Japanese Modern Life Crafts 「日本の暮らしのモダン工芸」

Hacoa T/H meter & Hashioki-FUJI

2016-09-16T16:09:00.003+03:00

It has really been a long time since the last time I got any Hacoa products and I was really happy to get a T/H meter, made out of walnut, and the Hashioki-FUJI set, which is used for resting chopsticks. The latter one includes two rests, one made out of karin & maple wood, while the other one is made out of walnut & maple wood.

Hacoa Pinup Board & Pentray

2014-12-05T21:11:00.001+02:00

A couple of beautiful and useful Hacoa items arrived this week, including a Pinup Board in walnut and a Pentray in chocolate black. The Pinup Board is a very nice item since there are a couple of ball magnets that can be used in order to hold any notes you may want to have on it! You can also choose between landscape and vertical orientation.

nanoblock White Snake

2014-12-05T20:29:00.000+02:00

This was an exclusive item for New Years 2013 and of course it was limited in production. The white snake is a symbol of Benten, the Japanese goddess of wealth, and it is considered a sign of good luck in Japan.

nanoblock Japanese Navy Aircraft Carrier Akagi

2014-12-01T19:58:00.002+02:00

It must be the most special nanoblock set I have in my collection and definitely the most expensive one, as the Akagi set is very hard to find. I am so happy that I finally built it!!!

Okamura office chairs

2014-10-24T22:47:00.001+03:00

I was taking a look at office chairs and of course I couldn't resist in checking out the Okamura lineup! They are among the best chairs available and definitely unique in terms of design and quality!!! The models I checked out included the Baron (aka CP), the Contessa and the new model Sabrina. Among the three, I liked the Baron the most and the mechanism, which is the same as the one used in the Contessa, is simply amazing! You can immediately feel the superb quality, something that doesn't fully apply for the newer model Sabrina.

Hacoa IC-PassCase and KURU-RIN

2014-10-14T00:40:00.001+03:00

Today, a couple of Hacoa items arrived straight form Japan! As I already have two KURU-RIN (related posts), I decided to get the third colour variation as well - Pink Gold & Red - and I was once again very impressed by its beauty!!!

The second item I received was a custom IC-PassCase made out of rosewood (earlier post)! I opted for a Sakura illustration engraving and I was also fortunate enough to be able to choose the wood grain!!! I have many beautiful Hacoa products and this is among the best ones :-D

nanoblock Asian Giant Hornet

2014-10-08T23:08:00.000+03:00

The Asian Giant Hornet is a simple, yet nice to build set!

nanoblock Oarfish

2014-10-02T23:55:00.001+03:00

This is a nanoblock store exclusive item, sold inside the Tokyo Skytree (Soramachi), and it is limited in production. Although it is not supposed to be a difficult to build set, you really have to be very gentle in order not to fall apart. The clear red blocks make it one of the coolest looking sets I have came across!

nanoblock Jack-o'-Lantern 2014

2014-09-24T22:02:00.001+03:00

The Jack-o'-Lantern 2014 arrived just today and I was very eager to build it and place it on top the LED plate!

nanoGauge Class 923 Doctor Yellow

2014-09-23T23:29:00.000+03:00

This is the second nanoGauge I have built (earlier post) and it is among my favourite ones! The Class 923 Doctor Yellow high-speed test trains are used on the Japanese Shinkansen train routes. The trains have special equipment on board to monitor the condition of the track and overhead wire, including special instrumented bogies and observation blisters.

Hacoa KURU-RIN and KUSU HANDMADE items arrived!

2014-09-19T23:30:00.000+03:00

After receiving my first KURU-RIN from Hacoa (earlier post), I decided to get another one!!! This time I decided to go for the Silver & Blue version and when I got it today, I was really excited as I think it looks even better than my first one!

I also opted for some KUSU HANDMADE products, including a Kusunoki Aroma Dish, Hinoki and Hiba aroma oils and a ceramic dish.

nanoGauge Shinkansen Series 0

2014-09-15T22:07:00.001+03:00

I finally managed to built my first nanoGauge set (earlier post)! Of course, I started with my favourite Shinknasen Series 0 and although the new brick types open new possibilities in terms of design and creativity, some of them (e.g. the flat ones) are similar to Lego bricks. Overall, I have to admit thatthe specific set looks really nice!!!

nanoblock Koinobori

2014-09-04T21:42:00.001+03:00

nanoblock Hina Doll

2014-09-04T21:39:00.001+03:00

Japanese goodies

2014-08-31T14:49:00.000+03:00

Those are some more Japanese goodies I received this week!

Coddle「+ PAPER 01」Stripe Silver case
Coddle「+ PAPER 06」Diamond Silver case
Coddle「+ PAPER 07」Stripe Brown case
YOnoBI Jomon 023 case (earlier post)
“Art in Japanese Stamps” series: Ukiyo-e series

These stamps feature five woodblock prints by Utagawa Hiroshige (1795-1858), a prominent ukiyo-e artist in the late Edo era from his works “Views of famous sites of sixty some provinces of Japan”. They also feature five Bijin-ga (pictures of beautiful women) woodblock prints by ukiyo-e artists in the Edo era, including Kitagawa Utamaro (1753-1806).

Hacoa KURU-RIN

2014-08-26T23:35:00.000+03:00

KURU-RIN is a product that comes from the collaboration of Hacoa and Nousaku (能作) and it is available in three colour combinations - Gold & Green, Silver & Blue, Pink Gold & Red. I opted for the Gold & Green version and it is such a beautiful product!!! I have to admit that I find the collaborations of Hacoa with other Japanese manufacturers (e.g. Ryusen Hamono - earlier post - and Herz) being highly successful!

At the moment I am waiting for some strong wind in order to enjoy the sound...

Hacoa Koro

2014-08-26T23:24:00.001+03:00

I was after a rather unusual mouse pad and of course my default choice was the Koro from Hacoa. I opted for maple wood and I chose two have a couple of engraving in order to give it a personal touch. I was pleasantly surprised by the very smooth surface! It is nice also that it can ne used in two different angles thanks to the supplied bar.

nanoblock Greater Flamingo Clear Version

2014-08-21T00:00:00.000+03:00

Now this is a very special item! The Greater Flamingo Clear Version (NBC_055*) was only available at 2013 International Tokyo Toy Show and it was limited to 220 of them!!!

nanoblock Red Panda

2014-08-20T22:59:00.002+03:00

Another nanoblock store exclusive set completed!

nanoblock Java Sparrow

2014-08-20T21:16:00.000+03:00

This is the Java Sparrow set, a nanoblock store exclusive item meaning that it will be sold for a limited time only.

nanoblock Sorakara-chan Haregi version

2014-08-19T00:20:00.000+03:00

Sorakara-chan is the Tokyo Sky Tree mascot and this is the Haregi version, NBH_064. Pretty straight forward to build and nice colour combination :-)

nanoblock Taiheiyo Ferry

2014-08-18T22:59:00.001+03:00

Another nanoblock set has been completed and this time, it was the Taiheiyo Ferry one. It is a special set as it is only aceesible by riding the ferry. The specific version I opted for is Kiso (the other one is Ishikari).

nanoblock Furano・Biei Norokko Go

2014-08-17T20:47:00.000+03:00

Furano・Biei Norokko Go train is a limited period service on the Furano line, available during the summer period from June to August. The nano block set of this train is only on sale on board the train, so it makes a rather rare set!

Hacoa Wasurena painted with Red Urushi!!!

2014-07-21T23:27:00.001+03:00

Back in February, I was looking for a rather special base for my nanoblock Himeji castle (earlier post). As usual, I did a lot of search but I couldn't find what exactly I was looking for. Then I got an idea... a Hacoa Wasurena (earlier post) in square shape... perhaps even painted with urushi!

My contact in Hacoa was so kind that accepted my request to create such a unique item for me!!! I opted for red urushi (earlier post) as I wanted it to be truly special. Urushi-oil lacquerware is pretty special for Japanese people and in my opinion, a very fine example of Japanese craftsmanship.

On Friday, I received my custom Wasurena and I have to admit that it is by far the most special item I ever had!!! It is simply amazing, I cannot use any other words in order to describe it! The surface is so smooth and reflective like a mirror!!!

I consider myself as a very lucky man and it is truly an honor to possess such a special and beautiful item :-)

ハコア、本当にありがとう！！！

MOTE - Mobile Tote by Capo

2014-07-11T13:58:00.000+03:00

If you are really into cool stuff made in Japan, reflecting the Japanese craftsmanship and style, then the mobile tote by Capo is for sure a must have.

MOTE is made in Nishijin region of Kyoto using the "jacquard", a highly innovative and complex machine designed for very sophisticated weaving of fiberous material. The finest material has been created out of carbon fibre for the first time by the special overlap capabilities of the jacquard machine.

The MOTE, along with the YOnoBI sleeves (earlier post) are for sure the best two laptop accessories I have came across so far.