New PICA print! Just in time for Halloween!

It’s already the end of September, and that means Halloween is just around the corner. And just in time for your fall-themed spooky decoration extravaganza, we are introducing—for a limited time only—our very own Japanese-style Halloween print, featuring our favourite Daruma-san as the iconic jack-o-lantern and Maneki-Neko as one of the friendly ghosts.

This print is our way of saying that Halloween can be spooky and cute—a perfect addition to your space to help you get into the spirit of the season. So don’t miss out! After all, All Hallows' Eve is just a month away.

Happy Tsukimi (月見)!!! 🌕

Celebrating the moon, its beauty and all that it inspires! Make sure to step outside and marvel at the beauty that will dazzle our sky tonight!

What is Tsukimi?
Tsukimi is the mid-autumn moon festival. It's a tradition that spans over a century. It is also quite tasty. For more on Tsukimi, check out our blog post here. :)

UPDATE 16.09.2016

満月(mangetsu, full moon) on 2016 月見 (Tsukimi). Photo taken in Oshawa, Ontario, Canada.

The moon on Tsukimi 2016 was truly beautiful! The night was clear and the moon was especially bright. I managed to take this shot in Oshawa, Canada to share it with you.

Can you see the bunny?

For the Love of Gaming + New PICA Prints!

How nostalgic. I remember this as it was yesterday. Growing up in the early 90s, Russia had just been introduced to the video gaming that the world has already known for some time. At the time, the new Dendy gaming system was the one and only we knew and loved. I remember the brightly coloured cartridges that the boys in my class were fighting for to exchange. I always wanted to get my hands on one, but my dad argued that it would ‘break our TV’. Not sure if he ever really believed that; perhaps he was worried that with the system I would be indefinitely glued to the screen. Can't say the system was cheap either. Coming out right after the Russian separation from the USSR resulting in one of the biggest price inflations in history, 39,000 rubles was not a small price to pay. So, alas, I had to live out my video gaming vicariously through my friends.

Dendy, the Russian Famicom clone. Photo by Nzeemin.

At the time I did not know that Dendy was actually a clone of a system that took Asia, and shortly after North America, by storm almost a decade earlier. One great thing of growing up in the post-Soviet Union Russia in the 90s is that I got to experience first hand all the awesome things that the bubble Japan had to offer to the world in the 80s, a time when I would be simply too young to appreciate it. Sailor Moon was imported shortly after, leaving a lasting impression of the magical Japan. This is when my love affair with Japanese language and things began to take root. This is when as a kid I've made up my mind that one day I will learn to speak Japanese just as my favourite characters on TV did. I was 9 at that time.

So to commemorate my first nostalgic touch point with video gaming, I'd like to honour and pay respect to the very system that made the Dendy console I know growing up possible—Family Computer (ファミリーコンピュータ, Famirii Konpyuuta) or Famicom (ファミコン, Famikon).

Famicom console released in 1983, Japan. Photo by Evan-Amos.

The Famicom system came to life at the height of the video game crash of 1983, or as Japanese like to call it, Atari shock (アタリショック, Atari shokku). The crash came very close to devastating the entire North American gaming industry by bankrupting companies and sending it into a massive recession. This lasted for about two years, and in 1985 the industry began to recover mainly due to the widespread success of the newly introduced Nintendo’s NES.

So how did this all come to be?
In 1983 Nintendo unveiled a brand new gaming system that not only featured brand new technology, but also innovative product design. Designed to resemble a toy, to reinforce the family aspect of the system, the Famicom sported a bright red-and-white colour scheme, two hard wired controllers stored visibly at each side of the unit, and an eject lever “just for fun”.

The reaction to the new system was astounding. Within a year Nintendo ended up selling over two and a half million units. It was at this time that Japan proved to be a small market for Nintendo as it began toying with the idea of going abroad. They first approached Atari, the American video gaming authority since the early 70s, for a collaboration. Atari rejected it citing the recent video game crash resulting in an unstable video gaming market. This did not slow Nintendo down as the company decided to take matters into their own hands and introduce the NES (Nintendo Entertainment System) to the North American market.

NES, Nintendo’s North American console. Photo by Evan-Amos.

The NES system was meant to look different from its Famicom predecessor. The toy-like design was scrapped in favour of a more clean and futuristic boxy design and grey colour scheme analogous to the home entertainment systems of that time. While the controllers got a small design update, the major feature change was the replacement of the top-loading cartridge slot of the Famicom model with a front-loading chamber, placing the cartridge completely out of view.

This was 1985, and the system sales proved to be tough. The video gaming crisis was still fresh on everyone's mind and few sellers were willing to take on the system. Nintendo found a way to turn things around by offering 90 days credit and accept returns on any unsold units. As a result, by 1986 the system was a North American hit and later world market success.

Famicom games. Photo by Bryan Ochalla.

So where is Dendy in all of this?
While the video gaming industry in the 80s and later in the early 90s were taking the world by storm, Russia has been completely overlooked. No one seemed to be interested in infiltrating the Russian scarce gaming market, until one company named Steepler changed things around. Using the technology, design and the cartridge format of the 1983 Famicom system, Taiwanese manufacturer created a “new” system that became known as Dendy and introduced it with much success to the Russian market in 1992. Regardless of whether it was a clone or the real deal, it was a well beloved system growing up, a true nod to Nintendo’s technological genius almost a decade ago.
 

Say hello to our new prints!

To commemorate Nintendo’s contribution to the worldview of Japan and its culture in the 80s, we came up with two print sets, available in five colour composition choices, that are sure to make any true gamer nostalgic.

This first set of prints features the notable Famicom controller. It was this controller that I remember most vividly as it inspired the controller of the Russian popular Dendy console system.

The second set of prints is a nod to Nintendo’s NES system—the system that forever changed the North American gaming industry in the 80s. I am sure these prints will bring up a lot of warm memories to anyone growing up in the West in the 1980 something.

The controller prints feature our classic PICA Pop Art colour choice variations, plus a special edition of the classic Pop Art style print combo. Enjoy!

Click here to shop our PICA Famicom and NES controller print collection. ( ´ ▽ ` )ﾉ

Introducing Sign-up for PICA Newsletter

With new and exciting prints coming soon, we decided to launch our very own newsletter campaign. Sign up today to get our colourful store updates, promotions, fun blog updates on Japanese culture insights, and exciting news from the world of PICA. We will only send out the letter when we have something to share, so rest assured we won’t spam! :)

You can find our quick signup form on the right ->

You can also click here to join our mailing list.

Announcing New Lower Shipping Fees!

We are happy to announce that we have made changes to our shipping rates that affect the whole world! We know shipping costs play a big factor when ordering your favourite print. So we hope our new lower fee flat rates will put a smile on your face at check out time.

We are based in Canada, so shipping to the United States and Canada provinces is the cheapest. Here are our new lower shipping fees:

United States and Canada — $5 flat rate
International — $10 flat rate

Don’t forget, the shipping rate is flat, so you can order as many prints as you like and the shipping rate will stay the same.

The delivery times vary by destination. US and Canada orders can take up to 3 to 10 business days, while international orders take 6 to 20 business days.

For more details please visit our Shipping page located in our site’s footer.

Featured on Love Japan Magazine!

We are excited to announce a great and exciting new online feature for PICA Things We Love at the Love Japan Magazine this week! The magazine reached out to us to do an interview, and we were thrilled to collaborate. We talked a bit on our partnership and our creative history, how living in Japan has shaped our designs, what inspires us, and what’s coming up next in the world of PICA. It is an honour to be featured in the magazine that’s as passionate about Japanese culture as we are!

UPDATE 22.09.2020

Unfortunately, the Love Japan Magazine has been discontinued. So we are posting here our original magazine interview along with its photos that was first published in 2016.

Interview: PICA, a Japan Inspired Design Duo

Love Japan Magazine: How did you become a design duo, and what do you enjoy about working creatively together?

Alyona: Our lifelong partnership was born in design school. We met each other while doing our undergrad studies in Image Arts: New Media, where after teaming up for every project that came our way, we discovered that we not only complemented each other in our eccentric humour, but also in our creative endeavours. We both had something to offer to the table that the other was perhaps missing. I was strong in illustration, where Robby was excellent in interactive design. Our creative skills truly complimented each other, allowing us to collaborate on projects that we were proud of. I would say it was a perfect match as we absolutely loved working and spending time together, in and outside of school.

Today Robby and I still hold very specific roles that compliment each other and help PICA grow. I am still the force behind the illustration design and colour composition, where Robby over the years became the master of typography and my biggest critic. Despite having different strength and skill aspirations, we share the same style sensibility, design principles, and know that by working together we produce something much greater than what could have been had we been working alone.

Love Japan Magazine: How do you think living in Tokyo for two years has shaped your design style?

Alyona: Living in Japan has given us a deep understanding of its beliefs, values, customs and people, that are often overshadowed by the glamorized image of the Cool Japan. This insight into Japanese culture is what drives our creative process and inspiration at PICA. We are not aiming to just create prints that are stereotypically Japanese. Our subject matter is the Japanese culture that is known by few, but is very dear to us—expats and its natives. We hope through our prints to create awareness that there is more to Japan than sushi and Japanese swords.

Japan has also long been known for leading in fashion, architectural, industrial and product design due to its culturally rooted design philosophy. Our experience of living there has taught us to embrace the Japanese way of purity, simplicity and functionality. Keeping that close to heart, we always strive to create work that not just emulates these principles but embodies them in all facets of our design process and print product production.

Love Japan Magazine: What do you draw your inspiration from?

Alyona: We draw our inspiration from the Pop Art movement of the 1960s. Pop Art is characterized by the bold, simple, vibrant colour imagery featuring everyday objects of mass culture. Similarly we strive to celebrate the aspects of the Japanese culture—traditional and modern—in the analogous manner by employing a bright colour palette alongside bold, clean line illustrations.

Additionally, we are completely enamoured with the Japanese normcore interior design trend, much celebrated by MUJI (one of our top favourite brands), with its neat, plain design furniture in natural wood and white colours. At PICA we find this inspirational, and strive to create art that can live and coexist in such minimal spaces, while bringing a touch of bold, bright colour to the otherwise plain neutral coloured walls.

Love Japan Magazine: What's next for PICA?

Alyona: There are lots of exciting new prints in store for PICA. We have been collecting ideas for awhile now, and the list is getting long. There are a couple of new designs in the works right now as we speak, and a whole lot more to come. Every object we celebrate in our prints has a story or a deep cultural meaning associated with it, so you won’t be disappointed!

As for PICA’s whereabouts, while we are currently based in Toronto, Canada—the multicultural mecca, it is quite possible that PICA might find itself returning to its origins and continue to thrive creatively in Japan. Stay tuned!

Support us by voting for PICA!

Robby and I are ecstatic to announce that our print has been chosen as top 12 finalists in the Art & Illustration and Paper Goods category and the top 60 finalists of the Canada 2016 Etsy Awards!!!

Please show support by voting for us here: https://etsyawards.com/ca/Finalist-...

Vote for this print!

It’s only 1 vote per person. Voting closes on June 6th, 2016. Your support is truly appreciated!

Our Etsy shop can be found here: http://picathingswelove.etsy.com/

Maneki-Neko '16 Calendar Feature

Big thank you to Eclectic Eccentricity Jewellery for featuring our Maneki-Neko '16 Calendar in their Lucky Cat finds! It is wonderful to see that our love for the lucky cat figurines is shared amongst so many mediums.

Happy International Women's Day! *March 8th*

Wishing you a very sweet Hinamatsuri!

The snow is finally starting to melt as the first bright rays of sun begin to pierce the clouds warming the cold barren ground. Before the sakura trees (桜, sakura) begin to blossom, another tree—peach tree—is beginning to paint the streets in its brilliant soft pink hues. This wonderful sweet floral smell in the air and the warm gusts of wind mark the beginning of spring and the end to the cold winter months. It’s no wonder that March, this gentle month of transformation and rebirth, is observed as the celebration of femininity. Known as Women’s History Month in the West, concurrent with the International Women’s Day, March 8th, it is also home to the 桃の節句 (momo-no-sekku, peach festival) celebrated on March 3rd and known in Japan as 雛祭り(Hina-matsuri, doll festival).

Photo by TANAKA Juuyoh (田中十洋).

Momo-no-sekku is one of the five 節句 (sekku), seasonal festivals, known as 五節句 (gosekku, five festivals)—influenced by the Chinese philosophy and first observed during the Heian era (平安時代, Heian jidai; 794 to 1185). Each sekku would fall on the day number corresponding to the number of the month, following the odd number pattern which is considered to be highly auspicious: first day of the first month (January 1st), third day of the third month (March 3rd), May 5th, July 7th and September 9th.

Photo by TANAKA Juuyoh (田中十洋).

Today commonly known as Hinamatsuri, or the doll festival, also Girls’ Day, momo-no-sekku is a day celebrating young girls, praying for their happiness and healthy growth. During the days leading up to the holiday, starting around mid-February, families decorate their house by setting up an elaborate display of traditional 雛人形 (hina-ningyou, ornamental dolls) dressed in traditional court attire of the Heian era. The setup consists of a platform with either one, three, five or seven steps, covered in a red carpet and an elaborate set of hina dolls assembled in a very particular order. The top tier is occupied by the 内裏雛 (dairi-bina), the Emperor and the Empress. A miniature gilded folding screen, 屏風 (byoubu), is placed behind the royalty to resemble the imperial throne of the time. The second tier is then occupied by the three court ladies, 三人官女 (sannin-kanjo), with the third by the five male court musicians, 五人囃子 (gonin-bayashi), the fourth by a minister of the right, 右大臣 (udaijin), and a minister of the left, 左大臣 (sadaijin), on either side of trays of food, and the fifth by the royal guards, 衛士 (eji), flanked by a mandarin orange tree of the left, 右近の橘 (ukon-no-tachibana) and sakura tree of the right, 左近の桜 (sakon-no-sakura). The more elaborate displays of the remaining levels are decorated with the interior items used in the ancient palace at the time. Celebrated throughout the entire country, the display assortments and the order of the dolls from the left to right vary from region to region. The tier doll placement, however, remains the same. In addition to the dolls, the seasonal peach flowers are another essential decoration as they are believed to ward off malevolent spirits, and invite good luck into the home.

Odairisama Doll Set from 工房天祥 on Rakuten.

Customarily, the hina dolls are only displayed in homes with young girls. A hina doll set has become a traditional family gift to the little girls bought or passed down from generation to generation by parents or grandparents on the girl’s very first Hinamatsuri, or 初節供 (hatsu-zekku, baby’s first annual festival). These sets however can be very expensive, and living in small houses, many modern families opt out for a 親王飾り (shinnou-kazari) set featuring only the royal couple, お内裏様 (odairi-sama). The set, despite being on a smaller scale, can still go from $300 to $1,000! These doll displays are kept until the festival, March 3rd, and taken down strictly thereafter. Keeping the dolls up past the date is bad superstition, believed to result in late marriage for the daughter.

Big Katsuura Hinamatsuri. Photo by Cookie M.

Destination note:
If you are passing by the Tokushima prefecture, stop by the Katsuura town and check out their annual doll festival—the largest in the country. Boasting displays consisting of 30,000 dolls, it is a sight to be seen!

For more information on the Big Hinamatsuri at Katsuura click here. (Japanese only)

Photo by Takuma Kimura.

So when did the doll displaying tradition begin?
The custom began almost a millennium ago in the Heian period. Influenced by the ancient Chinese belief that sin and misfortune can be transferred to a doll, the tradition called for the straw dolls at the end of the festival to be set afloat in boats down a river. It was believed that the dolls would carry the bad fortune away with them. In some regions in Japan this ancient custom is still practiced today, known as 雛送り(hina-okuri), 流し雛 (nagashi-bina), or 雛流し (hina-nagashi).

Tsurushi-bina. Photo by captain tirol.

Tsurushi-bina
吊るし雛 (tsurushi-bina) is another Hinamatsuri decorative alternative, consisting of a variety of dolls hand-crafted from tiny pieces of kimono material hanging from the ceiling or specially designed stands. The practice began in the Edo era (江戸時代, Edo jidai, between 1603 and 1868), when celebration of the Hinamatsuri became a widespread phenomenon. The hina dolls were not an affordable item at the time, so common people began to craft their own versions of the dolls. These dolls come in many shapes and sizes, and today accompany the hina doll set display as an additional decorative piece.

Sakuramochi. Photo by Yuichi Sakuraba.

Festival foods:
The Hinamatsuri is also celebrated with an array of delectable traditional foods and sweets. The traditional Japanese sweets or 和菓子 (wagashi), catered to the pallet of the young, are often prepared in a colour palette of whites (purification), greens (health) and pinks or reds (to ward off the evil spirits). These are 菱餅 (hishi-mochi)—three-tier diamond shaped rice cakes (one in each colour), 雛あられ (hina-arare)—bite-sized, sweet, pastel-colored rice crackers, and 桜餅 (sakura-mochi)—bean paste filled rice cake wrapped in edible sakura leaves. These sakura leaves are only edible during the Hinamatsuri season as opposed to the 花見 (Hanami, sakura tree viewing) season, as one might think.

The main dishes included the colourful and playful ちらし寿司 (chirashi-zushi) and 潮汁 (ushiojiru)—salt-based soup with clam shells. The clam shells are symbolic of a united couple, prepared in hopes that the daughter of the house will find herself in a good marriage in the future.

If you are in the mood to celebrate the festival or simply to sample any of these dishes, head over to your nearest Japanese supermarket, or better yet try making them yourself with this JustOneCookbook.com Japanese recipe blog featuring all these dishes and many more!

Wishing you an amazing spring festival, and the warmer days to come!