A few months ago, our friend Aimi introduced us to this very charming and hidden treasure paper shop in Kyoto, Japan. Its owners in 3rd generation not only run the business but still hand-craft traditional Japanese papers. The minute we stepped into this little paper wonderland, we were mesmerized, eyes wide open glancing around us and indulging in all these patterns, textures, materials and colors. Aimi explained the traditional paper and pattern making process as well as its history to us and showed us how to craft our first very own Japanese paper covered tea tins.
She told us she was not sure for how long this and other small Japanese paper shops would survive in this fast-paced world where there seems to be no more time for handicraft. Machine mass-processed, cheap paper is increasingly sold even in Japan and traditional Japanese paper craft becomes more of an ancient art.
We were so fascinated by this adorable shop and the crafting experience that we started to use the paper at home to make little tea tins as gifts for friends. They have become quite popular so we continued covering other home décor and housewares with washi paper, too.
Our goal is to introduce unique artisan craft & design from across Asia to you and as a first step on this journey, we decided to open our little handmade shop ZANHOUSE on etsy. Here, we want to share the joy of owning a truly traditional piece of Kyoto craft. By supporting local paper making artisans we hope this craft will continue to survive.
We do what we love and love what we do. So, have a look at our Kyoto paper products here:
http://www.etsy.com/shop/MyZanhouse
Or just say hi to us here: hello.zanhouse [!at] gmail.com
Christine & Susanne