Japanese tattoos are called “irezumi”� or “horimono”�. These days tattoos are becoming more common again with the young set, although for years it was considered as something used only by the lower dredges of society, or worse the Yakuza or Japanese mafia. In fact, many public bathing houses around the country won’t let you in if you’re an “illustrated man”.

Irezumi are tattoos which cover large areas of the body, like the back. Historically, the tattoo has been around Japan for a while.

The Ainu people, Japan’s early settlers used facial tattoos. And more reports around 1700 years back talk about the Japanese having whole bodies covered in tattoos.

When Buddhism was brought from China to Japan and with it a strong influence of the Chinese culture, tattooing got negative connotations. Criminals were marked with tattoos to punish and identify them in society as the higher developed Chinese culture saw tattooing as a barbaric act.

From around 1603 to1868, known as the Edo period when Japan closed its doors to the world, Japanese tattoo art became a part of “ukiyo-e”� also known as “the floating world culture”. Prostitutes or “yujos”� used tattoos to increase their attractiveness for customers.

In 1827 the ukiyo-e artist Kuniyoshi published the first 6 designs of the 108 Heroes of the Suikoden. The Suikoden were honorable bandits. The richness and fantasy of the Japanese tattoo prints designs shown by Kuniyoshi are used by some tattoo artists up to this time.

The Imperial Meiji government banned tattooing as something considered a barbaric relict of the past. During the first half of the twentieth century, horimono remained a forbidden art form until 1948, when the prohibition was officially lifted.

Pickles are to Japan what cheese is to France. Each region uses local produce and traditional processes of fermentation to produce distinct varieties of pickles that are closely identified
with the area where they are made.

To eat Japanese pickles is to eat a piece of Japan–its soil, climate, history, andculture—with all the specificity that comes from local knowledge. Like cheese and wine, pickles are a “cultured” product.

Rice, soup, and pickles are the three basic elements in a classic Japanese meal. Many pickles are traditionally made at home and are the test of a good cook, particularly in rural areas.

Families will keep the same rice bran pickling “bed” alive for generations, passing it, as well as their pickling utensils and techniques, through the family.

Extending the abundance of summer into the harsh winter, pickling locks the fragance of the season into a delicious package that can be savored all year long.

But the term pickle does not quite capture the meaning of the Japanese term tsukemono, which refers more broadly to steeping food–for as little as an hour or as long as several years–to alter its texture and flavor.

Bracken, radish, turnip, cabbage, eggplant, cucumber, onion, mushroom, plum, cherry blossom, chrysanthemum flower, kelp, and wasabi are traditionally treated with salt, vinegar, rice bran, sake lees, koji (a mold), miso, and shoyu.

The result is a stunning array of colors, textures, shapes, and flavors that offers an intense contrast to the plain rice with which pickles are generally eaten and a rich source of vitamins,
particularly during the winter when fresh vegetables were once in short supply.

The Japanese brush is a complex tool that, given the love and attention that goes into its decoration, should be considered a work of art in itself. The different types of animal hairs used in brush making give very different results. Some hairs absorb more ink, some release more, and it is up to the calligrapher to decide which is appropriate for a specific job. Unlike using a pen the calligraphers brush allows more control of the thickness and tone of the characters.
Skilled craftsmen make the brushes, which is quite contrary to their simple looking structure. A brush can even be made out of bamboo, tip pounded into a fibrous brush and used for terse, quick effects. The original hairs used in brushes came from such animals as wolf, squirrel, weasel and badger. Today the brushes are more commonly made from sheep, dog, cat, rabbit, deer, goat and horse. For special brushes feathers, straw and dried grasses are also used. The main exporters of brush materials are Canada, China and South East Asia.

Brushes of a similar nature to calligraphy brushes are also used in Sumi ink painting (though a much greater variety of brushes are used for this art form. Another variation of the calligraphy brush can be found in use in gold lacquer decoration (Maki-e). These particular brushes are very fine, long, and thin, which is necessary for their delicate work. Reportedly the best hair for this type of brush comes from the plush flank hair of ship rats, or, secondly, cats.

A paper crane is an ancient origami pattern that symbolizes health and peace. For centuries there were no written directions for folding origami models. The directions were taught to each generation and then handed down to the next. This form of art became part of the cultural heritage of the Japanese people. In 1797, How to Fold 1000 Cranes was published. This book contained the first written set of origami instructions which told how to fold a crane. The crane was considered a sacred bird in Japan. It was a Japanese custom that if a person folded 1000 cranes, they would be granted one wish.

Making an origami crane is not too difficult. Here’s how:

1. Fold the bottom point of a square piece of paper up to meet the top point. Crease and unfold. Repeat for the left and right points.

2. Turn the paper over (one edge should face you) and fold the left edge to meet the right edge. Crease and unfold. Repeat for the top and bottom edges. Rotate the paper so that any point faces you.

3. Grasp the left and right points and push them together and down to meet at the bottom point. Flatten. This step will give you a two-layered, diamond-shaped piece of paper.

4. Fold the lower right edge of the top layer of paper in toward the center so that it lies along the center vertical fold line. Crease and repeat for the lower left edge. Turn the paper over and repeat for the other side.

5. Fold the triangle at the top of the paper down. Crease and unfold. Turn your paper over and repeat. Unfold the flaps made in Step 4.

6. Point the open end of the diamond shape toward you. Bring the bottom point up (top layer only) toward the top point. The left and right points will be drawn inward and the paper will fold backward along the crease made in Step 5. Flatten the paper.

7. Turn your paper over and repeat Step 6. You will have two triangles on either side of the paper that touch at their bases. The two bottom flaps will be the crane’s neck and tail; the top flaps will be the wings.

8. Repeat Step 4 for the longer diamond shape you now have in front of you. This narrows the crane’s neck and tail.

9. Fold the bottom flaps up as far as you can so that their points angle up and out. Crease. Turn the paper over and fold one of the points down to make the crane’s head.

10. Pull the top flaps (wings) down and out so that the center portion of the paper (the crane’s back) is rounded out instead of pointed.

Tips:
Work on a hard surface and sharpen each crease by running your thumbnail or a pencil over it. Sharp creases are essential to the successful completion of this model.

Practice on scrap paper first and then move on to specially made origami paper. Origami paper has the appropriate thickness and weight you will need to achieve clean, sharp creases.

There is a prevailing picture of the Japanese as a polite and proper people who, aside from an almost fanatical passion for karaoke (and Frank Sinatra’s My Way), strictly move based on the dictates of tradition and respect. Such a boring picture, isn’t it?

But that is a mental picture of the Japanese before the 1950s. Today, the Japanese is as cosmopolitan as the Europeans, as fashion-forward as the Italians, and yes, as crazy as the Americans – perhaps more so if we are to base it on the popular pastime of useless inventions.

The useless inventions, or Chindogu movement clearly shows the fun and irreverent side to the Japanese. The movement, which was founded by Kenji Kawakami, pokes fun at the spirit of innovation that the Japanese are long known for. It’s a delightful look into the relentless drive of the Japanese to excel as seen through circus mirrors – distorted, irreverent, silly and ultimately delightful. Chindogu also gives us a glimpse at how wild is the imagination of the Japanese. How else would they have thought of dust mops that you attach to your pet cat’s feet so that they can help clean the floors when they are moving? Or the handy sling where you can rest your chin and then attach on to the hand rails of a commuter train if you want to sleep standing up?

One of the ten tenets best describe the spirit of Chindogu: Inherent in every chindogu is the the spirit of anarchy. It has broken free from the chains of usefulness.

Only the Japanese can think of this.