The Japanese have given great importance to the hospitality since ancient times. Including not only cuisine or tea but also most of our actions towards others in the society, we unconsciously think about it before doing something.
Our hospitality is originated from Japanese tea ceremony.
At the tea ceremony, hosts choose tea leaves and little cakes by considering guests' preferences or health to make them enjoy their tea time in the best condition. Moreover, they try to visually entertain their guests with room decoration and tea utensils as well as the elegant behavior and manners.
This hospitality is completed by putting ourselves into others' shoes and sympathizing with them. Manners and behavior are of course important but the main value at the tea ceremony is to train these thoughtfulness and warmth.
Japanese obsessiveness with plateware
Utensils used at the tea ceremony are important hints to understand Japanese mindset and roots. This is because our culture always developed along with them. Therefore, Japanese chefs absolutely care about plateware as much as seasonal ingredients to complete their artistic cooking.
Also, it is interesting that functionalities and design of plateware are still developing nowadays while sophisticated dish manufacturing skills have been handed down from generation to generation.
Japanese craft potters try to improve and make new earthenware by learning from others and working hard together all over the country. Traditional craftpersonship such as tinware keeps developing and our passion for plateware never changes. This is perhaps because we have the hospitality spirit by nature.
Hospitality and season
One of the main characteristics of Japanese cuisine is to present a season with seasonal ingredients. Haiku, Japanese seventeen-syllable poem, also has a rule to include certain terms which represent each season in there. Thus, seasons are considered as an important element in our life that much.
For instance, sakura, cherry blossoms, is a typical symbol that is associated with new meeting and farewell in spring. Spring is especially a season when people would feel open after dark long winter and have more positive feelings like hopefulness and capabilities. Therefore, sakura-themed items are preferred as gifts or lucky charms.
The best gift with Japanese charm
Takaoka Copperware is a traditional craft in Toyama prefecture which has the long history of 400 years. Nagae Inc. who takes the skills of Takaoka Copperware and a design company in Kanazawa, AgeDesign, collaborated to produce "hiracle".
The hiracle series is themed on sakura and they are highly appreciated both in Japan and overseas. They adopt famous Kutani and produce tableware to gorgeously decorate dining tables.
The small unique dish shows sakura blossom when you pour sauces into it and the chopstick rest and the soup spoon are shaped like sakura petal. Their simple sophisticated design and high functionality charms you and this is why they are chosen as gifts. Moreover, they have three different colors and also a fancy box for gifts.
Thus, there is always the hospitality beside plateware and sakura lets us foresee our bright future. Let's deliver your gratitude and warmth with this lovely gifts to your beloved ones.
