07.25.09
Posted in Culture, Event, Trend at 5:00 pm by jflairhomestyles
We’d never thought that we would be going to an event like Otakon in Baltimore, MD, but we did. We didn’t attend as a vendor, but a visitor this time, and we had a fun! We wanted to check things out and see what the biggest East Coast Anime show was all about.
We were there for only a day and a half, thinking that that would be a plenty of time to browse things through. But it was not that case. I wished we’d arrived there from the very beginning and got to see more of it.
In order to explore the anime world, we decided to take a couple of seminars. One of them was called “Cover Your Bases.” It was an overview of the most important Anime that we should watch before we could call ourselves true anime fans. I could recognize only 10% of what they were talking about just because I used to watch some of the shows on TV as a child. Every time the panel introduced a new title, people would applaud. Everybody in the room was interested and excited about what the panels had to say about each anime. Clearly, we have a lot to learn. I do watch Japanese dramas sometimes, but that’s because it’s easy to hear my own language when my brain is dead after a long day. But for non-Japanese people to watch those shows with subtitles, they would have to have a special interest in the language or culture. Apparently, there are lots of fans out there for Japanese entertainment. From what we learned, there’s a lot of variety in anime and a bit of something for everyone.
It’s so nice to see people reacting the way they were to parts of the Japanese culture. I think they get into Anime or drama first and then Cosplay or kimono. Then the Japanese language, food and culture….
However that works, I do appreciate when people show an interest towards Japan. When I realized how much more Japan has to offer after attending this event, I was very proud to be Japanese.
We were tired after our crammed schedules, but it was refreshing to see a different world that we’d never experienced before. When we come back as a vendor next year, we should have a better understanding of the culture of anime.
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04.03.09
Posted in Easter Gift, Japanese Unique Gifts, Japanese sweets, Mother's Day Gift, Tea, Trend, Uncategorized at 8:27 pm by jflairhomestyles
Ever since we introduced Le Patissier’s Towel Cakes at our J Flair store, they’ve been very popular. Our customers love their unique designs, cuteness, wrapping, and most of all, the reasonable price. People purchase these Towel Cakes for wedding showers, baby showers, birthday gifts, tea parties, house warming gifts, etc…
The high quality colored towels are rolled up nicely and topped with a strawberry or cherry magnet. Each then is wrapped in a decorative way to look like a real piece of sweet desert.
When we display these towel cakes at our booth, people come straight to our cake display, thinking that we have some yummy deserts. Then I see surprise faces and smiles, and hear “wow” and “woo” when they realize that these are actually towels. They grab their friends and say “Look!! These are towels!!” and I see more surprised faces.
Some people think that these are too cute to use as a regular towel. No problem! You can use them as cute decorations around your house, and your friends may point out how adorable they look!
Easter is coming up. Instead of giving out (or eating) tons of the same old sweets, why not try something new and buy these cutest Towel Cakes this year? This is a little twist and surprise gift for your Easter gathering! You can give away these towels for your guests and I bet it will be a conversation topic for the day!
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03.26.09
Posted in Culture, Japan, New Products, Trend, noren at 5:17 pm by jflairhomestyles
Noren have been around in Japan for a long time. They’re made out of fabric and were initially used as signage for stores. When a store is open, Noren is placed up in front of the store and taken away when it’s closed. They come in various sizes, colors and designs. They are usually short and narrow, and hang over your head. You tend to lower your head or put your hand up to keep it away from your face when you enter a store.
Nowadays, people use long Noren inside of their house usually between rooms. By hanging between door frames, you can hide your kitchen or bedroom from your guests. Or a beautifully designed Noren can be used to accent your hallway. At some restaurants, they use Noren as wall art to accent a bare wall or for use on the pathway to the restroom area. Modern Noren come in various fabric textures, but are usually hemp for interior use. Of course, cotton is used as an inexpensive alternative, but the hemp Noren gives you a more soothing and relaxing atmosphere and an authentic look because of the texture.
Here at J Flair, we have selected Hemp Norens that are popular in Japan. We hope you’ll enjoy our collection!
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12.12.08
Posted in Culture, Trend at 1:00 am by jflairhomestyles
We had some people over this past weekend for yummy Japanese meals. We had Temaki (hand roll) sushi, Okonomi-yaki (Japanese Pizza), Yakisoba (Grilled Noodles), sake and other goodies.
We prepared the main Japanese meal and people came over with various tasty dishes and drinks. It was very refreshing to see one of my Japanese friends show up with her dish wrapped in furoshiki. Because I am so used to see people coming over with paper bags or plastic grocery bags, it was nice to see someone actually using furoshiki. It was a simple design and a color, and all she did was to tie the four corners in the center. It looked elegant and looked like she had something special – yes indeed, she brought Mochi (rice cake) and Dango (smaller rice cake) to honor our dogs (we named our dogs after Japanese sweets!).
She brought back the furoshiki and I’m certain that she will reuse it for another party.
We hope that more people will be aware of the environment everyday and spread the use of eco-friendly items such as furoshiki to do something “green” .
Cheers!
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11.14.08
Posted in Culture, New Products, Trend at 2:57 am by jflairhomestyles
People in Japan have used square cloths to wrap or carry things in since the 8th century. Furoshiki means literally “bath (furo) spread (shiki)” in Japanese. People used it to put their clothes in while enjoying a bath.
Since then, more people appreciate the meaning and the usefulness of furoshiki. A piece of cloth can turn into a “magic” cloth and wrap any shape or form. See “How to Use Furoshiki” provided by the ministry of environment, government of Japan. The best thing is that furoshiki comes in various designs and sizes, and most of all, you can use them over and over!
Furoshiki has started getting attention from people around the world for environmental reasons. There are so many ways for us to be a part of this environmental movement.
For example, if you’re invited to a party or dinner, you usually bring something for your host, right? Instead of using a paper bag to put your special gift in, why not wrap it with furoshiki? It will look very pretty and your host will love the presentation, too! You can give the furoshiki with the gift or reuse it again for a next party!
Here at J Flair, we have a good collection of Furoshiki wrapping cloths: from luxury nylon cloths to cotton cloths. Our customers purchase these for use as a regular wrapping cloth or as art. The holiday season is approaching. Just remember to give yourself a pat on the back when you use a furoshiki. You’re doing something good to the earth and hopefully people around you will notice that, and do the same!
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