Nipponica N°11

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Japanese Fabrics Have Their GlobalReputation Wrapped Up

Special Feature

DiscoveringJapan

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Above: Rolls of cloth on the shelves of a kimono shop. The silk, linen and cotton fabrics wereexpertly woven and dyed, and will soon be made into kimono. The kimono has always setthe latest styles in the world of fashion. (Collaboration: Ginza Motoji. Photos on this pageby Takahashi Hitomi)

Cover photo: Two bottles wrapped in a single furoshiki. (Collaboration: Aflo)

No.11December 20, 2013

Published by: Ministry of Foreign Affairs of JapanKasumigaseki 2-2-1, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 100-8919, Japanhttp://www.mofa.go.jp/

Special Feature Japanese Fabrics HaveTheir Global ReputationWrapped Up

Japanese FabricsHave Their GlobalReputation

Wrapped Up04 Textiles and Japan

06 Dyeing and Weaving

12 Modern Fabrics for Today's Lifestyles

16 Japanese High-Tech Textiles Circle the World, and Beyond

20 Cloth Signs Add Color to Urban Landscapes

22 Tasty Japan: Time to Eat!

Inari-zushi

24 Strolling Japan

Okinawa, Islands of Cloth

28 Souvenirs of Japan

FuroshikiCloth for Wrapping Things

Special Feature

How to wrapsomething in

a furoshiki

Two bottles in one furoshiki

Watermelon wrap

Japanese dyeing and weaving techniques handed down from one generation to the nextin different parts of the country have created a wide variety of fabrics and made life more

convenient, comfortable and enjoyable. Today, advanced technologies are being usedto create cutting-edge textiles that make life better for people around the world.

Photos by Ito Chiharu

Collaboration: Musubi

1.Spread the furoshikiout flat, and placethe two bottles on an imaginary line be-tween two opposite corners, separating thebottles a little.2.Take the front half of the furoshikiandplace it over the bottles.3.Roll the bottles away from you, wrap-ping them in the cloth.4.Take hold of the two ends, and standthe bottles upright.5.Make a double knot to tie the two endstogether tightly.6.Make the knot tidy, and you are readyto go.

1.Spread the furoshikiout flat, and placethe watermelon in the middle.2.Tie the two corners near you together.3.Tie the other two corners in the sameway.4. Take the knot near you and pass itthrough the hole under the knot you madefurther away from you.5.Pull the upper knot up, and you nowhave an easy way to carry your water-melon.

Thefuroshikiis a square pieceof cloth used for wrapping andcarrying a wide variety of ob-

jects easily. (See page 28.) It issometimes used to wrap pres-ents in an especially courteousway. This page shows how towrap two bottles in a singlefuroshiki (cover photo), andhow to wrap a watermelon.

c o n t e n t s

niponica is published in Japanese and sixother languages (Arabic, Chinese, English,French, Russian and Spanish), to introducethe world to the people and culture of Japantoday. The title niponicais derived from Nip-pon, the Japanese word for Japan.

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It is not clear when the Japanese mastered the art of mak-ing cloth, but we can assume they were using cloth for

many purposes by the time they established a farmingculture in the 4th and 3rd centuries BC. Silken fabricswoven into patterns have been unearthed from ruins of the5th and 6th centuries AD. Beginning around that time,cultural elements and artisans are believed to have enteredthe country from the Korean peninsula and China, bringingnew ways to make cloth.

Weaving techniques in Japan saw more refinement in the7th and 8th centuries, when many cultural elements enteredfrom Sui and Tang China. One prime example is nishiki,an ornate and colorful mon-orimono featuring a raised,brocade pattern. Also produced by this time were dyedgoods. The most notable dyeing methods that appealed topeople then include:

Shibori-zometie-dyeing: Thread is used to tie parts ofa fabric, so the dye that cannot reach those parts.

Bosenresist dyeing: Melted wax is applied to parts ofthe fabric so that the dye does not penetrate there,leaving a pattern.

Itajime-zome board dyeing: The cloth is clampedtightly between wooden boards that have a patterncarved in relief. The clamped parts of the cloth areprotected from the dye, leaving a white pattern.

Embroidery also began around the same time. The above-mentioned dyeing techniques and embroidery were usednot only for clothing but also for floor coverings anddecorated fabrics hung from the pillars and ceilings ofBuddhist temples.

After diplomatic relations with China were suspended inthe 10th century, clothing took on a distinctive Japanesestyle. Rather than fabrics being dyed after being woven,fabrics woven from dyed threads were adopted by the upperclass. It became fashionable to wear multiple thin garmentsof different colors, each made from mon-orimonosilk andshowing its own hem, collar and sleeves in a beautifullayered color arrangement.

The front and reverse of fabric was adorned in differentcolor combinations to form motifs depicting the appearanceof plants, insects or other aspects of nature during a

specific season. Each motif had its own name, and therewere about 130 color combinations. The motif chosenwould match the current season.

Between the 13th and 16th centuries the kosode, whichevolved into todays kimono, took on a central role inJapanese fashion for all classes. And then, in the early 17thcentury, when the Tokugawa Shogunate ushered in whatwould become 300 years of peace, womens fashion quitequickly evolved toward the ornate, although the level ofornateness depended somewhat on the social class.

New dyeing techniques appeared around the end of the17thcentury, among them a process still alive today:yuzen-zome. In this technique, the pattern outlines are drawn like

pieces of fine thread, using a starch resist paste to protectthe outlines from the dye. The result is remarkably colorful,exquisite patterns, so beautiful that the process spread tovarious parts of the country and was used not only forwomens kosodegarments but for other fabric goods aswell, such as cloth for wrapping presents.

Thus, by early modern times a number of dyeing tech-niques were being used to create patterns unique to eachrespective technique. But the ancient mon-orimonoraisedbrocade techniques did not completely die out. The Nohtheater, with its masked actors, grew in popularity espe-cially among the military class, and costume productionsoared. The fabric used for those costumes was often wovenin the mon-orimonotechnique.

Cotton cultivation spread in the 18thcentury, spurringthe weaving of cotton fabric. Cheap to buy, it was quicklyadopted by the common folk, and cotton dyed goods weresoon being produced in many areas. It was around thistime that cotton fabric became part of the culture of ordi-nary people, one that lives on today in various forms, in-cluding tie-dyed cloth produced throughout the country,

and fabric decorated with a kasuresplashed pattern effectachieved by including speckled dyed thread in the weave.

After Japans feudal system ended in the late 19thcentury,the influence of Western civilization swept in. Althoughthe nations fabric traditions still lived on, completely newapproaches to dyeing and weaving were also seen in theimportation and further development of chemical dyes andweaving machines. These led to techniques prevalent inJapans modern culture of dyeing and weaving.

Traditional clothing changed in the face of new tech-nologies, and new buildings constructed in the Westernstyle had some of their walls and their chairs covered inthe new fabric styles. Even the traditionalfuroshikiclothfor wrapping objects was made with the new techniques.

Later, even more splendid chemical fibers were developedin Japan. But we cannot forget that the roots of todaysfabric culture go back in an unbroken line to ancient times.

This is what formal feminine apparel looked likearound the 12th century. The sleeves and hemsof multiple mon-orimonosilken garments ex-press beauty through their bands of colors.(Property of the Kyoto National Museum)

Above left: This illustration of a woman wearinga kosodegarment is called A Beauty LookingBack. By Hishikawa Moronobu (17th century).(Property of the Tokyo National Museum) Im-age: TNM Image Archives

Nagasaki IwaoAfter serving as Director of the Dyeing and Weaving Division ofthe Tokyo National Museum, became professor in the Faculty ofHome Economics at Kyoritsu Womens University, a position hecurrently holds. Has researched many aspects of the culturalhistory of Japanese clothing and garment ornamentation, includ-ing dyeing, weaving, attire and patterns. Often involved in theplanning of exhibitions on dyeing, weaving, clothing and garmentornamentation.

Since ancient times the Japanese have refinedtheir dyeing and weaving techniques, shapingand coloring their culture along the way toa bright future.

Written by Nagasaki Iwao

Imported goods as teacher:The Japanese learn new techniques,and make them their own

The kimono leads fashion cultureto new dyeing and weaving techniques

Techniques passed down through the ages,into the future

Textiles andJapan


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Dyeing and Weaving

Nishiki

Japans textile cultureShaped by a rich array of techniques

Nishiki is woven from colorful thread to create fabricfeaturing a raised brocade pattern. Reflecting influencesfrom West Asia and China, nishikitechniques have beenrefined in Japan over centuries and are still used todayto make sashes, garments worn by Buddhist priests, andcostumes worn in Noh and Kabuki plays.

Collaboration: Tatsumura Textile Co., Ltd. Photos by Takahashi Hitomi

Above: The shite(main role) in the Noh play Dojojiiscostumed in a type of nishikicalled karaori(worn hereby Kanze Kiyokazu, 26thhead of the Kanze School ofNoh; photo by Hayashi Yoshikatsu).

Top: More than 40 different colors of thread are usedto weave a single obi.Bottom: A weaver sits quietly at a loom creating obiwith intricate patterns achieved by manipulating thewarp threads.

Left: Gorgeous nishikibrocade fabric woven by Tat-sumura Textile located in Nishijin (Kyoto), an areafamous for producing textiles of extremely high quality.The company is also actively involved in reviving pat-terns that depict cultural treasures from the NaraPeriod (8thcentury).Page 7: Medieval shohekiga(wall painting, right); flow-ers (back left) originally painted by Honami Koetsu(1558-1637) are reproduced in magnificent obicraftedin silver and gold foil and colorful silk thread.


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Shibori-zomedyeing refers to a set of dyeing tech-niques used to create simpler patterns by binding,stitching or folding the fabric to prevent dye fromcoloring those areas of the cloth. Although tie-dyeing techniques have evolved in many culturesaround the world, Japanese shiboriis unique in thewide variety of patterns that have developed.

Silk gauze is a transparent open weave fabric created from acomplicated intertwining of warp thread. There are three basicstyles of gauze weave in Japan: ra, sha, and ro. Known collec-tively as usumono(literally, thin fabric), silk gauze is thought tohave first been worn in the summer by court nobles, samurai andother members of the upper classes in the early 8 thcentury.

Collaboration: Takeda Kahei Shoten and Arimatsu-Narumi Shiborikaikan

Photos by Takahashi Hitomi


Above: The fingers of a master artisan work their magic, binding clothonto which an initial pattern has already been painted/stenciled.Left: Arimatsu shibori, originating in the Aichi Prefecture town ofArimatsu, is a well-known style of cotton shibori-zome. Inheritingtradition from the early 17thcentury founder of the Arimatsu shiborischool, Takeda Kahei Shoten displays an amazing spectrum of shiboripatterns, including the kumoshiboripattern that resembles spiderwebs and kanoko shibori, a technique that involves tying off smallbobbles of fabric to create speckled cloth with a bumpy texture. Today,fabrics woven by intentionally omitting intermittent warp threads toretain a bumpy or wrinkled texture can be found worldwide.

From left: A raweave dis-covered in a historical city,now an ancient culturalasset: a shaweave in a pat-tern of grapes, 18thcentury(both from the Tokyo Na-tional Museum collection,image: TNM Image Ar-chives); a ro weave in asweet chrysanthemum pat-tern, 19th century (fromprivate collection).

To create this raweave shawl (right),four extremely thin warp threads arethreaded through each loop on theloom. (Collaboration: Tatsumura TextileCo., Ltd.)

Kimono fabric in a roweave so thin as to be practically transparent (left) and a light and cool obiwoven in the crisp, mesh-likerastyle (right, created by Kitamura Takeshi). A rich array of weaving techniques developed by master kimono weavers havelong kept the Japanese people comfortable during the countrys hot and humid summers. (Collaboration: Ginza Motoji)

Shibori

Ra Sha Ro


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Colorful yuzen-zome dyeing textilesquickly came into fashion when they firstappeared around the 17th century. Thisform of resist dyeing, which involves ap-plying thin lines of starch resist paste towoven cloth to outline the design, madeit possible to create more delicate patternsand threw open the doors to a wealth ofpictorial possibilities in kimono design.In gorgeous colors that lavishly envelopthe woman who wears them,yuzen-zomefabric is popular even today.

The patterns in kasurifabrics are wovenfrom dyed threads rather than created bydyeing woven cloth. This techniquemakes it possible to create colorful, intri-cate designs as well as lattice and otherpatterns using even the simplest weavingtechniques. Kasuriliterally translates asgrazed, and this style takes itsname from the grazededges of the patterns.

Before the fabric is woven, the thread isbound with hemp (lower right), separat-ing sections left undyed to form a whitepattern and sections to be shaded inlight to dark indigo (left).

A kasuripattern originating from Tottori Pre-fecture, Yumihama gasuriis dyed and woveninto cotton cloth used to make work clothesand futon covers.

Left: Designs evoking Western oil paintings of flowersdebuted with the advent of yuzen-zome(early 20th cen-tury, from a private collection).Right: Bold design of Yaezakura(double-flowered cherryblossoms) in full bloom entwined in bamboo latticework(18th century, from the Joshibi University of Art and De-sign Art Museum collection).Page 11: Gorgeous kimono with embroidery-adorned de-sign featuring decorative objects and auspicious motifssuch as pine, bamboo and plum (1938, created by OkumiShinichiro, from the Ishikawa Prefectural Museum of Artcollection).

The appeal of Kurume gasuridyeing lies withits simple but powerful designs. Developedprimarily in the Kurume area of Fukuoka Pre-fecture, these patterns were adopted forclothing worn by common folk and laterspread to regions across Japan.

Collaboration: Ginza Motoji and

Kurume Gasuri Cooperative


Yuzen

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Modern Fabrics forToday's LifestylesFabrics with special functions, modern textiles born fromexpertise and advanced technologies These pages show howtraditional weaving techniques have always evolved, blendingwith ever-newer technologies to become today's fabrics, makingour lives more convenient, comfortable and enjoyable.

Photos by Murakami Keiichi and Takahashi Hitomi

Collaboration: UNIQLO Co., Ltd., Atsugi Co., Ltd. and Unicharm Corporation

A clothing manufacturer and two textile enterprises joinedforces to develop different fabrics with an important rolekeeping you comfortable both summer and winter.

AIRism undergarments let perspiration escape and pre-vent sticking, no matter what the season or situation. Theyare gender-specific, using different fibers to account forgender differences. For men, who tend to perspire more,the innerwear is made of ultra-fine polyester fibers thatexcel in perspiration absorption and quick drying. Forwomen, who tend to feel cold a s their perspiration evapo-rates, the rapid absorption of moisture is controlled mostlyby cupro fibers. AIRism inner garments for both men andwomen have added substances that combat bacteria andneutralize odors, for comfort even in hot, humidenvironments.

A material called HEATTECH is great for winter under-garments because it protects against the cold by actuallygenerating heat. A combination of four different fibers inthe weave work like this: rayon fibers absorb water vaporfrom the body, and change it into heat energy; this gener-ated heat is retained within acrylic fibers; meanwhile, poly-ester fibers ensure rapid drying of the absorbed moisture;and polyurethane fibers provide stretchable comfort. Gar-ments made of HEATTECH are light, comfortable, and warmjust by wearing them. At first, HEATTECH was intendedonly for undergarments, but now it is also used for clothingmade from jersey cloth, and for jeans, socks and more.Worldwide sales of HEATTECH garments have reachedmore than 300 million items, and innovation continues.

* Please note that some of the products shown above are no longer being marketed.

Stockings are a big item in Japan, a way to show neatnessand respectability. Made-in-Japan stockings are known fortheir excellent quality, and now more and more of themare adding charm to women's legs in new ways. For ex-ample: some are chosen to match leg color, just as founda-tion cosmetics match skin color; some give the leg aslimmer look through the use of threads that stretch for atighter, firmer effect; some use double threads to reducethe risk of ripping; some are woven with smooth threadsfor a transparent look; and others have all five toes. Andthen, for hot and humid weather, there are others thatfeature UV protection, or help eliminate odors and bacteria.Offering more comfort than a bare leg, and adding charm,as wellstockings made in Japan do this and more.

Infant skin is said to be only about half as thick as adultskin. Disposable diapers made of paper, unlike woven cloth,have short fibers, so they are generally hard to the touchand cannot stretch. If a baby wears paper diapers day in,day out, the skin tends to become chapped and subject todiaper rash. These disadvantages led to the developmentof a new material, SOFTRETCH. Its fine fibers are madeinto a non-woven fabric, which is combined with anothernon-woven fabric that can expand and contract. This re-sults in a material that is soft on the skin and adjusts itsshape to match body shape. The diaper fits the form of thebaby's body, remaining flexible as it moves, and thereforereducing the risk of chafing. Gentle to a baby's skin" isalways the ideal, and these paper diapers are the reality.

Cool in summer, warm on winter daysInnerwear evolves to serve multiple functions

Flattering for legs, and comfortable, tooStockings of superlative quality

Paper diapers for baby comfortGentle on the skin, and a just-right fit

A sampling of garments made fromHEATTECH, which uses body mois-ture to generate heat. The fabricwas developed jointly by UNIQLOCo., Ltd. and Toray Industries, Inc.

Functional AIRism undergarmentsmarketed by UNIQLO Co., Ltd. Fab-ric for men's wear, developed byUNIQLO and Toray Industries, Inc.,is known for its smooth touch andquick-drying comfort. Fabric forwomen's wear, developed in col-laboration with Toray Industries,Inc. and Asahi Kasei Corporation,also offers a smooth touch, and inaddition helps to prevent coolingcaused by evaporating perspiration.

ASTIGU stockings made byAtsugi Co., Ltd. offer a womanthe opportunity to match hermood as she chooses clothes forthe day. One series, with thesignature Hada mark, creates theimpression of an invisible stock-ing yet comes in 12 colors, eacha subtle shade different from theothers to match skin color andclothing style.

Sheet made from fine fibers. Even afterthe diaper absorbs moisture, the surfacefacing the baby's skin remains dry.

This paper diaper, brand namemoony," is made of SOF-TRETCH fiber. The manufac-turer, Unicharm Corporation,is known for its high-qualitysanitary products and dispos-able diapers. The companyinvested 12 years of researchto perfect this type of diaper.

Stockings designed for a transpar-ent look are woven from single,thin nylon threads.

The use of double nylon threadsmakes stockings more tear-resistant.


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Textile designer Sudo Reiko pushes the expressiveboundaries of fabric, blending old dyeing andweaving techniques from different parts of Japanwith advanced machine technology. These pagesshow how her creative interpretation of textileculture combines traditional techniques withcontemporary innovation to bringnew life to Japanese lifestyles.

Textile designer Sudo Reiko

Eco-bag" made of fabric folded like origami. A paperweave pattern with mountain and valley folds is securedwith polyester thread, then heat pleated. All done by hand.

With the origami weave" technique, the yarn in thefabric's warp and weft is shaped into 3-dimensionalmountain and valley folds.

Muffler woven from thick kibisosilken strands (thethick strands spun by silkworms just after they reachspinning stage). Made in collaboration with artisans inTsuruoka City, Yamagata Prefecture, in an area knownfor its fine silk fabrics.

Right: Thin, double-woven feather organdy made on aJacquard loom, with bird feathers inserted by hand.This work of art combines factory techniques fromFujiyoshida (another area known for its fine silk fabrics)with handcrafting. Examples of this type of weave bySudo are now in the permanent collections of art gal-leries in more than ten locations worldwide, includingNew York's Museum of Modern Art (MoMA).Left: Feather organdy jacket. Soft to the touch, and solight you would hardly know you are wearing it.

Above: Entrance to the Mandarin Oriental Tokyo Hotel,decorated in a theme based on Sudo's work, Woodlandsand Water in Japan. (Photo by Okouchi Tadashi)Left: This work of art by Sudo, entitled Jukon(TreeRoots"), also adorns the hotel entrance. Woven stainlesssteel microfibers create the pattern, with pock marksadded with a flame. (Photo by Sue McNab)

Sudo ReikoTextile designer, professor at Tokyo ZokeiUniversity, and Artistic Director at NUNOCorporation. She makes good use of theadvanced technology of Japan's textileproduction centers to produce unique fab-ric creations.http://www.nuno.com/


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Japanese High-Tech TextilesCircle the World, and BeyondThe integration of centuries-old textile arts with cutting-edge scientific technologybothimpressive in themselveshas given rise to high-tech Japanese fabrics that have made apowerful mark on global industry. These materials protect spectators at the r acetrack andin the stadium from wind, rain, and blazing sun, and they also provide ecological solutionsfor greening barren land and mitigating water shortages. Japanese companies have foundways to mass-produce an artificial spider silk" that is stronger than steel, and high-techtextiles developed in Japan are playing a major role on the frontiers of space exploration.

An hour by car from the center of Shanghai,massive lotus leaves" float in the air abovethe Shanghai International Circuit. Twenty-six of these tensile membrane roof structuresshade the sub-stand seating for 20,000 spec-tators. Made of glass fiber coated in fluoro-plastic, each leaf-shaped structure is anellipse measuring 31.6m long and 27.6mwide and is held up by a steel frame pillarone meter in diameter. Evoking an image ofoverlapping lotus leaves floating placidly onthe surface of a pond, this ultra-modern roofdesign employs technological expertise de-veloped by Japanese companies for creatingoutstanding membrane structures.

As roofs, membrane structures are bothlightweight and offer superior lighting, mak-ing them widely used for racetracks builtwithout support columns, as well as largespaces with innovative architectural de-signs. Only a handful of companies, how-ever, boast the expertise needed to producethis type of material. Creating complicated,three-dimensional tensile membrane struc-tures requires extremely advanced tech-niques both in the manufacture of the clothand on-site execution of the design.

The Arena Fonte Nova Soccer Stadiumopened in April 2013 in the port city of Sal-vador on the Atlantic coast in northeasternBrazil. It seats 56,500 people and features atensile membrane roof structure manufac-tured by the same company that created thelotus leaves" for the Shanghai racetrack.The roof will shelter the seats at the ArenaFonte Nova when it hosts a quarterfinalmatch in the soccer World Cup to be held inBrazil in 2014.

Japanese Tensile Membrane AddsColor to Major ArchitectureWorldwide

Shanghai International Circuit (left) andArena Fonte Nova (above) feature roofsmanufactured and installed by Taiyo Kogyo.(Photos courtesy of Taiyo Kogyo Corporation)


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Completely surrounded by ocean, the Carib-bean islands of Trinidad and Tobago havestruggled for many years with a chronic lackof drinking water. Today, a life-sustainingplant turns saltwater into drinking water,playing a vital role in the lives of the resi-dents here. With a massive processing ca-pacity of 136,000m3a day, this is one of thelargest desalination plants in the world.

The heart of the plant is a reverse osmosismembrane supplied by a Japanese manufac-turer. Using macromolecular technology,tiny holes no more than a few nanometersin diameter allow only water molecules topass through the membrane, keeping saltout. Equipped with 20,000 reverse osmoticmembrane elements manufactured as indus-trial products, this plant desalinates ocean

water to supply residents with drinking water.Fresh water that people can actually drinkaccounts for only a small fraction of theplanet's water, leaving most regions in theworld struggling with a serious lack of wa-ter. Desalination plants capable of turningabundant ocean water resources into freshpotable water are contributing a greatdeal to resolving the global issue ofwater shortages.

The area around Tsuruoka in Yamagata Pre-fecture, otherwise a pastoral town in theTohoku region and one of Japan's leadingproducers of rice, is the surprising home ofone of the most cutting-edge man-made fi-bers in the world. Stronger than steel andmore elastic than nylon, the artificial spidersilk" produced here meets the needs of anarray of industries that need fibers that arelight, yet strong. This includes materials forautomotive parts, artificial blood vessels,and human hair, as well as thread forclothing.

Although a great many scientists had at-tempted to create artificial spider silk withthese special properties, no one had beenable to successfully mass-produce the man-made fiberuntil a venture firm formed bya group of young researchers from Keio Uni-versity came along. The startup utilized thelatest biotechnology to enable a differentorganism to create a protein resembling spi-der silk. The scientists then collected thisprotein and processed it into fiber.

The experimental facilities for mass pro-duction will be completed in December 2013,and research and development is now beingfast-tracked in anticipation of full-scalemass production within a few years.

In the suburbs of Johannesburg, South Af-rica, farmers are working hard to reclaimland laid to waste by mining. Central tothese efforts are long fabric tubes manufac-tured using a method jointly developed byJapanese knit and fiber manufacturers.Farmers fill the tubes with soil and fertilizer,lay them in long rows on the ground, andplant crop seeds between them. Before long,corn and other plants take root in the tubes,and the fields gradually expand. At the sametime, the tubes also help keep wind fromscattering sand in the air. Knit from biode-gradable polylactic acid fiber that will de-compose into soil, these tubes are producedusing maruami, a circular knit techniquedeveloped by Japanese knit manufacturersfor outstanding elasticity. The tubes are easy

to set up, and they also retain a great dealof water. This superior water retention al-lows farmers to grow crops even with a smallamount of water and fertilizer. People willnow be able to grow crops in the deserteven on concrete, so the idea is attracting alot of attention.

Venturing away from Earth, high-techtextiles travel to outer space.

The National Aeronautics and SpaceAdministration (NASA) successfullylanded the unmanned space probe Cu-riosity on Mars in August 2012. Oncethe space probe entered the Martianatmosphere, a massive parachute mea-

suring 15m in diameter was releasedto slow its speed from 1,450km/h to290km/h. The 80 suspension cordsconnecting the parachute and theprobe were made out of another

extraordinary fiber developed by aJapanese company.

These special aramid fibers have atensile strength-to-weight ratio eighttimes greater than steel. This strength,in combination with a heat resistanceenabling them to withstand tempera-tures of 200C forlong periods oftime, give

these aramid fibers extraordinaryproperties that duly impressed the of-ficials at NASA. According to NASAcalculations, the parachute would berequired to withstand a maximumgravitational pull nine times strongerthan that on Earth during landing, andthe 80 suspension cords would need

to withstand a load of 27 tons.

Life-Sustaining Plant TurnsSeawater into Drinking Water

Dream Fiber Changes the World

Textiles Restore Lifeto Barren Land

Tough Fibers Standthe Rigorous TestofOuter Space

Ocean water desalination plant in Trinidadand Tobago uses reverse osmotic membraneelements manufactured by Toray. (Photocourtesy of Toray Industries, Inc.)

Colorful QMONOS thread, a fiber made ofprotein to resemble spider silk, and a dresscreated from QMONOS fabric (Photo cour-tesy of Spiber Inc.)

Roll planter tubes laid out on barren land in SouthAfrica are produced using biodegradable fiber devel-oped by Toray and knit manufacturing techniquesdeveloped by Mitsukawa of Fukui Prefecture. (Photocourtesy of Toray Industries, Inc.)

Space probe Curiosity's landing parachutedeploys during a wind tunnel experi-

ment. The suspension cords connect-ing the parachute and the spaceprobe are made of an aramid fibercalled Technora that was devel-oped by Teijin Ltd. (Photo cour-tesy of NASA/JPL-Caltech)


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Cloth Signs Add Colorto Urban Landscapes

Norencurtains hang above shop doors, advertising the business inside. They are gener-ally made of cotton or hemp, and their message is presented in resist-dyed characters,patterns or illustrations.Noboribanners have been used since ancient times, traditionallyfor festivals, at one time to identify battle arrays, and today to proclaim the names ofsumo wrestlers and traditional play actors, and to publicize sales campaigns. Japanstowns and cities have lots of signs like theseall fun to look at, and all ma de of cloth.


1.The single kanjicharacter at the top, cha(tea), is written in boldbrushstroke. The other three characters give the name of this tealeaf shop. Hanging under the eave, this norensuggests you will begreeted with formality and courtesy inside an old, well-established

shop. (Collaboration: Main store of Ippodo Tea Co., Ltd. in Kyoto)2.Norenin front of a candy shop in the ancient city of Kanazawa(Hokuriku region). They catch the eye with their bold lettering. (Photocourtesy of Aflo)3.Noboribanners flap in the breeze in front of the Ryogoku Kokugi-kan Sumo Stadium in Tokyo, colorfully trumpeting the names ofsumo wrestlers. (Photo taken from behind.)4.Pennants with the kanjicharacter for ice hang in front of sweetfood stalls that sell shaved, syrup-sweetened ice. They are a suresign of summer. (Photo courtesy of Aflo)

Norencurtains and noboribannersadd zest to Japans urban land-scapes. Norencharacters, patternsand illustrations give you an ideaof the type of business being ad-vertised, and are an important partof an enterprises public persona.


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Inari-zushiSushi rice wrapped

in thin slices of deep-fried tofuPhotos: Arai Akiko, Aflo

Collaboration: Ningyo-cho Shinoda-zushi Sohoten Sushi Shop

Deep-fried tofu skin pouches sim-mered in a sweet and salty broth ofsoy sauce, sugar and mirin(a sweetsake seasoning), then stuffed with su-shi ricethis is inari-zushi, a cheap

food for everyday people that goes bythe nickname, O-Inari-san.

Inariis deep-fried tofu (abura-age)sliced thin. The word comes from Inarishrines, where the fox has a place ofhonor. The word's origin is ine nari(rice grains forming on the stalk), andin the old days Inari shrines veneratedInari, the god of agriculture. Overtime, the shrines focused on the ser-vant of that god, who happened to bea fox. Foxes are said to love deep-fried tofu, and from this came thecustom of calling tofu skins inari.

In the Kanto region (eastern Japan)the tofu skin pouches are generallysquare, but in the Kansai region (west-ern Japan), triangular. The sushi ricemay be mixed with tiny pieces of sim-mered lotus root, carrot, or gingerpickled in umeplum vinegar.

Inari-zushibecame a big seller inEdo (modern-day Tokyo) around the

middle of the 1800s, and the businessof a peddler selling this kind of sushiback then would later grow into thereputable shop featured here. Theshop's roots go back to 1877, and it

is located near traditional theaters inTokyo's Ningyo-cho district. Membersof the audience eat their boxedlunchesperhaps containing inari-zushibetween the acts of the play.

Inari-zushiis actually quite diffi-cult to make because deep-fried tofuskin tends to crumble. The shop usesskins that are even thinner than youwould find in a market. Thin is good,because only the right amount ofbroth soaks into the skins, so they willnot wet the rice.

The deep-fried tofu pouches aresoaked in 50C water for about 10minutes to remove excess oil. Next, tomake them tastier, they are simmeredfor two or three minutes in a brothcontaining three types of sugar, soysauce and mirin. They are left at roomtemperature for one day, then in arefrigerator for about three days. Ittakes this amount of time for the

tofu skins to fully absorb the deli-cious flavor.

After that, the pouches are sim-mered again, then stuffed with ricethat has been seasoned with vine-

gar, salt and sugar. Expert sushi chefsopen one end of the pouch with onehand, use the other to form a ball ofseasoned rice without clumping, andfill the pouch gently. One stuffedpouch should weigh about 50 grams.

The shop sells the most inari-zushion Inari shrine festival days. Even to-day, the roofs of some office buildingsin the city have small shrines dedi-cated to Inari, and on the festival daysyou will see inari-zushi offeringsplaced there.

Perhaps the reason why this typeof sushi goes by the affectionate nick-name of O-Inari-san is because eventoday the Japanese still have a wishin their hearts for a good harvest.

Left: The shop uses deep-fried tofu skins thatare thinner than those found in the market,to prevent too much seasoning from soaking in.Center left: The tofu skins are dipped in broth.Center right: Each salty-sweet tofu skin isstuffed with lightly vinegared rice.Right: Ten seconds are all an expert sushichef needs to fill one tofu skin with rice.

The fox is represented in statue form atFushimi Inari Taisha Shrine in Kyoto, andis venerated there.

Tasty Japan:Time to Eat!


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Okinawa,Islands ofCloth

Strolling

Japan

Photos by Ito Chiharu Map by Oguro Kenji

Fabrics crafted on the main Okinawa island. From left,Shuri-ori, Yomitansan hana-ori, and Ryukyu gasuri.(Collaboration: Ryuka)

Left: Fields of ito-basho provide the raw materials forbashofu.Center: Bashofulooks as cool as it feels.Right: U-hagi, harvesting the ito-bashofibers.

Left: U-umi, making thread from ito-bashofibers.Center: Taira Toshiko has been a cen-tral figure in passing on bashofutechniques to revive this tradition.Upper right: Rolls of dried fiberscalled chinguready to be made intothread.Lower right: Weaving bashofu.

Okinawa

Tokyo

Osaka

Sea of Japan

Pacific Ocean

Located at the southwestern tip of Japan, the Okinawaislands are known for tourism and resorts. Blessed with awarm climate year-round that contrasts starkly with theextremes of heat and cold in the rest of the country, theislands are one of Japans most popular destinations. Alesser-known aspect of Okinawa is its rich tradition ofdyeing and weaving. There are many high-quality, light-weight hemp and silk fabrics in Japan, but a culture oflight fabrics that are cool to wear is deeply engrained inOkinawa thanks to the regions climate.

Home of traditional bashofucloth, the Kijoka Ogimi-sonregion is located in the northern part of the main Okinawaisland. To those living in hot and humid Okinawa, this lightand airy fabric is essential to staying cool. Bashofuis wo-ven from the fibers of a large plant called ito-bashothatlooks something like a banana tree. Even today, the processof making bashofucloth involves 23 different steps, allcarried out by hand, beginning with planting and

harvesting the ito-basho, continuing through the u-umiprocess (joining the stalk fibers to make a continuous lengthof thread), and finally ending with weaving the cloth. Everypart of this process, from the raw materials to the tech-niques used, is unique to Okinawa.

A skilled bashofuartisan, Taira Toshiko is pivotal intodays efforts to revive bashofutechniques. She took usthrough the u-umistage of creating bashofu. This stagehas a great impact on the texture of the finished cloth andis therefore the process that requires the most highly skilledand experienced artisans. Tairas hands move faster thanthe eye can see, dividing the ito-bashofibers into countlessthin threads. This is truly a skill that can only be masteredwith many years of experience.

If bashofuis the quintessential cloth of Okinawa, bingata(literally red style), which uses stencils and other methods,is the quintessential dyeing technique on the islands. So-phisticated quality bingatafabric was worn by the royal


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Left: Colorful bingatakimono.Below: Stencil used in bingatadyeing.

Left: After the first painting, additional color is ap-plied in the re-painting process. This second paintingincreases the vibrancy of the color to create a senseof translucence through the rubbing of natural dyeinto the cloth.Right: Isagawa Yoko, a leading bingataartisan work-ing today.

Left: The massive water tank of whale sharks is es-pecially popular at the Okinawa ChuraumiAquarium.Right: Shurijo Castle testifies to the splendor of the

Ryukyu Kingdom, which once ruled Okinawa.

One of Japans top resort areas, Okinawa offers spec-tacular vistas of blue sea as far as the eye can see.

Okinawa cuisine has a special ap-

peal all its own. Popular dishesinclude Okinawa soba, a noodledish said to have the same originsas ramen; chanpuru, a stir-fry ofvegetables and tofu; and awamori,a shochuliquor whose flavor deep-ens as it ages.

Getting thereTake the limousine bus from Narita Airport to Haneda Airport (approx.80 minutes), then fly from Haneda Airport to Naha Airport (150minutes).Alternatively, fly from Narita Airport to Naha Airport (3 hours).Ogimi-son Bashofu Studio (Ogimi-son Bashofu Orimono Kobo) is a150-minute drive from Naha Airport.For more infoOkinawa Tourist Information Web Site: Okinawa Story (English,Chinese, Korean, French, German, Russian, Spanish, Portuguese)http://www.okinawastory.jp/en/

RyukaIsagawa Yoko Dyeing atelier

Shurijo Castle

Bashofu Orimono Kobo

Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium

Naha Airport

Main Island of Okinawa

Okinawa Expressway

Nabee Beach,Onna Seaside Civil Park

family of Ryukyu, who ruled Okinawa at one time. Thevivid bingatahues are achieved with an initial painting(shading) followed by a re-painting step that involves rub-bing the paint into the cloth and then a second dyeing withnatural dyes.

Colorfully dyed bingata fabric embodies the dazzlingOkinawan sun beautifully. The bright sunlight and infi-nitely blue sea are Okinawas great points of appeal. Theidyllic beaches of this southern climate invite visitors toswim and scuba dive in the sea. A trip to the lively OkinawaChuraumi Aquarium offers a great chance to marvel atmassive whale sharks, manta rays, and other creatures ofthe Pacific Ocean and the Okinawan sea. Take in the splen-dor of the former Ryukyu Kingdom with a visit to spots ofhistoric interest such as Shurijo Castle, a World Heritage site.

A trip to Okinawa offers the ideal combination of seasiderecreation, sightseeing, and the fascination of traditionaltextile arts.


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Japan 2Souvenirs of

FuroshikiCloth for Wrapping ThingsPhoto by Ito Chiharu Collaboration: MusubiAfuroshikiis a square piece of cloth. It has been usedfor centuries in Japan to make a kind of bag for car-rying or storing important objects. It makes it easyto carry things of just about any shape, any way

you want.Furoshikicloths come in a wide variety of designs,

from a traditional focus on some aspect of nature orpattern, to the modern liking for something cute.

They are generally made of cotton, silk or polyesterand others, and they come in different sizes, so somecan be used as scarves, others even as tablecloths.

When you are not using yourfuroshiki, it folds upsmall so you can carry it around for when you needit. And it offers more than convenienceyou can useit time after time as an eco-friendly shopping bag. Nowonder the popularity offuroshikiis growing.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan

2-2-1Kasumigaseki, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 100-8919Japan

http://www.mofa.go.jp/ (Ministry's official website)

http://web-japan.org/ (Website providing information on Japan)

Nipponica N°11

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