Beside the Kaldi shop, overlooking Asagaya’s Pearl Shotengai from the 2nd floor, is a halcyon shop and gallery of handmade Japanese tableware and miscellaneous goods (or zakka, 雑貨).
ZAKKA 土の記憶 (Tsuchi no Kioku), or “Memories of the Clay”, is a shop and exhibition space with a constantly changing inventory of beautiful handmade goods. Exhibitions highlighting a single artisan will last a week, followed by a carefully selected assortment of various makers, followed by a new exhibition, followed by another mix. And so on.
Focusing on the goods and instruments of daily living, from sake and coffee cups to chopsticks, plates and storage containers, they are bringing high caliber Japanese handicraft artists and craftsmen to a wider audience. And the the audience to them. So they may continue to make beautiful pieces of work, and we don’t need to buy things callously slapped together in a factory.
It’s a great place to go if you’re looking for a gift to bring/send overseas or in Japan. While of course the prices will vary from show to show, today we saw beautiful handmade cups and plates starting around only JPY 1,700 and chopsticks from a thousand.
Visit their website (in Japanese) to find a wealth of information including their blog, past and upcoming exhibitions, and an online store.
The current exhibition is the work of Shinpei Mawatari, a 42 year-old Saitama native who has lived throughout Japan — from Toyama to Kyoto to Akita, where he currently resides. You can find his website here (in Japanese).
The Mawatari Shinpei Exhibition runs 2015.11.21 (Sat) – 11.29 (day) and is open 11:00 to 19:00. They will be closed on Wednesday Nov 25th.
| Shop info: ZAKKA Tsuchi no Kioku Asagaya-Minami 1-34-11 2F Suginami-ku, Tokyo, 166-0004 Tel: (03) 03-3311-6200 Tue-Sun: 11:00 to 19:00 Closed Mondays Website: http://www.tutinokioku.com Email： Online email form Twitter: @tutinokioku |
Koenjagaya 