Japanese assorted gift box
(1)Kare-sansui – Zen garden kit
This is a garden kit that lets you enjoy creating and decorating your own “Kare-sansui”.
Kare-sansui, dry landscape gardening expresses the flow of mountains, seas, islands and rivers using only sand and rocks.
After the Muromachi Period (15th century), “Zen” Buddhism and its arts spread throughout Japan.
Zen arts are expressed through the concept of “Wabi-Sabi”, which seeks “beauty within the simplicity and imperfection”.
Experience Wabi-Sabi with this Zen garden kit!
Calm your mind, decide on a theme, create an image in your head, and feel at peace.
Kare-sansui is abstract expression. One cannot explain directly what its creator intended to express.
(2)Kyocera ceramics kitchen utensils
These ceramic products are rust-free and can be bleached and sterilized.
Ceramic blades are naturally rust-free and never add any metallic taste, and so are perfect for raw ingredients such as vegetables and fruits.
They are very light so you won't get tired, however long you use them.
Their manufacturer, Kyocera, is one of the Japan’s largest enterprises. It was founded in Kyoto in 1959 as a specialized manufacturer of fine ceramics.
(3)Ayanami – Two sets of traditional sandalwood cups with matching spoons
These sandalwood cups, painted with a unique Japanese lacquer, are decorated with original designs.
This method uses silver lacquer or silver foil to highlight the patterns of the designs, skillfully employing the delicacy unique to Japanese lacquer.
These designs, with their calm atmosphere and shimmering impression, fit nicely into our modern lifestyle.
The sandalwood coating, with the image of waves, has a novel design that leaves a delicate and fashionable impression.
The manufacturer, Isuke Shoten, was founded 190 years ago in Kyoto as a company specializing in Japanese lacquer.
(4)Kyou sensu - Ornamental Kyoto style folding fan
The picture shows a “Maiko” (apprentice geisha), in a colorful, hand-painted “Sakura Kinkaku”. The frame is painted in black lacquer, creating a sumptuous impression.
Folding fans made in Kyoto are known as “Kyo-sensu”. They are composed of bamboo and paper or silk, then lacquered. They have long been prized as high-class craft items.
These fans were once manufactured in large numbers, from the late Edo Period till the Taisho Era, but have become ever more rare as the number of crafts people decreases.
(5)Cherry blossoms at Kiyomizu temple – original oil painting
The is titled “Cherry blossoms at Kiyomizu temple”.
This was painted by Toshihiko Asakuma, a Japanese painter listed in the Art Yearbook.
Kiyomizu temple, a World Heritage Site, is one of the most famous places for cherry blossoms, where tourists can enjoy the blossoms of over 1,500 trees every spring.
Being an original oil painting, it will last without fading for a long time.
(6)Yojiya – Facial oil blotting paper
Facial oil blotting paper is a skincare item that removes excess sebum from the surface of the skin.
Originally, this was developed from the paper used to make gold leaf.
Lately “Maiko” (apprentice “Geisya”) started using it to remove sebum, and this skincare item ,called "oil blotting paper", spread throughout Japan.
It was first put on sale in the 1920s. It has a high reputation among not only Maiko, but in the world of Japanese stage and screen.
With this gold-leaf hand mirror and attractive drawstring bag, it has a special Japanese elegance.