What's Jappening?

A few weeks ago, I got the opportunity to sign up for an Arimatsu Shibori workshop that was made available to the exchange students and I leapt at the idea. Arimatsu Shibori is a traditional Japanese tie-dyeing technique that is based in the Arimatsu area of Nagoya. It involves tightly sewing or folding the material in certain ways and then dipping them into a boiling blue dye. Once dyed the material is unthreaded/unfolded to reveal a beautifully unique and often intricate pattern of blue and white. We were shown the techniques and history for both the sewing and folding techniques, though we only got to try the folding one (probably for the best tbh because it looked difficult af). We each had three pieces of material, each folded into a different type of triangle in advance which, in itself was a learning process. When we got to the dyeing step, we donned out gloves and, one by one, we dipped various corners and edges into the dye before taking it to a massive bath, untying it and wa

It is a truth universally acknowledged that Japanese rest stops are better than English ones. Not only do the toilets not make you feel like you need a chemical shower after using them, but the entire entrance way is filled with sweets, snacks, drinks and all kinds of Omiyage (souvenirs), which would probably be quite handy if you were driving to see a friend or family member and forgot to get them something. Suck on that WHSmith. So this week I went to Atami, a vibrant coastal town southeast of Mt. Fuji, for two days with my friends and, despite being beyond exhausted when I got back, I had a really great time. Before we checked into our guest house, we stopped off at the Atami Museum of Art , which is quite possibly the most picturesque museum I've ever been to. Located some way above the town, MOA provides you with a sweeping panorama of the ocean and subsequently, great photo opportunities (I was particularly excited because I could see a large plankton bloom just off the bay