i think this might be the perfect wedding present for a special friend.

these beautiful hand-carved wooden vessels are like a salve for a sore soul.

(sore soul? i am refusing the hammering insistence of the nicotine at work. but is hard, very hard.)

from herriott grace big cartel.

forty sixth at grace blog,

i first saw this via see hear say blog.

i am recently on a bit of a mission to find out more about modernist matters and architecture related to japan.

the very top photo and all photos below are via ok los angeles. they have a great blog that features the restoration of a classic modernist home and guesthouse in LA. they seem to travel to japan a bit to look for artists and artists to represent in their store, some pictures of one these included below.

claska hotel i saw on jollygoo and immediately decided i need to stay there at least one night. it is an old business hotel from the 60s renovated for contemporary japan, and i love the blue room above.

below are some links i have found so far.

i am super keen to hear of any more!

oklosangeles

ok online store
isamu noguchi site (design, wonderful)

claska hotel
modern japanese architecture: masters and mannerists in the 1950s-60s
frank lloyd wright in japan
bruno taut in japan
CASA BRUTUS has a modernism in japan special edition from a few years ago,
but so far i can't find a way to get my hands on it from australia, i will keep trying...

edit:
and this recent scientific discovery confirms in my mind how great octopuses are.
"There's really complex behaviours that we write off because we think we're the clever ones."

brooch

it is nice to visit keibunsha anytime.
they have some lovely new items.

AND don't forget to enter hiki's kamifusen giveaway
for some delightful paper balloon fun!

what do you call these in english?
a balancing object
both above by gold and silver smith seiko ohara
(i am not 100% sure of that name translation though, names being hard)

glass pasta plate

earrings

soy sauce dispenser

blown pyrex glass teapot

lacquer soup bowl

is nice to see hair ornaments (kanzashi) popping up.
i like these understated bent and beaded ones.
kanzashi are traditionally worn in kyoto by the maiko.

i love, we all love, mieke willems

i really like how mieke and veronik say they like to wear socks in sandals. and that my favourite story-maker renilde also makes things for their store. and that they document things they both have. and i really like how i can see many of my favourite versions of japan in their wonderful world: a special aesthetic that is full of care and humble beauty, handkerchiefs, the paper balloons, origami books, figue plants, beautiful teacups and lovely handmade-ness.

and i really like how everyone else loves them too: see here for the hello sandwich post.

ps:

this post on houseofmilk just made me laugh.

and if you are in melbourne this saturday, perhaps you might consider attending this soiree.

some more tea

'a cup of tea' by the super great grace lee.

i have read some good books lately on the art of lexicography and the history of the OED. most recently i enjoyed boswell's the life of samuel johsnon. it is great stuff if you are into period biographies on literary characters (all those hordes of you).

samuel johnson quickly emerged as my favourite of the many excellent, eccentric, polymathic characters who populate the history of the OED and the literary world of 18th and 19th century britain. the below quote is from johnson's review of hanway on tea. the review was originally published in the literary magazine 2, no. 13 (1757), and to my delight in it johnson describes himself as:

'a hardened and shameless tea-drinker who for twenty years diluted his meals with only the infusion of the fascinating plant; who with tea amused the evening, with tea solaced the midnight, and with tea welcomed the morning'.

below are nanbu tetsubin ironware teapots via keibunsha. you can see similar in english here and information on the history of nanbu tetsubin here. at end is a nice ironware teapot via dedece plus (i spied it in the most recent insideout issue).

classic ironware maker nanbu tesubin via keibunsha

covo iron teapot via dedece plus