Always a highlight of my craft year, this is the entrance of Big Site where the Japan Hobby Show has been held for over a decade. This year as always... rain or shine, tired or not I move my feet through the long walk to the showroom doors. Once inside I forget all the time and effort it took to make it through to the giant craft area.
One of the first incredibly irresistible handmade crafts I spied were these dessert cats. I thought I would circle around and buy one later, but I forgot....sigh, maybe I can figure out how to make one myself. If only I can find some miniature dessert dishes I'll be in business!
Another booth that I was entranced by was one that had a variety of paper products. Some of the items for sale are already in our HM Ben Franklin Crafts. I especially love the paper dioramas...so intricate and beautiful. Japanese crafters are also very talented at creating gorgeous cards. I think they do way more correspondence by mail than we do in the U.S.
If I could have gotten a bonsai plant arrangement back to Hawaii, I would have purchased one. They were so fantastic and artistic in a refined, simple way. The seller had most of the bonsai arrangements encased in plastic like individual greenhouses. I loved the way that the arrangements were so perfect that I had to go up close and touch the leaves to realize they were real. I'm sure the booth owner really loved me touching everything....my hands were clean...really!
Another favorite booth was the one with ceramic bowls and handmade wooden utensils. If I didn't just buy a bunch of wooden spoons and gorgeous tea bowls from the Toji Shrine fair, I would have made the booth owner very rich and happy. Sadly, I really couldn't add more weight to my suitcases. I didn't have an inch or ounce to give to the acquisition of handmade Japanese treasures. Ah, but there is always next year and I understand that the Japan Hobby show will be at Big Site again. Hopefully, the show won't be at the tail end of my trip when my suitcases are bulging. LOL! I don't think I've ever left Japan with even the tiniest space in any of my many suitcases! I hope that this post has whetted your appetite for Japanese crafts and you'll make an effort to attend the show nest year.
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