New Katori Buta Print!

Today we are launching our new addition to the summer prints collection: Katori Buta Print. 

蚊取り豚 (katori buta), literally translates as ‘mosquitto-removing pig’, is a small ceramic pig that is brought out in the summer to ward off bugs, mosquitoes particularly. Inside burns a green spiral incense, called 蚊取り線香 (katori senkou, ‘mosquito-killing incense’), derived from the 除虫菊 (jyochuugiku) flower. In small doses it repels bugs, but in large, kills them. The incense and the burner are a staple in many Japanese homes, and are customarily associated with the summer image in Japan.

A bit of fun facts and history about the incense itself.
Katori senkou was invented at the end of the 19th century by a trader at the time, Ueyama Eiichiro. He was the first person to import the seeds from the United States that claimed to grow flowers that could kill insects. The plant was called Tanacetum cinerariifolium, a Chrysanthemum. Ueyama gave the plant 除虫菊 (jyochuugiku, “bug-banishing chrysanthemum”) name, and began to cultivate it in Japan.

Soon Ueyama began to produce the plant’s active ingredient in incense form. However the effect would not last long. So in 1895 Ueyama’s wife, Yuki suggested to shape the incense in long spiraled sticks to create a longer-lasting effect. This classic shape, its deep green colour, and the iconic packaging with the trademark red rooster head are still kept today.

Kincho Uzumaki Katori Senko Mosquito Coil Set from Japan Trend Shop

The katori buta itself is then used as a holder to keep the incense burning safely. There are other holders available on the market. But the pig is a classic favourite and is often featured in TV shows, commercials, anime and manga.

Our print features the classic white ceramic katori buta with the green burning katori senkō on the inside. Inspired by Japanese pop culture, we also added ミーンミーン (min min) writing in the top left corner of the print, setting the scene of the Japanese hot summer’s day. “Min min”, better known in Japan as ‘the sound of summer’, is the chirping sound made by the min-min-zemi [みんみんぜみ・ミンミン蝉] cicada species—one of the many species found in the trees in the heart of the summer season in Japan. Their classic almost deafening tune signifies the arrival of summer, without which the summer just isn’t summer in Japan. And with the temperatures rising up and above 35°C, it is the perfect time to leisurely sit outside alongside your katori buta as you break open a watermelon all the while taking in the warm sunlight rays and enjoying your very own outdoor summer orchestra.

Japanese summer memorabilia at Shibuya's LOFT. Note the 'watermelon penguin', 'ukulele white bear', 'shaved ice', 'takoyaki', and of course 'katori buta' on the top shelf!

Together with the 風鈴 (fuurin, windchime), うちわ (uchiwa, Japanese traditional fan), かき氷 (kakigoori, shaved ice) and すいか (suika, watermelon), 蚊取り豚 (katori buta) completes the Japanese summer ensemble.

We hope that just like the warm memories of the summer past, our Katori Buta and the Watermelon Windchime prints will keep you warm in the winter, reminding of the warmer days to come.

Our Kitty Got Featured!

Last month our best friend and partner in all that we do, Hime Himstar the Great got featured in the Get Leashed Magazine. She came into our lives 8 years ago, and it has never been the same ever since. She makes our everyday brighter and completes our home in ways nothing else can. She is our motivation to do better. She is our own live version of 招き猫 (maneki-neko).

Read more from our interview with the magazine that talks about us, Hime, and PICA Things We Love. There you’ll also find some backstage photos of our living space!

Get Leashed article: getleashedmag.com/2015/07/14/alyona-robby

Hime Himstar the Great

Hime Himstar the Great also has her own Instagram page. She is my favourite model - and you’ll be sure to find some extreme cuteness there. @hime.himstar.the.great

We also have a website diary of sorts dedicated to Hime. It’s written from her perspective, and gives you a glimpse into her daily life and personality. robbyoentoro.com/buoyantstudio/himstar

What We Love about Natsu Matsuri

Summer is in full swing now. So let’s talk about the Japanese Natsu Matsuri (夏祭り, summer festival) culture. Or more importantly what to expect when attending one.

The matsuri (祭, festival) events bring together communities, residents and of course, the curious gaijin  (外人, foreigners). Most are based on culture, some on religion. The best ones just celebrate the awesomeness of life itself. Here are our two favourites:

Mikoshi 神輿 (portable shrine)
Shinto-based matsuri are festivals dedicated to a specific neighbourhood Shinto shrine. Some are celebrated once a year, and some every two years. This is where you’ll get to see a large number of genki (元気, lively, spirited) volunteers, dressed in traditional mikoshi bearer clothes, carrying the portable shrine, while rhythmically lifting it up and down to amuse the enshrined deity.

Mikoshi at Sanja Matsuri '15

The parade lasts for a day or two, with the portable shrine being carried along the streets of its neighbourhood. There is music and “wasshoi” (わっしょい, heave ho!) chanting. Lot’s of chanting. Bearing the mikoshi is no easy task. “Wasshoi” encourages the group to keep up the rhythm and the pace, providing the necessary energy to keep up with the important task. The highlight of the parade is the return of the mikoshi to its shrine. The participants go wild, with genkiness to the max.

Crowd at Sanja Matsuri '15

We had the pleasure of attending the Sanja Matsuri (三社祭, literally "Three Shrine Festival") this past May on our latest Tokyo visit. It is one of the biggest mikoshi matsuri in Tokyo, taking place in the Asakusa neighbourhood that happens only once every two years. The turnout was great. Lots of food, sunlight, fun, excitement and more food. And yes, this blog was a great excuse to share our trip festival photos with the world.

Fireworks 花火
Hanabi (花火, fireworks) is by far one of my favourite matsuri. If you think you’ve seen a great firework display before, Japanese hanabi will top it! These people are true artisans in the craft of explosive coloured lights. I’d say it is not even as much as a celebration, but more of a competition. Think bigger, brighter, and more colourful than you’ve ever seen before. They are also longer, with Tokyo’s Sumida river fireworks being displayed practically nonstop for over 2 hours. Your visit to Japan in the height of the summer heat will definitely be worth it, if you catch one of those.

There are many more types of festivals as well. Some feature dancing, music, lanterns. Some are meant to celebrate a specific cultural event, such as Tanabata. (Read more on Tanabata here.) I won’t go into detail for all of them, but I will point out the three things most of them all have in common.

One: Yukata 浴衣
Yukata, (浴衣) is a Japanese light summer kimono. It comes in many colour variations, and similarly to kimono, is tied with a matching colourful obi (帯, sash). Unlike kimono, with yukata you have an option to tie the obi yourself or get a ready-made easy to put on clip-on. If you visit any of the Japanese summer matsuri, you’ll see almost everyone wearing one. It is a humble cultural experience that survived the time of change towards modernization. I highly recommend wearing one, as it adds to the experience of the summer matsuri celebration, allowing you to fully take part in all the festivities of the event.

Image from ふりふ. Shop these yukata at Furifu.com

Two: Kingyo Sukui, The Game of Fish
Kingyo Sukui (金魚すくい, goldfish scooping) is a game of patience, perseverance and downright luck. The highlight - if you win, you get to take the living creature home. That is if you win. Catching the fish in the pool is no easy task. First, you pay for the flat net that is made of paper. Then you must use this net to try to scoop up the fish. If you leave it in the water for too long, the paper will dissolve. If you apply too much force, the paper will rip. I won’t even go on to mention the fundamental nature of the fish not staying still in one place. I’d say one thing though: attempting to catch one is definitely the best part. Did I mention you get to keep it!

Three: Matsuri Food!
For me, food is by far the highlight of any matsuri. Japanese food is known to be healthy and light. But when it comes to Japanese festival food, it is quite the opposite. Most of the real estate is taken up by pop up food stalls filled with grilled, deep fried, baked, and sweetened goodness. The menu ranges from the oh-so-famous yakisoba (焼きそば, grilled soba noodles), okonomiyaki (お好み焼き, grilled savoury pancake containing a mix of ingredients), takoyaki (たこ焼き, wheat flour-based batter grilled ball filled with diced octopus), taiyaki (鯛焼き, batter fried and filled with red-bean paste or custard fish shaped goodness), ikayaki (いか焼き, grilled squid), kushiyaki (串焼き, grilled skewered meat goodness) to my favourite jagabata (じゃがバター, baked potato served with a large helping of butter and miso paste). For desert there the skewered choco banana (チョコバナナ) - chocolate dipped banana, kakigoori (かき氷) - shaved ice with a flavour syrup of your choice, and other candy treats. I am sure I missed some. The spread is just too great to take in in one seating.

じゃがバター (jagabata)

かき氷 (kakigouri) - Note to self, leave the topping to the pros. Went a bit crazy on the syrup, and ended up with sweetness of a lifetime.

July and August are filled with matsuri. If you are planning on visiting Japan, make sure to book your time around one of the many events. If, however, you happen to live in Toronto or are staying in town for the next couple of days, make sure to come by the 3rd Annual Toronto Japanese Summer Festival that is held on Sunday, July 26th at the Yonge-Dundas Square. (For more info visit the festival’s facebook page.)

Tanabata, a Festival of Love and Stars

Summer is a very special time in Japan. July in particular is special, because it is the end of the ‘rainy season’, a time when it quite literally rains every single day for a month. July is also very special, as it marks the beginning of the Japanese summer festival culture. It is the time when communities get together to celebrate, often wearing the traditional 浴衣 (yukata, a light cotton summer kimono) and rejoicing to the sound of music, dancing, parades, 花火 (hanabi, fireworks), and oh-that-so-awesome festival food. The summer festivals kick off with the first one of the season, and perhaps one of the biggest of them all - the Tanabata festival.

七夕 (Tanabata), meaning the “evening of the seventh”, traditionally takes place on the 7th day of the 7th month, but often tends to vary in dates depending on the region. It is a festival inspired by a legend of star-crossed lovers, and is often synonymous with celebrating 恋 (koi, (romantic) love) and casting one's 望み (nozomi, wish).

The Legend, 物語 (monogatari)

昔々 (mukashi mukashi, ‘Once upon a time’), Tentei (天帝, Sky King) had an only daughter, called Orihime (織姫, Weaving Princess), who was known for her beauty and craftsmanship in weaving exquisite garments at her father’s request. Everyday she would sit the at bank of the Amanogawa (天の川, Milky Way, lit. "heavenly river"), diligently weaving new garments to her father’s delight. She was very dedicated to her work, however, alone with no free time to find herself an eligible suitor. Tentei realized that his only daughter was unhappy, and decided to help her find the happiness she deserved. He arranged for Orihime to meet Hikoboshi (彦星, Cow Herder Star), who lived on the other side of the Amanogawa, the Milky Way river. They had an instant connection, a love at first sight of sorts. They married shortly after, spending every single minute together, sharing the happiness one can only dream of. 

They were so engrossed with each other, that they forgot about their daily duties. Orihime forgot to weave the garments as she was supposed to. And Hikoboshi forgot to tend to his herd, leaving his cows to go astray. Tentei was enraged that Orihime forgot about her task. And in the heat of anger, he separated them across the vastness of the Amanogawa, forbidding them to ever meet again.

Orihime was extremely heartbroken over her loss of her husband, pleading for Tentei to let them see each other again. Her father was moved by his daughter’s tears, and allowed them to meet once a year on the ‘seventh day of the seventh month’ at the banks of the Amanogawa, the Milky Way river. However, on the first day of Orihime’s reunion with Hikoboshi, she realized that there is no bridge for her to cross the river and be together with her beloved. She cried and cried, until a flock of magpies flew over and created a crossing path with their wings, allowing Orihime to walk over to the other side. The magpies promised the star-crossed lovers that they would come to the couple every year from now on. It is believed that if it rains on Tanabata, the magpies cannot come, leaving Orihime and Hikoboshi to wait to meet until the following year.

The legend follows the two stars Vega and Altair, represented by Orihime and Hikoboshi respectively. This makes Tanabata a Star Festival, and quite popular with couples. Traditionally and today Tanabata is celebrated with colourful street decorations, music, parades, festival street food, and most importantly by hanging colourful strips of paper from the 笹 (sasa, bamboo) branches. When hanging the paper strip, one also writes his or her wish on it. It is believed that Tanabata is a very auspicious day for wishing, for the powers that allowed Orihime and Hikoboshi to come together on this day can also grant wishes to others.

To many in Japan, Tanabata means dressing up in yukata, coming together as a community to celebrate love, life and the stars. Today, the Tanabata festival can also be experienced outside Japan in many corners of the world with a prominent Japanese community. Check in with your community to see if the festival is held near you.

Furin: The Blissful Sound of Japanese Summer

Our new print is in! We'd like to welcome a new addition to our shop of Japanese things we love - the Windchime. And just in time for the summer!

When I think of Japanese summers, I imagine すいか (suika, watermelon), かき氷 (kakigoori, shaved ice), 花火 (hanabi, fireworks), 浴衣 (yukata, a light cotton summer kimono), and of course our favourite 風鈴 (fuurin), the glass windchime. Traditionally, in Japan the windchime has long been regarded as a symbol of good luck. The sound of the bell ringing is thought to ward off lurking evil spirits. Perhaps you noticed that most Japanese keychains are adorned by a small bell for the same reason. But I think there is another symbolic meaning behind the chime. A practical one at that. The tinkling sound of the windchime when played by the wind, reminds us of the cool gentle breeze on a hot summer’s day. Our windchime print is meant to remind us that those summer days are just around the corner. The print’s bright colours will warm up your space, and bring back the joy of the crisp melodic sound of the windchime, when rattled by the gentle movement of the air. The Japanese text, 「夏のそよ風」 (“Natsu no soyokaze,” “The gentle wind of the summer”), captures this very essence.

So how did we come to love it so much? 

During our stay in Japan, we decided it’d be ok not to invest in the AC. Houses and apartments in Japan usually don’t come with any appliances. Everything needs to be purchased at the time you move in. When we first settled, the weather was nice and cool. So after buying the refrigerator, washing machine and everything else under the sun needed for daily comfortable living, we decided to put off shopping for the エアコン (eacon, AC). After all, the unit aside, electricity in Japan is expensive, and running one would cost a pretty penny. We thought we’d rather spend that money on other fun stuff Japan had to offer. Then the summer came. It was easily above 35°C on any given day. And as the consumer demand for the AC rose, so did the prices. To save our cash, we found tons of alternative cool ways to keep our house cool. Pun intended. We wore Japanese specially designed water soaked scarves that keep your neck cool. Used gel-infused cooling seating pads for comfort. And with two retro-style fans that would blow the air about the room, it somehow became manageable. Not all, but most of the time. The time was also right after the 3.11 Touhoku Earthquake, and the government was actively promoting 節電 (setsuden, electricity conservation). So even if we owned one of those babies, we weren’t allowed to run it during peak hours, which is when you really need it. We were determined to brave the summer heat as we were.

One day as we were out and about shopping, we stumbled upon a special sale on a unique collection of windchimes that were painted in most amusing designs. One of them stood out to me. The top was painted to resemble a watermelon, and the string attached was painted red with black drops to suggest watermelon seeds. Watermelon windchime?! It was a fated love at first sight. I knew I had to have it. And I never looked back. 

The windchime made the living room window its permanent home. We had very little wind where we lived in the summer. And when a slight summer breeze would flow through our windows, the windchime created the most soothing sound. It was the sound of hope. Hope for a gust of wind that might visit our quarters and cool us down. The sound seemed to make the room cooler or 涼しい (suzushii, cool, refreshing) as Japanese would say. 

When I first started working on the print, I wrote a small copy that I had plans to include in the final design. My plans for the design changed, and I ended up not using it. ...もったいない (“mottainai,” “How wasteful”). Despite the change, I would still like to share it with you here, as I believe it perfectly captures the meaning behind our windchime print. So here it is: 

「夏のそよ風。風鈴の涼しい音と共に太陽の光を浴びる。」(“Natsu no soyokaze. Fuurin no suzushii oto totomo ni taiyou no hikari wo abiru,” “Summer’s gentle breeze. With the refreshing (cooling) sound of the windchime, I bask in the sunlight”).

Windchime is one of those things that holds a special place when one thinks of those summer days in Japan. It is a culturally accepted good luck charm, and a welcomed decoration on a hot summer’s day often seen in every window or porch. And in Japan, you do not feel prepared to take on the heat unless you have one hanging in your home.

Windchime Prints

Shop here for our colourful windchime summer print variations.

SHOP

In the Land of Daruma (the thing we love)

Notice how the left eye is fainter. It's because it took us a few years to colour-in the second eye.

Today I want to share with you our love for Daruma (達磨).

Perhaps you browsed our shop pages and by now noticed that despite us carrying a wide variety of Japanese themed illustration designs, one is undeniably dominant in our current collection. Daruma doll.

Was that on purpose? Not really. It just happened like that. To be perfectly honest, we always had a soft spot for Daruma. It is angry and cute. It brings luck and holds onto your dreams for you. It is a constant reminder of better things to come and to never stop trying. If you think about it, it would be a perfect choice for our mascot. Unofficially, it actually is.

If you have no idea what Daruma is or does, let me catch you up to speed. Daruma is a traditional Japanese doll, a representation of Bodhidharma, the founder of the Zen sect of Buddhism. Today it is often found sold in small shops around Japan specializing in charms and other items that one uses to attract luck and fortune. Daruma, however, is no lucky charm. It is an embodiment of a wish or a goal that one values most and sets out to work hard at to achieve. Your wish is sealed by the Daruma when you colour in the first eye. And if you succeed and it comes true, you celebrate by colouring-in the second eye. Make sure to keep Daruma around after that for good luck and as a happy reminder of how far you’ve come.

Does it work? Depends on the wish I guess. For us, it certainly did. We got our first Daruma on our first trip to Japan in ‘07. Back then we were students, visiting the island that we later would call home. We were on cloud nine, and, as one would expect, the trip was amazing. We explored the majestic Tokyo, marveled at its colours, quirks, beauty and culture. By the end of the trip we were certain that we needed to come back to stay. The wish we sealed in our Daruma was just that. Come back to Japan - not as tourists, but as residents. It took four years of determination and hard work. We studied Japanese. Studied the culture. And saved up money. By 2011 our wish came true. We were on the plane, destination - our new home.

It was an exciting time. We’ll never forget how awesome it was. The things we learned. And the amazing friends we made. We still have the Daruma. It now has two eyes. It predominantly resides on the shelf where we can see it every day. It is a reminder of all the hard work we put into our wish for it to come true.

As I said, it is not as much of a good luck charm as it is your personal cheerleader. So go forth, get one and wish wisely. We certainly didn’t stop either. We now have two new additions. They might be small, but they are mighty cute, and as far as we think, the force is with them.

Exciting Beginnings

Today we are celebrating the launch of our first official online shop for PICA and hopefully the beginning of something great.

Around this time last year we stumbled upon the idea of opening our own prints store on Etsy. I’ve been creating illustrations for myself as a hobby for a while now - a way to let loose after a day of business card, brochure and other corporate print material design. As I get home from work, I become my own creative boss - my design, my rules. Anything goes.

One day, as I was browsing the shops, seeing what Etsy has to offer, I came across a shop selling original vector prints. I called Robby over and said “We could do that!” It was an exciting idea. But we honestly didn’t know where to begin. Aside from design, we needed to know how to mass produce prints, market and sell them. What followed were months of research, branding and of course product building. We didn’t want to start with just five prints. We had a lot of ideas for designs and we wanted to share them all from the start. And it wasn’t until November of last year when we finally opened our virtual doors to the world.

A year ago this brand was just an idea. Today we are celebrating how far we’ve come. It’s scary and exciting. One thing we know for sure is that the rewarding part from all of this is not as much as starting and running your own business, but having the ability to share your art with the world and receive much love for it in return.

Our journey is only beginning. And we can’t wait to see what lays ahead for us.