tortoise: newsletter 2006

oct.30.06

ETO opening reception : Nov.3rd (fri) 6-9pm @ hare gallery Creative artists group OQU from Tokyo recreated ETO (eh-toh), the twelve animal zodiacs, using traditional Japanese kimono called chirimen. Together with music OQU will transform our exhibition space into a warmth of zodiac legend and story telling. Join us at the reception to meet the artists! Enjoy the ambience and the opportunity to learn about your own zodiac sign and what it means to be a part the ETO universe! Exhibition goes on until Nov.19th. ******hare gallery is the back space of tortoise shop!******

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oct.15.06


Hello from Japan! Keiko and Sumi have been traveling thruout north part of Japan as you see on the below map. (Taku? He's been taking care of Tortoise and Fido by himslef with support of our friends until Sumi is back!) We have seen the great techniques of craftsmanship which have produced number of great products you have seen at our store. We are thrilled to show you just few of the pictures of this trip and look forward to sharing more details back at tortoise! (Sumi will be back to Tortoise on this Wednesday at noon.)

*to read whole page of this newsletter, please go to: www.tortoiselife.com/new/hellofromjapan.html

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oct.7.06


	Autumn is here, and the wood carving class with Yo Takimoto starts again this month!

Spare 2.5 hours of your time and use it to explore your creativity within. Treat yourself to a relaxed time outside, and carve the wood to make a one of a kind item. Yo Takimoto has been visiting Venice for the past few seasons, and a wide range of people have enjoyed his classes, carving ancient Yakusugi (cedar) or Giant Sequoia. The class is only $20 and he provides everything! RSVP to 310-314-8448 or info@tortoiselife.com to sign up. The limit is only 10 people per class. 10/08 Sun 2-4:30pm @ Ananda 1354 Abbot Kinney Blvd. Venice 10/15 Sun 2-4:30pm @ Goddess 1507 Abbot Kinney Blvd. Venice 10/22 Sun 2-4:30pm @ Tortoise 1208 Abbot Kinney Blvd. Venice 10/29 Sun 2-4:30pm @ Ananda 1354 Abbot Kinney Blvd. Venice For more information on what the class is like, please visit: http://www.tortoiselife.com/new/news.html#may3004 "Wood carving reminds me of my childhood nature in Japan. Carving wood gives you very comfortable feelings with your own heart." - Yo Takimoto

	Open on Columbus Day! Usually we are closed on Mondays and Tuesdays but we will open this Monday for Columbus Day. Please note that Sumi and Keiko will be gone for a buying trip to Japan all next week, but Taku, co-owner and furniture designer, will be in charge of the store. Gift wrap?? You can try to ask him! But maybe not... Sorry for the inconvenience.

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aug. 24 06


You are invited to the re-opening of Tortoise's back space, "hare gallery". I am sure you know the "tortoise and hare" from Aesop's Fables right? Well in that story hare loses, but in Japan, hare and rabbits are traditional symbols of "step-up", with its jumping action. By introducing the up-coming, fascinating artists from Japan, we hope this gallery will be a big step to them, and an inspiration to you.


9brand is a husband/wife team from Tokyo who produce product line concepting "Evolution and Roots", learning the form and the functions from many living things and traditional items. (Our regular item, furoshiki (laptop computer prtection) and crittercards are just a few of their products.) http://www.9brand.com In the exhibition "Emergence", 9brand introduces the "butterfly-hat", which pupates when you fold, and emerges and becomes a butterfly when you open. The hat is made of "tenugui", the traditional hand-dyed fabric. Please come and meet the artists, and find your favorite butterfly at the exhibition. Opening reception - September 15th (Fri) 7-9pm Exhibition - September 15th (Fri) - October 1st (Sun)
				butterfly-hats will be available in sizes for kids and adults! (models:naoyo and daughter tama)

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july 25.06



summer summer summer! This year, the summer here in California reminds us of summer in Japan; humid days and sleepless nights caused by the heat wave. However, under such circumustances, there are many things to COOL ourselves in Japan. Today we would like to introduce to you some of those items to cool you off...

bamboo mushikago and crickets In Japan, when you start hearing the sound of crickets, that is when you know the summer has arrived. Crickets chirp faster when the temperature is warm so you here them singing every night. In the humid evenings, we would sit outside on the porch and listen to these crickets sing. This bamboo mushikago (cage) is used to decorate next to ikebana (japanese flower arrangement) in Japan, which gives a poetic touch to a summer night in Japan. (Not only decoration, you could keep something inside. ) These bamboo insects are carved by hand and this bamboo has dark spot on its surface so people call "tiger print bamboo" (torafu-dake) and you see many of them especially in Kochi prefecture. http://www.tortoiselife.com/new/itempage/bambooinsects.html


	uchiwa - fans The "uchiwa" (round fan) is a traditional Japanese handicraft with a long tradition. Originally from China, it is made by cutting a bamboo tube into narrow splinters which are then splayed out in the radial shape of a fan. Over both sides of this bamboo frame is pasted "washi" paper. Uchiwa were widely used among ordinary people in the Edo period. They were a necessity especially in summer to cool off and to keep mosquitoes away, as well as an essential tool for stoking up a cooking fire. These patterns are seasonal so the number is limited. We are accepting orders now, and will be shipped out after August 10th! http://www.tortoiselife.com/new/itempage/yunoki.html


		Plump clear glass These clear glass is all mouth blown. If you look at it closely you will see small air bubbles, so it can only hold cold drinks. It is great for beer, ice tea, ice coffee, ice green tea, etc. from left : Beer mug : 16 oz. $10 Tumbler : 16oz. $10 Old fashion : 16 oz. $10 http://www.tortoiselife.com/new/itempage/plump.html#


TONY TAKITANI by Haruki Murakami and Michiko Yao Our featured artist, Michiko Yao's Twenty-Two Selves is on the cover of "TONY TAKITANI", a short story written by Haruki Murakami. It is a limited edition of 1000 published by Cloverfield Press and they are all numbered. This story was made into a feature film as well! For information about the film Tony Takitani: http://www.tonytakitani.com For Michiko Yao's website: http://www.michikoyao.com http://www.tortoiselife.com/new/itempage/michikoyao.html

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june 25.06

The rainy season has arrived in Japan. Although many people do not prefer rain, rain brings harvest of rice in the autumn and all things in nature. This is also the time when we realize we are half way through the year already! This newsletter features things related to 'time', a beautiful photo book titled 'moment', clocks, watches, and calendar. We hope you enjoy every minute of the rest of 2006!

'moment' - Yasuhiro Ishimoto
Contemplative photographs of earth, water and sky: Fallen leaves, rain, clouds, solemn-gray landscapes of autumn, beverage cans and footprints in the snow. Ishimoto captures snapshots of people in Tokyo's streets, photographed blurred, in frenetic motion while the leaves seem to have a "still life" quality about them.

"All living things eventually fade away. Now I am more than 80, confronted with a reality I can no longer escape. Look up and you see clouds, some with magnificent shapes, others fading away to wisps. Look down at a river and you see ripples and strange patterns on the water. These things keep changing all the time. I will keep taking pictures of things that are continually changing, things that show just how strange reality is." - Yasuhiro Ishimoto

Size: 12.2" x 10.4", 216pp, Numerous b&w illustrations.
Hardcover in slipcase

wall clocks

DROPS DRAW THE EXISTANCE" (left)
Inspired by rain drops hitting the asphalt, Kanae Tsukamoto designed this clock using pure white bone china. A suttle shadow that appears in each dot is very soft, and the smooth move of the hands tell the time very quietly.
10" x 10" x 1", $130

"RIKI CLOCK" (right)
Incorporating the technique to make tambourines and other drum instruments, the craftsman uses real plywood to make this clock. Designed by Riki Watanabe in 2003, this simple clock is the Good Design winner in Japan 2004. Also smooth hand, does not "click".
Small : 8" diameter, $68
Large : 14" diameter, $135

ISSEY MIYAKE watches

TO series (left)
Beginning with a selection of material, Tokujin Yoshioka extracts its character, thereby minimalizing design elements. As a result, the watches look as if they have been sculpted from a lump of metal. Water resistance up to 5 ATM (165 feet).
Stainless Steel strap.
Comes in silver(picture) $480 and charcoal $500.
Designed by Tokujin Yoshioka

TWELVE series (right)
Though the dial itself does not display any markings, the crystal has twelve sides and the twelve angles of the case serve as hour markers.
Leather strap. Water Resistant up to 3ATM. $400.
Designed by Naoto Fukasawa

Serizawa vintage calendar

This is the original calendars of our popular Keisuke Serizawa desktop calendar! Using his original technique of dyeing pattern with a stencil, Keisuke Serizawa continued producing new calendars for 40 years until he passed away. Each paper feels very original with brilliant colors and design, please come to the store to feel each one!

Years : 1958, 1960, 1961 (same dates as this year), 1968
11.5" x 15", $200

for more details, please click the right image.

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may.25.06


Last weekend there was an annual event called Venice Art Walk here on Abbot Kinney which brought many new customers to Tortoise. As we explained to them about our 'tortoise concept', we would like to remind you again the warmth and amazing work of "hand made" in this newsletter.
			Ubugi is the first kimono which the mothers used to make for newborn babies back in the old days. What is so clever about this ubugi is that it can be worn up to 24 months! When the baby is newborn, this ubugi is used to wrap the whole baby. When the baby grows, take the stitches out at the shoulder part so it extends and becomes a kimono shirt. To appreciate one item for a long time is easily forgotten these days but with a product like this, you can enjoy the baby's growth as the fabric turns into a softer cloth. This ubugi is made from tenugui, a 100% cotton cloth traditionally used as a multipurpose cloth in Japan for decades. Every tenugui is hand dyed. Please hand wash for the first several times, and use machine wash afterwards. Tortoise Ubugi : $70 Custom Ubugi : $90 (choose your own pattern from our tenugui selection. give us 2-3 weeks since we make it ourselves!)

Summer tenugui patterns! Here are some summer patterns for our hand dyed tenugui! You can order the Ubugi with these patterns as well:) From left: summer stars, baby eggplants, dragonfly, marsh lilies, baby chrysanthemum. To order these items, please go to: http://www.tortoiselife.com/new/itempage/tenugui.html

		Kibigara craft Kibigara is a beautiful craft which started in Tochigi prefecture in 1918. When broom sticks became unpopular since people started using vacuum cleaners, the craftsmen started making these crafts using the same straw. This craftman is only the second generation but is considered to be the last. rooster pair (4" height) : $30

	Sasano Ittobori This is another folk toy which has a thousand years old history in Yamagata prefecture. The farmers started making them as a side business to survive a long winter. The most stunning part of Sasano-ittobori carvings are the layers of naturally warped, thinly carved wood that looks like feathers. Using a sarukiri, which has blades on the side and the tip, a carver quickly carves the surface of a log to make featherlike wood pieces curved in the same direction. The craftsman must be careful that the object does not absorb water because this would stretch the wood and ruin the curls. eagle L (7.25" height) : $25 eagle S (6" height) : $20

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may.11.06

some of our products were featured by the first issue of Blueprint which is produced by Martha Stewart. please check it out!

to read the article, please click the below URL.
http://www.tortoiselife.com/new/press/blueprint/mushroom.html

to see the product's page, please click the below URL.
http://www.tortoiselife.com/new/itempage/mushroomstool.html

to read the article, please click the below URL.
http://www.tortoiselife.com/new/press/blueprint/tissue.html

to see and order the product, please click the below URL.
http://www.tortoiselife.com/new/itempage/tissue.html

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april.25.06



			Today, we would like to introduce you our new item, that is, a great home electronics brand from Tokyo, called "amadana". They perfect in function and style as well as its technical mechanism. "a tool to go back to the life of who you are a device to carry around who you are" - amadana



	Earphones by amadana The body of this beautiful earphones is made of bamboo, and with the movable ear hangers, the angle of the ear hangers can be adjusted to fit well and stable. Employs neodymium magnet with strong magnetic attraction and ultra-thin 6?m diaphragm to provide clear and powerful sound. If you want to test it out, bring your ipod to the store and you will hear the difference! Black/White.

Electronic Calculator by amadana You might have seen us use this calculator at the store. Equipped with 10 unit conversion and currency conversion functions, you will not believe how functional a calculator can be with such great style. It has a 12-digit display and runs in solar. It is only half an inch thickness so it will fit in your pocket.


		one more new item! 'eki clock' by Takenobu Igarashi This beautiful clock is designed by Takenobu Igarashi, a sculptor/designer from Japan. After getting a degree in UCLA, Igarashi opened his studio in LA and presented numerous work until he went back to Japan in 2004. No alarm. 300 limited production (numbered on the back). 3.75" diameter. White/Black. $200. For more details or order, please click the below URL: http://www.tortoiselife.com/new/itempage/igarashi.html

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mar.25.06

Cherry blossom season has arrived in Japan! The blossom only last for two weeks, so blossom reports appear on TV in addition to weather reports.

Respecting such short life is a Japanese sense of beauty, but on the other hand, it is also the time when you see drunk salary men at the parks for "Hanami" (blossom gazing) parties. Young salary men are excused from work that day to go to the park in the morning and save a spot under the tree for the hanami night. It is the happiest season in Japan!

Today, we would like to introduce to you one of our favorite potteries from Kyushu, Japan.

ONTA-yaki

Onta-yaki (pottery) is made at Hita city in Ooita, located in a remote mountainous village in northern Kyushu. Their pottery remained virtually unknown until it was discovered in 1931 by Yanagi Soetsu, the founder of Folk Crafts movement. The world fame came when world famous English potter Bernard Leach came and stayed at Onta for about a month, learning the skills and making some pottery.
All glazes are prepared from natural materials such as straw ash, wood, feldspar, copper and iron. Kara-usu, a massive ancient Chinese mortar, is used to break down the soil that is continually pulled from the background mountain walls. This in result minimize the cost of labor and price of product.

Techniques of Onta-yaki

Its most unique technique of Onta-yaki is "Tobikanna" or flying plane. The ceramicist turns the work on a foot-powered lathe, and applies a small iron plane to the precisely dried outer coating of the work at varied intervals. The nuances of texture and pattern that result from this technique are unlike any that could be created by carving or glazing.

Vase : H 11" D 4" $105

A "hake-me" method is used for this big pitcher used with a brush on the surface.
This small jar is made with "nagashi" method where the glaze is pored from the top.

Pitcher : H 10" D 9" $210
Jar : H 5" D 4" $30

yo takimoto's wood curving class schedule
The class is only $20 and he provides everything!
RSVP to 310-314-8448 or info@tortoiselife.com to sign up!
Hurry, limit is 10 people per class.

3/26 Sun 2-4:30pm Goddess, Venice
4/2 Sun 2-4:30pm Tortoise, Venice
4/9 Sun 2-4:30pm Ananda, Venice
4/16 Sun 2-4:30pm Tortoise, Venice
4/23 Sun 2-4:30pm Goddess, Venice
4/24 Mon 2-4:30pm Jin Patisserie, Venice new location!
For more information:
http://www.tortoiselife.com/new/news.html#may3004

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feb.23.2006


				new Spring patterns! We received some new patterns for our tenugui, the traditional Japanese hand dyed cotton cloth. From left: "UME (plum)" - being the first beautiful flower that blooms in the Spring after surviving the cold winter, plum expresses good strong fortune. "WAKAMATSU (young pine)" - keeping its leaves through the cold winter, pine expresses strength and welcoming of Spring. "TAKE (bamboo)" - growing straight up into the sky, bamboo expresses growth and honesty. all tenugui are now $12 each.

Our wood carving master, Yo is back in town! Wide range of people have already enjoyed carving ancient Yakusugi (cedar) or Giant Sequoia in the past few seasons that Yo visited LA. The class is only $20 and he provides everything! RSVP to 310-314-8448 or info@tortoiselife.com to sign up! Hurry, limit is 10 people per class. 3/5 Sun 2-4:30pm Tortoise, Venice FULL! 3/8 Wed 2-4:30pm Ananda, Venice 3/12 Sun 2-4:30pm Goddess, Venice 3/19 Sun 2-4:30pm Tortoise, Venice For more information: http://www.tortoiselife.com/new/news.html#may3004
			The Porcini Family by Jasper Morrison This Porcini lamp series designed by Jasper Morrison which uses washi(Japanese paper) illuminates warm but modern glow. The lamps are produced at Ozeki & Company in Gifu, Japan, a very traditional lantern manufacturing company that also produces Noguchi's Akari lamps since 1950's. Light source is 17E/25W-80W incandescent tube lamp (included). small : 12" $210 medium : 18" $290 large : 26" $430

	We have expanded our book selection at the store. From most recent titles sold in Japan to vintage Japanese Garden books, all titles are selected by the owner. Stop by and enjoy them in our little "library".

		Tortoise in press We are on the latest (April 2006) dwell magazine! (p.59 & p.64) to read the article, please click the left image and the below article.

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feb.16.2006



to see more details and order this Mokusei lamp on dwell magazine (April.2006), please visit http://www.tortoiselife.com/new/itempage/mokusei.html to read the article, please click the article.

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