I don’t respond well to the cold weather, so wherever I go at the moment I take a blanket and a cup of tea with me! Last week we held our Japanese Ceramics Exhibition and the Etsuke (ceramic painting) Workshops at locations in East and West London. So thank you to everyone who came to visit and join in. It is a surprisingly therapeutic thing to do, to paint ceramics – and surprisingly difficult too! It made me realize that it requires long-term determination and patience to produce such beautiful works of art. Entirely different from the world of mass-produced items. Our teacher Soejima-san from the Soekyu kilm told us some fascinating things, such as how difficult it is to paint unglazed plates in summer in Japan when it is very humid, and the unglazed clay has already absorbed as much water as it can. In these circumstances they have to change the recipe of the paint. Here in London, where it is cold and dry, conditions are quite different, and ideal for painting unglazed plates. With hand-made products like these, we sometimes have to adjust something every day and every season to produce the best.
Time seems to be flying now as we count the days to Christmas and New Year. In Japan we do not give many presents on Christmas Day, as most of us are Buddhists, though we do celebrate New Year’s Day. Actually, we tend to give presents to family members, teachers, colleagues - in fact anyone who has helped us during the year - in the period leading up to the end of the year, usually between 10th and 20th December. This time is called Oseibo. The idea of Oseibo started in around the 14th century and it is said that Oseibo gifts began as offerings to welcome and worship the ancestral spirits at New Year, bringing good fortune. At the time, standard Oseibo gifts were things needed to celebrate the New Year, such as salted salmon, yellowtail, and rice cakes. Long-lasting items such as herring roe and dried squid, which go well with sacred sake for the New Year god, were also chosen. The custom of giving Oseibo gifts started to changed after the 1890s, to include not only parents and relatives, but also regular customers and people who had been of help over the year. These days we mainly give special food and drink, perhaps because they’re the most useful things for people to get during the New Year holidays. That’s when we can have a nice lazy time enjoying a craft beer, some wine, green tea, matcha tea, coffee beans and sweets and so on. Drink is the most popular as it can last the longest.
Here are some of our recommendations for great Oseibo / Christmas present ideas for you.
You could also take the chance to see the wonderful ceramics collection from Saga prefecture, on view at our Pop-Up shop until 23rd December at Ladbroke Grove.
Address:
Studio 303, Grand Union Studios, 332 Ladbroke Grove, London, W10 5AD
Monday to Saturday (until 23rd December)
10:00 to 6:00
A great way to enjoy the Matcha experience, with two premium teas. Wabisuke for its refined, natural taste, and Uraku which is perfect for Matcha latte lovers. Included with gift wrapping using Furoshiki style cloth, and the gift receiver gets a 10% discount voucher for their next order from us. It’s a wonderful present for Matcha lovers!
The best option for any green tea lover. You can choose a beautiful Kyusu tea pot from our collection, and select a favourite Japanese leaf tea from Sencha, Genmaicha, Hojicha and Gyokuro. All Kyusu tea pots come from the well-known Tokoname region, and the teas are from the prestigious tea houses of Marukyu Koyamaen and Hoshino Seicha.
Tea Ceremony Workshop Gift Ticket
Our all-time popular gift ticket for the Tea Ceremony Workshops. We send you a gift voucher as a pdf, so it is especially handy as a last minute present!
This is the essential gift set for the Matcha starter, as well as for Matcha lovers! You can choose the colour of tea bowl you’ll get, as well as which type of Matcha tea.
Our much loved loose tea from the prestigious Marukyu Koyamaen tea house forms the heart of this elegant tea caddy set. It also comes with a really elegant Tea Caddy. You can choose which tea and tea caddy you like.
For all our ceramics, I have visited every single one of the original kilns involved, and talked directly with the makers about their philosophies and the nature of creativity. All their work is hand-made in wonderfully honest ways in Japan, and I am deeply honored to represent their work.
We have many beautiful and rare Matcha and green teas from Kyoto and across Japan. These make such great and unusual presents – including as smart stocking fillers.
We have a much more on our website as well as in store at the Pop-up shop in Ladbroke Grove in London. Do come and see us! We will serve you a cup of tea when you visit the Pop-up shop to make your shopping a truly civilized experience! And you will be able to avoid busy central London while finding some wonderful Oseibo / Christmas presents!
I hope our unique collection will give you and your family and friends a very big smile, and will open their hearts.