Happy Halloween! ハッピーハロウィン!!!

Furin: The Blissful Sound of Japanese Summer

Our new print is in! We'd like to welcome a new addition to our shop of Japanese things we love - the Windchime. And just in time for the summer!

When I think of Japanese summers, I imagine すいか (suika, watermelon), かき氷 (kakigoori, shaved ice), 花火 (hanabi, fireworks), 浴衣 (yukata, a light cotton summer kimono), and of course our favourite 風鈴 (fuurin), the glass windchime. Traditionally, in Japan the windchime has long been regarded as a symbol of good luck. The sound of the bell ringing is thought to ward off lurking evil spirits. Perhaps you noticed that most Japanese keychains are adorned by a small bell for the same reason. But I think there is another symbolic meaning behind the chime. A practical one at that. The tinkling sound of the windchime when played by the wind, reminds us of the cool gentle breeze on a hot summer’s day. Our windchime print is meant to remind us that those summer days are just around the corner. The print’s bright colours will warm up your space, and bring back the joy of the crisp melodic sound of the windchime, when rattled by the gentle movement of the air. The Japanese text, 「夏のそよ風」 (“Natsu no soyokaze,” “The gentle wind of the summer”), captures this very essence.

So how did we come to love it so much? 

During our stay in Japan, we decided it’d be ok not to invest in the AC. Houses and apartments in Japan usually don’t come with any appliances. Everything needs to be purchased at the time you move in. When we first settled, the weather was nice and cool. So after buying the refrigerator, washing machine and everything else under the sun needed for daily comfortable living, we decided to put off shopping for the エアコン (eacon, AC). After all, the unit aside, electricity in Japan is expensive, and running one would cost a pretty penny. We thought we’d rather spend that money on other fun stuff Japan had to offer. Then the summer came. It was easily above 35°C on any given day. And as the consumer demand for the AC rose, so did the prices. To save our cash, we found tons of alternative cool ways to keep our house cool. Pun intended. We wore Japanese specially designed water soaked scarves that keep your neck cool. Used gel-infused cooling seating pads for comfort. And with two retro-style fans that would blow the air about the room, it somehow became manageable. Not all, but most of the time. The time was also right after the 3.11 Touhoku Earthquake, and the government was actively promoting 節電 (setsuden, electricity conservation). So even if we owned one of those babies, we weren’t allowed to run it during peak hours, which is when you really need it. We were determined to brave the summer heat as we were.

One day as we were out and about shopping, we stumbled upon a special sale on a unique collection of windchimes that were painted in most amusing designs. One of them stood out to me. The top was painted to resemble a watermelon, and the string attached was painted red with black drops to suggest watermelon seeds. Watermelon windchime?! It was a fated love at first sight. I knew I had to have it. And I never looked back. 

The windchime made the living room window its permanent home. We had very little wind where we lived in the summer. And when a slight summer breeze would flow through our windows, the windchime created the most soothing sound. It was the sound of hope. Hope for a gust of wind that might visit our quarters and cool us down. The sound seemed to make the room cooler or 涼しい (suzushii, cool, refreshing) as Japanese would say. 

When I first started working on the print, I wrote a small copy that I had plans to include in the final design. My plans for the design changed, and I ended up not using it. ...もったいない (“mottainai,” “How wasteful”). Despite the change, I would still like to share it with you here, as I believe it perfectly captures the meaning behind our windchime print. So here it is: 

「夏のそよ風。風鈴の涼しい音と共に太陽の光を浴びる。」(“Natsu no soyokaze. Fuurin no suzushii oto totomo ni taiyou no hikari wo abiru,” “Summer’s gentle breeze. With the refreshing (cooling) sound of the windchime, I bask in the sunlight”).

Windchime is one of those things that holds a special place when one thinks of those summer days in Japan. It is a culturally accepted good luck charm, and a welcomed decoration on a hot summer’s day often seen in every window or porch. And in Japan, you do not feel prepared to take on the heat unless you have one hanging in your home.

Windchime Prints

Shop here for our colourful windchime summer print variations.

SHOP

In the Land of Daruma (the thing we love)

Notice how the left eye is fainter. It's because it took us a few years to colour-in the second eye.

Today I want to share with you our love for Daruma (達磨).

Perhaps you browsed our shop pages and by now noticed that despite us carrying a wide variety of Japanese themed illustration designs, one is undeniably dominant in our current collection. Daruma doll.

Was that on purpose? Not really. It just happened like that. To be perfectly honest, we always had a soft spot for Daruma. It is angry and cute. It brings luck and holds onto your dreams for you. It is a constant reminder of better things to come and to never stop trying. If you think about it, it would be a perfect choice for our mascot. Unofficially, it actually is.

If you have no idea what Daruma is or does, let me catch you up to speed. Daruma is a traditional Japanese doll, a representation of Bodhidharma, the founder of the Zen sect of Buddhism. Today it is often found sold in small shops around Japan specializing in charms and other items that one uses to attract luck and fortune. Daruma, however, is no lucky charm. It is an embodiment of a wish or a goal that one values most and sets out to work hard at to achieve. Your wish is sealed by the Daruma when you colour in the first eye. And if you succeed and it comes true, you celebrate by colouring-in the second eye. Make sure to keep Daruma around after that for good luck and as a happy reminder of how far you’ve come.

Does it work? Depends on the wish I guess. For us, it certainly did. We got our first Daruma on our first trip to Japan in ‘07. Back then we were students, visiting the island that we later would call home. We were on cloud nine, and, as one would expect, the trip was amazing. We explored the majestic Tokyo, marveled at its colours, quirks, beauty and culture. By the end of the trip we were certain that we needed to come back to stay. The wish we sealed in our Daruma was just that. Come back to Japan - not as tourists, but as residents. It took four years of determination and hard work. We studied Japanese. Studied the culture. And saved up money. By 2011 our wish came true. We were on the plane, destination - our new home.

It was an exciting time. We’ll never forget how awesome it was. The things we learned. And the amazing friends we made. We still have the Daruma. It now has two eyes. It predominantly resides on the shelf where we can see it every day. It is a reminder of all the hard work we put into our wish for it to come true.

As I said, it is not as much of a good luck charm as it is your personal cheerleader. So go forth, get one and wish wisely. We certainly didn’t stop either. We now have two new additions. They might be small, but they are mighty cute, and as far as we think, the force is with them.

Exciting Beginnings

Today we are celebrating the launch of our first official online shop for PICA and hopefully the beginning of something great.

Around this time last year we stumbled upon the idea of opening our own prints store on Etsy. I’ve been creating illustrations for myself as a hobby for a while now - a way to let loose after a day of business card, brochure and other corporate print material design. As I get home from work, I become my own creative boss - my design, my rules. Anything goes.

One day, as I was browsing the shops, seeing what Etsy has to offer, I came across a shop selling original vector prints. I called Robby over and said “We could do that!” It was an exciting idea. But we honestly didn’t know where to begin. Aside from design, we needed to know how to mass produce prints, market and sell them. What followed were months of research, branding and of course product building. We didn’t want to start with just five prints. We had a lot of ideas for designs and we wanted to share them all from the start. And it wasn’t until November of last year when we finally opened our virtual doors to the world.

A year ago this brand was just an idea. Today we are celebrating how far we’ve come. It’s scary and exciting. One thing we know for sure is that the rewarding part from all of this is not as much as starting and running your own business, but having the ability to share your art with the world and receive much love for it in return.

Our journey is only beginning. And we can’t wait to see what lays ahead for us.