Kirschblüte & Edelweiss

If ever there was a theme to tick all the boxes, then an exhibition about textiles influenced by the Swiss textile industry and Japanese design was going to be the one.  I’d read about it on the Bernina blog last week and printed off the details, because it was in St Gallen and maybe, just maybe it would fit nicely with a visit to the Bernina factory?  Of course, this part of Switzerland is the home of fine textiles; that Bernina is based in Steckborn is no accident and on previous visits we’ve found ourselves in assorted factory shops including Wolford a couple of years ago.   The textile museum in St Gallen is home to a wonderful collection of Swiss made lace and fine fabrics as well as a comprehensive library of specialist printed books as well as samples.

We squeezed the car into a tiny spot and made our way down the street.  Finding the museum entrance was rather easier than we’d anticipated!

We loved the tickets, printed on scraps of fabric and were especially pleased that the elegant lady on the reception desk carefully found us two very different designs.

The panel at the top of the stairs summed up the theme nicely, with a vignette of Fuji-san framed with edelweiss flowers!

The exhibition began with a few examples of oriental fabrics followed by a display of traditional Swiss designs.  I loved the way these were presented, for although the light was dimmed the sheen on the embroideries was shown to great effect by these curved mounts.

Some of the Swiss whitework samples depicted a familiar motif: that of Wilhelm Tell and his son, in the same pose as the monument in Altdorf.

Our breaths were taken away by the display of katagami patterns in the next room.  A video showed how these Japanese stencils were cut by hand and used to print textiles.

The precision was exquisite – this section would be around four inches wide and it was these patterns which inspired some of the fine Swiss embroidery and printing.

At the same time, the European fashion for flowered collars was being followed by Japanese craftsmen and as roses were appearing on textiles n the Orient, in Switzerland the chrysanthemum and camellias began to appear.

Here too, the displays were attractively presented and the story really well told, although it was becoming difficult to tell if we were looking at Swiss influenced Japanese work or vice versa.  I think that was probably the whole point!

There were so many beautifully arranged collections, I took way too many photographs!

When my camera battery died, I switched to my phone!  Sadly, the single light above each of the displays features in each of my photographs, however.

The last room featured contemporary textiles, mostly made in Switzerland but made for a Japanese market.

Japanese taste and fashion is so curious!

The next room held the library and though we didn’t have a great deal of time to linger here, I simply had to go in and take a closer look at this wonderful structure.

Those books on the table contain a wealth of samples- just opening one at a random page reveals such treasure!

Very temping to slip one in my bag… if only they were not so huge!

Before we left, we took a look inside the room at the end of the corridor, finding a huge machine in there.  Though it looked like a loom, on closer inspection it appeared to be some kind of embroidery machine.

There, beside it was the paper design, drawn out on graph paper with a sample of the actual finished embroidery alongside.  This appeared to be an early equivalent of the printout from the digitised design I recently completed using my Bernina Embroidery software, but how was this going to be used to embroider?

The answer was soon to hand, because a member of the museum staff appeared, hopped onto the stool and began to operate the machine.  Painstakingly, she placed the point of the plotter on a point on the graph paper with her left hand and wound the handle of the machine with her right.  As she did, a series of fifty of so needles made a single stitch in fifty or so small, individual motifs.  She then wound the handle to return the needles to their original position before moving the plotter to the next point and repeating the process.

Though my photograph shows only one line of motifs, there were actually two, one above the other, so although the process was incredibly slow, a large number of motifs were embroidered at the same time.  But when I spoke to the embroiderer about changing the colour of thread in each of those fifty needles, she raised an eyebrow…  Bearing in mind the ease with which my machine will stitch out a design, the speed with which it will operate and the accuracy of each stitch, it’s remarkable how far we’ve come in little more than a hundred years.

The end result was mounted into greeting cards, for sale in the museum shop. 

Our last photograph in the museum was a beautiful display of katagami patterns, possibly machine cut, larger than the originals and hung in the light of the windows behind them.  This was a stunning museum, full of the most fascinating exhibits and we had really enjoyed our visit.

 

After a walk around St Gallen, thinking of Mary and our last visit here,  we took the scenic route home, over the alpine pastures and waving as we passed by Appenzell.

Someone was rather proud of her enormous bell and posed beautifully by the roadside as we drove past.  Love her!

This evening, we chose one of the many restaurants by the lakeside to enjoy Zürcher Geschnetzeltes with Rösti and watched as the sun went down over the lake.

We are so lucky to be here.

There’s a cow in the fridge

What’s more, it’s speaking Japanese!

It’s one of my purchases in Loft, Osaka.  I spotted it and thought that I knew someone who would find it amusing, so added it to his little bag of treasures to give him this weekend.

 

Fridgezoo creatures sit in the fridge and not only say “hello” when the door is opened, they also remind you to hurry up and close the door again, please.  I chose a Japanese speaker, of course, so the voice and the greetings are very cute!

I was looking forward to trying it out, to see what it sounds like and what it would say, but had to be patient and wait until Edward arrived home yesterday afternoon.  Thankfully, he was as impatient as I was and so the little cow is sitting in our fridge for a few days before taking up residence in her permanent London home.

I think I’ll miss her cheery “O-hiyo”!

Oh, Osaka

We were watching a cocktail making demonstration when someone pointed out that we were arriving in Osaka.

Though Lillia tried her best to keep our attention with her Bellinis, Bloody Marys and Brandy Alexanders, the scene unfolding outside was just too distracting!

Anyway, it looked like there was a welcome party going on just over there on the quayside.  Let’s go and take a look.

Oh my goodness, the Osaka Junior Band is out to welcome us, playing a selection of jolly tunes to which these dear little girls are dancing.  But it’s freezing cold out there, there’s a chill wind blowing and everyone looks, to use an expression from my childhood, nithered.

But they played on, waving and smiling and of course, we responded.  What  a lovely welcome to the city!  But oh my, what a change in the weather from yesterday.

The string men were there and in no time at all, we were berthed and ready to go!  Having completed all the Japanese Immigration procedures at Hiroshima, we were all set  My hero and I were going it alone in Osaka and we were already on our starting blocks.

Just fifteen minutes after we’d secured and the gangplank was lowered, we were standing on the station!

Though we’d not been here before and the Japanese restrictions on internet connections meant we’d not been able to research the journey fully, it felt as though we were on familiar territory.

The ticket machine flummoxed us initially, but we sought help from the station master who graciously processed two one-day Eco tickets at Y600 each for us, gave us a map and bowed as we thanked him profusely.

My hero soon worked out where we needed to go – the numbered stations make plotting a route very easy and he’d got it sorted in no time.

We were down on the platform, listening to the tinkly chimes of the subway station signals and pinched ourselves to check that yes, we really were here!

What’s more, our train was arriving!  Can you believe that shortly before 12.30 we’d still been on the ship?

I was so excited that we got off the train a stop too soon!!  Oh no!  As we stood, map in hand, trying to work out why there was no red connection here, only a pink one, we heard a soft voice behind us,

“How may I help you?”

The Station Master was there with his guidebooks and timetables, ready, willing and able to offer us assistance, when actually, we’d just realised what we had done.   More profuse thanks…more bowing and smiling…and then the slow realisation that I could run and get a station stamp from Awaza station, since we were here…

With a seven minute frequency on this line, even on a Sunday, we didn’t have long to wait.

The super clean and efficient subway train arrived, clearly having come through a rainstorm and as we stood admiring the varied lengths of the hanging straps which would cater for all heights and sizes…how sensible is that…we also realised that we had no umbrellas with us.

First stop, then, having reached our destination, was to stop by the 7-11 for a grocery store umbrella each.  We’ve done this before and really, these umbrellas are amazing.  Intended to be semi-disposable, nevertheless we’re still using those from a previous visit at home.  At Y500  (about £3.50) each they are a bargain!

Come on then, let’s get out onto the street!  We were heading for Loft, one of my favourite stores and though we had the location clearly marked on a map, locating the route wasn’t easy in the station passages, where it’s so difficult to maintain one’s bearings.  Even my hero was finding it a challenge, so we decided to put out heads outside and walk in the rain, on the street.  Much easier then, to see what was where and where we were.

Don’t you love the Japanese zebra crossing?  Not quite Shibuya, but the same principle..all cross in every direction at the same time.

What’s so special about Loft?  Well, it’s a blend of house/home store but with great crafts and stationery.  Oh yes, right up my alley (and yes, my hero indulges me here)

Up to the sixth floor and oh, be still my beating heart.  There’s a floor full of my kind of things!

This is a small section of the Washi tape department.  Yes, a small section!  And for those who “know” about such things, let me explain that the MT tapes have a department all of their own.  The Washi tapes alone are displayed in a section about the same size as the breakfast cereals in my local supermarket.  Hmmm.

After a while, I make my purchases and we move on, firstly back to the station, where we’re going to hop on another subway line to go to Doguyasuji Street, where the foodie/kitcheny shops are.  It’s the first time I’ve noticed the “Women only boarding points” and I think what a good idea they are.  Each of the stations in the city centre has half a dozen or so clearly marked sections, nearest the entrance/exit.

When we get to Namba Station, we decided to get a drink from a vending machine, except this wasn’t a vending machine at all but a normal, everyday kiosk.  As my hero is making the purchase, I spot the familiar book covers up there on sale in the kiosk too – recognise them?

 

Suitably refreshed, we walk through the “Namba Walk” area to Doguyasuji, where there’s plenty going on this Sunday afternoon.

First, though, let’s admire the manhole covers, shall we?

It always amuses me though, that such details are well considered and rather beautiful and yet the street scene here in Japan is always uncharacteristically untidy.  Can you see the young woman in her “cos” of short froufrou dress and cutsie styling?  She’s advertising an electronics store down the road in the style of Tokyo’s Akihabara district.  I’d like to take a closer photograph of her but don’t feel I can…so we walk right on by.

Turning into Doguyasuji street proper, the first shop is selling the cafe curtains, aprons and tablelinens we admire.  I’ve often thought about hanging one of these divided linen curtains over the top, open half of our kitchen door in the summer and once again, I’m regretting having no measurements with me.  There are some striking designs here, not all with Japanese script on them.  ever mind…we’ll keep moving!

 

The next store has crockery…

and the next, lanterns.  This is such a fascinating street and one I’d have loved to have lingered in.  Next time, perhaps.

The arcade-style street opened up into a wider square, where there was some commotion going on.  Some cartoon characters were there and we realised that it’s a theatre or TV studio set up.  A chap approached my hero and introduced himself with his catchphrase “goooooey—gooooooeeey—gooooey!”   After a brief discussion about British comedians (he hadn’t heard of any of those we mentioned) we left him to raise some cheers amongst the crowds and bade him farewell with a very British and polite “Gooooeey-goooooeeey-gooooeeey”!

The characters themselves were enormous and I was rather surprised that the children were ok about approaching them.

They clearly have a popular following!

We were tiring by now, but still enjoying being here.  We made our way back through the Pachinko parlours and the little restaurants to the station.  Just one stop and we’d be in the other of my destination shops.  Tokyu Hands.

We did sneak into Bic Camera on the way though, to get another SD card for my camera.  Good prices, excellent service and another awe-inspiring shopping stop.  The wealth of choice, the level of stock and the abundance of new and up to the minute models of every technological gadget and gizmo imaginable makes this a truly fascinating place.

We did make an half hour stop in Tokyu Hands, though both agreed that perhaps, in this part of Osaka at least, Loft might have the edge.  So, although I found a few different bits and pieces (which will be revealed in due course), really, there wasn’t that much new.  For sure we were tired, it was getting late and we might even have been feeling a little hungry.  Now, that’s an unusual feeling around here

We took the subway back to Osakaka Station and walked back along the little street towards home.  There, at the end, was Voyager and a comfy pair of slippers!

Paper Cranes

As we left the Museum in Hiroshima, Masa gave each of us a personal gift from his family – a paper crane, made by his wife and daughter.

Bearing in mind the significance of the paper crane in Hiroshima, this was a sweet and very thoughtful gift.  The story of Sadako wasn’t familiar to us all but the sight of the large rainbow chains of cranes inspired several of us to make them ourselves.

Fortunately, the gift shop in the Hiroshima Museum sold packs of paper.  And though I have made paper cranes on many previous occasions, needless to say, I couldn’t immediately remember the folding steps.

I bought a little charm as a souvenir and remembered the time Tetsu taught Edward and I how to fold a crane.  It’s one of those things which Japanese students take with them, carrying a pack of paper when they travel and using the origami fold to chat and make international friends.

Sadly, the little instruction sheet in the pack of papers I bought wasn’t for a crane, though, but for a little folded bowl.  Though I’d had lessons not only from Tetsu, but also at Tokyo Airport, whilst waiting for a flight, too.  How many times do I need to be shown this thing?  What kind of a learner am I?

How on earth am I going to remember how to make a paper crane, especially when we don’t have any internet here in Japanese waters?

Hooray!  I was thrilled to discover that the little plastic bag containing the origami paper and phone charm also contained a separate sheet of instructions!  Thank goodness…

In no time at all, it came back to me.  Maybe I’m not such a poor learner after all and simply needed the aide memoire.  I’m not sure I’ll make a thousand though!  Nevertheless, they were a charming souvenir of a lovely day and a sweet little gift to leave with a note to a couple of people who made last evening very special for us, too.

The “shrink scenery” garden

Our next stop was at the Shukkeien Garden.  This was a highlight of the tour, because of the amazing Spring weather we were enjoying.  Masa quickly ushered us across the road and into the garden, doing his best to stay ahead of the pack.

Throughout the morning he’d shown interest in my new camera – Japanese made of course – and he was quick to spot potential and to give me a nudge.  Good man!

The garden – first laid out in 1620, imagine that! - is set around a pond and follows the concept of miniaturising many scenic views.  Tradition demanded that it was modelled on Xihu, in Hangzhou, China and the pathway which leads one around the features gives gardens of this type the name “circular tour garden”.

Some of the finer trees were still wrapped up in their protective winter coats and the office blocks in the background gave the game away whenever one forgot about the world outside, for this would have been a peaceful and serene place had it not been for loads of pesky tourists galumphing around.

Of course, the garden was destroyed by the A-bomb, but careful restoration following the original plans mean that we can see it exactly as was intended.

The semi circular Koko-kyo bridge in the centre proved too much of a temptation to Mary and I, who both wanted to pose on the top of it for our heroes, who wielded the cameras.  But it was indeed slippery and we did need to take care.  Neither of us were too keen on making the splash of the day!

Of course, the plum blossom was a highlight and was just opening in the sunshine.  Another week or so and it will be at its best, if the weather continues like this.

The white blossom in particular had a heady scent and Masa said what an unusual day it was, “May in March”, he thought.

Of course, we were not the only ones visiting the garden and these two young women were enjoying taking pictures of each other, posing in the Japanese style with kooky expressions and little waves of the hand.  We smiled, greeted one another with a Konnichiwa and I said how kawaii  (cute) they were (not having the Japanese for “beautiful”)  But that seemed to hit the spot…kawaii  was indeed the intended impression and both bowed effusively and thanked me for the compliment!  (I had been a little anxious that they would have been insulted!)

The next scene was most certainly more beautiful than cute.  A shy bride was being photographed with her handsome husband and not only did she have the photo-team on hand, it appeared the world of tourism wanted her photograph too!

I can only hope the professional photographer was able to avoid the baseball caps in the background.

Don’t they look lovely?

Masa was looking closely at his watch though, and thought it was time we were off.  We’d been lucky to see the garden in such glorious weather and felt delighted to leave Hiroshima on such a high.

Though we weren’t quite done yet!  On our return to the ship, we were greeted by smiling faces and “Hiroshima Delight” cocktails: Midori, tequila and goodness knows what else, but altogether delicious!  There was to be a ceremony in the theatre and we were keen to watch.

The chef was preparing sushi and sashimi, there were marvellous decorations and the scene was set for a celebration, for sure.

This was the ship’s first call at Hiroshima in nine years and the occasion was to be marked by the tapping of a cask of locally made sake in a traditional Kagamawari ceremony.

There were speeches, an exchange of gifts and eventually, the seal on the sake was broken.

Toasts were made and the first kampai (cheers!) called, as the General Manager drank the fresh sake from what looked like a wooden box.

Fortunately there was plenty for us all to share.

Kampai! Hiroshima.  What a delightful time we’ve spent here.  Such a warm welcome from everyone we encountered and an experience which we’ll remember fondly.

This afternoon, we’ll set sail through the Inland Sea for Osaka.  I’m going to use the time to make a little something for our friends, who are joining us for cocktails this evening.  I’ll explain later.