More translation assistance

For more translation of Japanese sewing terms you may like to look to Jennifer's Moving Hands blog or to Korallin's posts on the blog Label Free.



Construction methods for garments are fairly universal, so I also find my favourite English patterns give the helpful instruction needed to whip up those favourite Japanese designs with more confidence.

traditional tie-dyed fabric.

this last weekend h-kun and i visited arimatsu. a town near nagoya. where shibori originated. the traditional technique used to tie-dye fabric. started 400 years ago and is still carried on today.
the fabric is used for kimono. yukata. and many modern day items such as cloths, placemats, scarves, etc. and there are over 100 patterns.
to get to arimatsu take the meitetsu line from nagoya station to arimatsu. it takes about 30 minutes. you can pick up a map of the area at most of the local shops. near the station is a street that is lined with shibori shops as well as the above building. which has an english video explaining the history of shibori and various techniques. there are also a couple of women demonstrating the hand tying there. and if you speak a little japanese then you will be entertained as well.
the craft is carried out mostly by older women. who are full of patience. it's simply amazing. amazing. it will take them 4 to 6 months to finish a piece of cloth for one kimono. patience. and consistency. the whole process is a wonderful one. full of tradition. passed down from generation to generation.

a little translation help.

so. a customer of mine. used to live in japan. and sent me this lovely link. (you may need adobe acrobat to open it.) that will help all of you with translating the sewing terms in your japanese sewing books. amazing. simply amazing. there are some great explanations. and a laldies' sizing chart, too. please go and look at it. it will save you time. it will also save you banging your head against the table one too many times. really. thanks, sara.

really. if you have a japanese craft book. you will want to click on the link. if you want help with the basic sounds of the japanese alphabets. you will want to click on the link. if you want help. you will want to click on the link. it will help you. i promise.

"Craft books" they cried

It's so exciting for us to see all those lovely comments coming in. And it comes as no surprise that so many of you want to see more of the craft books.

I'm sure many of you know of the site: Crafting Japanese, which is dedicated to collecting images and reviews of as many craft books as possible. It's well sorted into crafting categories for easy searching, plus you can use the site's search engine to pinpoint a particular ISBN number.

For those of you who love the craft books but weren't aware of this site, I have a suspicion I might have just made your day!

for you.

hello. to those of you who have just found us. i hope you enjoy this journey that we are on. through the japanese crafting world. so. to get you started. and us, too. here is a little giveaway. enough for two lucky gals. one gal will get the tape and stamps. and the other gal will get the fabric. which are some of my recent favorites from over here. whoohoo.


now. if you would like to have your name thrown into the hat. for the above items. just let us know what you would like to know about japan. or japanese crafts. that will help give us some inspiration for future posts. for you. and feel free to spread the word. the hat will stay open until tuesday night. japanese time.

also. if you are looking at starting a collection of japanese fabric. books. stamps. or tape. or you would like to add to your stack. just wander over to my little shop of japanese goodness. and you will get a 10% discount off your order. (before shipping.) if you mention these words: japanese craft journal. whoohoo. the offer is only available while the hat is open. until tuesday night.

a little language help.

i live in japan. and feel blessed. it is an amazing country. full of so much crafting goodness. though they study english in junior high and high school. it is sometimes difficult to find somebody that speaks english. so. it is always good to have a bit of japanese up your sleeve. for while you are over here.

pronunciation:

the vowels in japanese are pronounced the same as the vowels in the words JUDO and SPAGHETTI. the vowel combination AI sounds like eye. the combination EI sounds like the ay sound in the word may. you can sound out the other vowel combinations.

general words and phrases:

konnichiwa - hello

kudasai - please

sumimasen - excuse me or i'm sorry. this is a very useful phrase.

gommen(nasai) - i'm sorry. (adding the nasai makes it more polite.)

wakarimasen - i don't understand.

arigato (gozaimasu) - thank you. (adding the gozaimasu makes it more polite.)

kore wa doko desu ka? where is this?
___ wa arimasu ka? do you have ___ ?

fabric shopping words and phrases:

ichi - one, ni - two, san - three, shi - four, go - five, roku - six, nana - seven, hachi - eight, kyu - nine, ju - ten.

cenchi - centimetre

meta - metre

examples:

nana-ju cenchi kudasai. seventy centimetres please.

ni meta kudasai. two metres please.

ichi meta go-ju cenchi kudasai. one metre and fifty centimetres please.

san ten go meta kudasai. 3.5 metres please.

the metric system is used in japan. many fabric shops only take cash. my local fabric shops sell there fabric in 10 cm increments. but other shops may differ. if you would like to know how to say something else in japanese ... just let me know.

travel tips for crafty types

Luckily for me, Corrie had only just been a couple of months before I left. So I was able to get some good advice before leaving. I thought I would pass on some of what I learnt when I was there. If you have anything to add, please leave it in the comments section for all of us to read.

Most ATM's don't accept foreign issued cards. Even if they display the Visa or Mastercard logo. The only two I know of that do are Citibank and the post office.

Think about taking a small Roley bag or trolley on your shopping excursions. All that fabric and books can get heavy!

The train system can seem daunting at first. But once you work out which line you need to get on, it's quite easy! All the ticket machines are bilingual and onboard announcements are also made in English. I found this site such a time saver, just put in your destination and it will give you the line and fare. Another option with the fare is to buy the lowest fare of Y130 and just top up your ticket at your destination using the adjustments machines before exiting.

If you get to a Yuzawaya store ask about their discount card. You will get a 10% discount across the store. It's free to join and the staff didn't seem to mind that we were using an international address on our application form.

Fabric in Japan is sold by the metre. Which is approximately 4 inches longer than a yard.

Looking for a hotel in tokyo? I would highly recommend the Kadoya hotel in Shinjuku. It's reasonably priced, central, clean and quiet. It also has free internet access in your room or you can use the PC in the reception area if haven't brought your own laptop. The post office is also directly across the road, perfect for grabbing some cash or sending home all that excess baggage!

A central source

When I was planning a trip to Japan in 2007 I collected information madly. The craft blogs, more than any other source, had the information I was most interested in. I bookmarked blogs and travelled to Tokyo with a printout of many different blog posts that I stuffed into my bag and pulled out on the train or on Tokyo street corners.



Half the time I couldn't remember where I'd read some great travel advice. So this blog has been created out of a desire to have a central place that captures all that great information.

There are four contributors who have travelled to or live in Japan. We all love our Japanese craft and hope to bring you helpful information that will feed your love of it too.

We'd love your feedback and suggestions so feel free to comment or email us. Enjoy!