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SHIMOKITAZAWA AWA ODORI

25/8/2023

This August the Awa Odori came back in Shimokitazawa after a break of 4 years. It felt amazing to have the energy back in the streets with locals and visitors alike soaking in the atmosphere. It was hot, sweaty, loud and lively with the local area troupes gathering together to try to outdo each other.
My personal favourites were the Sancha Ren (troupe) from Sangenjyaya just up the road from us and Takarabune, the crowd-pleasing, high-octane professional troupe.

TAKARBUNE

As you would expect from Japan, the organisation of the event was impeccable. No trouble, no pushing or shoving just people having fun. It was lovely to see the local businesses benefiting from the event too by adding kaki-gori (shaved ice) stands, beer coolers, festival toys and snacks to their usual wares.
The Awa Odori spans the whole weekend from Friday night until Sunday night. It was especially lovely to be able to hear the drums from my house and Studio Biku. For me, this festival marks the end of summer (even though it's still 33-35°C most days) and there's a little one week break before we welcome in the Autumn with the next festival Kitazawa Hachimangu Festival next weekend.

SANCHA REN

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SEPTEMBER FESTIVAL IN SHIMOKITAZAWA (2023)

25/8/2023

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A 12-minute walk from Shimokitazawa Station and an 8-minute walk from Ikenoue Station, Kitazawa Hachiman Shrine's annual festival "Kitazawa Hachiman Autumn Festival" will be held from September 2nd (Sat) to 3rd (Sun) 2023.
To celebrate the coming of the Autumn season, More than twenty portable shrines (mikoshi) will be carried through the streets of Shimokitazawa over the course of the weekend.

SATURDAY 2nd SEPTEMBER
12:00-21:00
Drums, music and performances

SUNDAY 3rd SEPTEMBER
10:00-21:00
Drums, music and performances
13:00 Mikoshi will enter the shrine

OFFICIAL WEBSITE:
https://kitazawamatsuri.wixsite.com/kitazawahachiman

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STUDIO BIKU SUMMER UPDATE

19/8/2023

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Studio Biku is evolving every month.
I'm now in the 5th month in the studio and things are slowly but surely getting settled and organised. I've been tweaking the flow of the space, trying my best to keep things minimal (apart from the shop which is definitely a tiny Aladdin's cave of wonder!) and sorting out lots of things I no longer need or want.
So what changes have been going on this summer?

The worktable once belonged to Alex from Turquoise Port (my Biz Bestie and business partner in Ginkgo & Fern). We spent many hours in her Tokyo kitchen planning collaborations, launches, chatting workshops, creating ideas and supporting each other at this table before she left for New Zealand. And it's where we chat virtually a couple of times a week these days.
The table runner is a handwoven piece I picked up at a sale at Hanazono Shrine in Shinjuku recently. It's a really boro-style piece with fading, fraying and a few holes here and there. This just adds to the charm and the history of the fabric.

Looking away from the main balcony windows, right in the centre of the space, is a small three mat tatami room that houses the tiny Studio Biku shop. This space showcases the work of 14 international makers, artists and creatives based across Japan.
We have kimono cushion covers, bags and pouches from Tokyo, obi bags from Kyoto, hand-poured soy candles from Hokkaido, embroidery kits from Hiroshima and Kumiko art from Yokohama. Also from Tokyo, wood-turned vases, washi art, daruma Sculptures and Pop culture dioramas, prints, art, collage kits, postcards and of course kimono jewellery.

There are a lot of different woods/ natural finishes in the Showa apartment (urushi laquer, hinoki, tatami) so I'm embracing the variety in my furniture too! All of the furniture in the studio either came from my old studio or has been donated or bought super cheaply on Facebook Marketplace.
The Mottainai Mission is being carried through from my business to the products I stock and in the studio itself.
The Monstera plant is giving birth to baby leaves regularly and I found a better place for it in the corner of the main studio.
The vintage nesting tables came from Alison, a lovely customer-turned-friend who left Japan recently.

If you follow me on social media, you may have seen a while back that I rescued this massive Ume-shu jar from an old house demolition down the road from the studio. The workers had chucked it in the recycling and I noticed it when walking past with Erica Ward one day.
This scene also features a hanging kokedama from my kids for Mothers' Day, a handmade Totoro from Robin Heart and Hands, origami Kusudama folded by me, a wooden printer's case and my personal collection of North Candles!

Even the furniture in the shop area is donated or found on Marketplace. The huge wood ladder shelf is from Ali at Jikuu Japan (handmade kitchen knives), the step stool was a gift from my landlord and other shelves were from Marketplace or Mottainai groups. The high shelves abover the window I made out of scrap wood and from a donation of IKEA record display shelves.

To protect the shop items from the sun, every day I pop up a couple of mittainai furoshiki I received from a workshop participant. Function, beauty and no regret at waste.

Looking from the kitchen area through the shop and into the studio, gives you a good sense of the size of the space.. I can't wait for Autumn so I can fling open the balcony doors for a splash of greenery if the harsh sun doesn't kill my plant collection this summer!

There's more to see of the space in the next installment (the studio grounds, the genkan (it's looking cute!), the front door and balcony). If you want to see a quick walk through, check out the YouTube video below.
I'd love to know what you think of the studio so far. And of course, you're welcome to pop in any time.

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VISIT STUDIO BIKU

7/8/2023

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Welcome to Studio Biku, a tiny shop within the Bikudesigns atelier space in Shimokitazawa, Tokyo. Representing 14 designers, creators and artists in a small Showa-era tatami gallery, our mission is to showcase Japan-based international creatives to locals and visitors alike.
We hope you can stop by for a browse and a chat some time.

OPENING HOURS
WHO'S IN STORE?
HOST A WORKSHOP IN THE SPACE
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