Are you a moon-watcher?
Today it is matsu-yoi-no-tsuki.
Did you know it?
The day before the full moon is a special day because … we can look forward to seeing the full moon the next day!
In japan (before the advent of TV…) japanese were big fan of enjoying the change of seasons and natural processes. See below: (more…)
after a long winter, finally the sakura are blossoming here and there!
The weather has been bad in kansai area, especially on weekends, so here are some pictures that a friend sent me from Tokyo.
april 2nd:
tsubomi: beginning of blossom with prominence of florets
april 5th:
mankai: full blossom. This is actually a photo of one of my favorite hanami spots: the Meguro-gawa.
april 7th:
chiri-sakura: gorgeous. the trees are still completely white but many petals are falling on the ground. The perfect symbol for the ephemerality of beauty. The peak is also the beginning of the end.
For those of you interested, you can find all you wanted to know on sakura blossoms viewing and real time forecasts on this site:
http://sakura.weathermap.jp/en.php
details are in japanese only. Here is a collection of graphs relative to the Tokyo area:
http://sakura.weathermap.jp/area.php?city=Tokyo
If you still not have enough of sakura viewing you can migrate north little by little and enjoy the peak of cherry blossom viewing everyday!
If you are not yet in Japan, do not be sad: if you go to Hokkaido you will still be able to catch up with the cherry blossom as late as up to the mid of may!
A big thank you again to all who supported us for the hinoki aroma cards crowdfunding campaign.
This is to confirm that I shipped all the items pledged by small-package (airfreight).
There is no tracking code but you should receive the items by 3/31 at the latest. If you do not receive it, please contact me at japanbartokdesign.com
From now on the [hinoki aroma cards] are also available for purchase!
Please check in the shop. The cards are already finished with essential oil but the aroma may fade overtime. If you want to “recharge” them, remember to purchase separately the essential oil of your choice.
I am about 20days late on the original schedule but I have good news!
The hinoki aroma cards are ready and I am planning to prepare the shipments over the weekend and send early next week.
After that I will also add the actual pictures in the shop page.
But before that, I want to present here an outstanding original design and superb result:
The client is going to use the cards for a friend`s wedding.
I thought it is a great idea and it may give an inspiration to other people!
Thanking the Ms. D who kindly agreed to show the photo in this blog, I am glad to introduce here the activity of her 2 daughters.
With “Musical traces“, they bring music in the community with classical concerts in local libraries, hospitals and private homes.
Check out their youtube channel.
Not only listening to the skillfully played music is mind soothing, but seeing that the performers are mostly children is heart warming and really inspiring!
This reference is not strictly ofuro-related but I am so glad to have such wonderful clients that I cannot help wanting to let the world know about it!
Enjoy the weekend and look for the musical traces…
A short story about the Bartok design ofuros was published on the march issue of the famous british magazine “the World of interiors”!
Well, it is a little embarassing…but I did not see it yet. The issue was released on 2/12 but in Japan it was quickly sold out and is unavailable in the newstands or on amazon at the moment. I asked the editor to send me a copy but I cannot wait to see it!
Anybody has a copy? Please share!
2017.3.17 update:
I could obtain a copy. Please find below the referral to our tubs (on page 156)
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Hi to all the backers of the hinoki aroma cards campaign!
This is an update about the development: I am a little behind schedule but my laminating company made a great job and finally deivered my hinoki cards! We could use the Kiso valley hinoki and they are much more aromatic and resistant to water than any other wood veneer card I tested until now. There is another good news: I am also tasting other essences and could obtain very stable cards also from sawara wood and koyamaki! I am considering to make it possible to choose the wood essence, but it will introduce after the main product variations have been tested on the market.
I should be ready to ship towards the mid of march: sorry for making you wait. I will keep you updated.
This section presents some companies who can help you carry out your japanese bathtub project.
It includes contractors that previously installed ofuros for our clients or design offices. The list includes also some carpenters specialized in japanese traditional buildings in case you need to … build around your ofuro.
I am afraid it is not a comprehensive list: it does not cover many cities and countries but from 2017/2 I will work to gather here more information about the actual installation of a japanese bathtub.
Please do not hesitate to contact us by email if you cannot find the advise you are looking for.
A client just sent us a payment for his tub thru AZIMO.
I was not aware of this option. I checked out the homepage and it seems like they have a very convenient currency conversion rate and a flat fee of 12 GBP for transaction.
I did not know this option existed, but from now on I would recommend to check it out bevore doing your bank wire transfer or payment thru paypal!
Apparently AZIMO is available for people holding a bank account in europe.
But there are many other options such as
WORLD REMIT
It may be convenient to use the automatic comparison tool here below:
https://www.finder.com/international-money-transfers/send-money-to-japan
Please comment here below if you find a convenient option which may be useful for other people!
We can also accept paypal but the fee for transaction is 4% on the transferred amount, which makes it more expensive in this case.
Considering that the wire transfer fee is 6500 JPY, consider that a Paypal payment is more convenient for purchases below 150,000 JPY (about 1500 USD).
For larger amounts, wire transfer is more convenient.
We received the information request in january and the confirmation one week later.
When we sent the pictures of the completed tub, the client was in Africa as she works as a doctor!
I am so honored to have among my customers people who are so soft spoken yet dynamic, positive thinking and caring! I hope that this ofuro will help her to heal the scars and refill the batteries to successfully tackle everyday challenge!
