thick quilt falls almost to the floor. Someone has apparently dressed the table for winter. A kotatsu is …
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The Japan You Don’t Know
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The Japan You Don't Know
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Why Do Japanese Restaurants Hang Curtains Outside? The Meaning of Noren
Outside a noodle shop, a short blue curtain moves as someone steps through it. It does not cover the whole doorway. It may not even hide much of the room.…
How Does Japanese Kumiko Stay Together Without Nails?
A wooden screen can look almost weightless: a few pale lines, then a whole field of stars. Look closer and the puzzle changes. Those lines are separate pi…
Dew, Snow and Flowers: Discovering the Seasons in Japanese Textiles
Explore seasonal names, colour and everyday rituals with NOWA. Four Ise cotton coasters offer a small introduction to Japanese textiles and caring for the…
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