ziguzagu

another melbourne japan treasure, ziguzagu is a japanese textile wonderland suitably hidden down a narrow one way richmond sidestreet. and it is just amazing. full to the brim with rolls of vintage kimono silk, hemp, linen and indigo dye fabrics, as well as beautiful objects of old japan like go boards worn with time, ancient tansu, shoji awaiting repair and glass front wooden tea cabinets. i was like a child in a corner milkbar back in the day when your little tightly clutched coins of silver bought you a weighty mixed bag of freckles, milk bottles and mint leaves. my current hearts desire is for the kind sew-ers of ziguzagu to sew me some zabuton of fabrics chosen from the delightfully coloured, patterned piles.

ziguzagu has a special quality - combing the aisles with likeminded japanese textile appreciators, digging through piles of kimono and obi, feeling the texture and admiring the patterns of the silken weave, finding that perfectly imperfect ceramic incense holder, woven bamboo basket darkened with age, delicately cracked tea bowl - it transports you ever so briefly from a richmond laneway to the crowds of kitano tenmangu, one of the biggest, oldest temple markets in japan. i highly recommend a visit.