Dedegumo

Bombs, electronics, cartoon characters, and sushi: This is what the word “Japan” has meant to most of America for the past 70 years. Our conception of the country has shifted from former WWII enemy to exotic vacation spot; what little knowledge we have of it is gleaned from adventurous tourists, who bring back tales of Harajuku girls and magical toilets. This past summer, I decided to explore a side of Japan hitherto unknown to me: Japanese artisans, or “shokunin” and the philosophies shaping their art.

Dedegumo

In Kyoto, there is no separation between “past” and “present”; ancient temples touch shoulders with glossy department stores, and the streets below are crowded with over-excited tourists, many of whom have rented traditional kimonos to wear for the day. History and modernity are one, and in a little corner where they meet, the street leads into an ordinary-looking shop that sells, of all things, timepieces.

By Courtesy of Michelle Y. Chiang

“We are dedicated to admiring the history, culture, and nature of Kyoto. They inspire the ideas for our creations.”

By Courtesy of Michelle Y. Chiang

By Courtesy of Michelle Y. Chiang

By Courtesy of Michelle Y. Chiang

By Courtesy of Michelle Y. Chiang

By Courtesy of Michelle Y. Chiang

Quotes taken from the Dedegumo company website.

This piece was a result of an innovative, intellectual, and far-reaching journalistic experiment: 10 foreign student journalists, invited by the Prime Minister’s office and hosted by HLAB, sought to explore and illuminate Japan over a span of 19 days. Encouraged to pursue whatever topic they found interesting while participating in various activities of HLAB or while exploring various cities in Japan on their own, the journalists’ work eventually spanned topics ranging from Japanese views of success and failure to the robust Japanese artisan culture. See some of the other pieces.