Wednesday was a day of Asian delights. Only two events to attend tonight and they were both Asian-themed. Seeing as I am headed to Tokyo very soon, this event is perfect for me, a way to get familiar with Japanese products. I am attending this event alone though, Dave and Kim are meeting me at the next one.
The first event was the Japan C Closing Reception and Cherry Tree Auction with proceeds going to Bette Midler’s New York Restoration Project – planting Cherry Trees on Harlem River Drive and who doesn’t love Cherry Trees, they are the most beautiful when they blossom. According to their website, Japan C is “a rolling eleven week exhibition of all things Japanese. Spanning home and fashion accessories to gadgets, food, beauty and pop-culture products, Japan C is part design exhibition, part bazaar, part trade fair, highlighting over 70 diverse Japanese firms”. The event was held at Felissimo Design House, an exquisite shop for unique and distinctive gifts. Part of Felissimo’s business is charity, they design products, sell them and donate portions to causes that will enhance the future generation’s world. That statement alone is reason to fully support them. The products range from Japanese favorite Hello Kitty to a portable seedling. The products were shown from the 2nd floor to the 4th floor. The first thing I noticed when I walked in was a huge ball made of the various products they produce.
That was in no way the most interesting items there, I found much more like Mu-bot robot
On the second floor, I grabbed a glass of an herbal Sake called Houmeishu, it’s more a health tonic made of 16 types of herbs and tastes sweet and wonderful (two glasses really does a number on you though).
Anyway, I moved on to this toy that allows you to enjoy your bubble wrap popping fetish/obsession (it was hard to stop – I had to run away)
there were lots of figurines as well, ranging from the military to techie to more traditional
Below is the portable seedling I mention earlier, actually called the Green capsule
But the Green Capsule wasn’t the only thing green there. These lovely home decorative planters were available as well (in fact, they were a part of the actual auction – not everything I show was up for auction)
I couldn’t post about Japanese products without throwing in a little Hello Kitty, so here you go
But my three favorite items from that not (not available for auction) were these tabletop lights that turned on when you rubbed a magnetic “matchstick” on it
the second are more decorative than anything. It’s towels or rags (I’m not sure) made to look like dessert
the third is a briefcase made out of wood treated with a water repellent. The briefcase is so light, it floats on water (really, it does, some of the staff said they tried it). i really wanted it but it wasn’t on of the items up for auction and not for sale that evening – shucks (I will be keeping an eye out in Japan)
I’m going to talk about one final piece because I thought it was just so interestingly created. I am talking about the Nezca Cord Jewelry, designed and named for TK Nezca. The cords are made from crystals using the traditional craft of Japanese braiding called Himo or Kumi Himo, that’s right braided crystal (Nezca uses Swarovski crystals). The photo doesn’t do it justice, it must be seen in person
I have also added some photos of items that were up for auction
and some general photos from the event
This event really put me in mind for my trip. I’m still in a bit of disbelief that I’m going but seeing all the Japanese artwork and products has made it more real. I can’t wait.
On to the next Asian-inspired event – it takes me to east Asia
