This street is famous for the many, many factories of the kimono fabric makers here in, Kyoto.
I can hear... weaving sound...
Kyoto is a miracle surrounded on three sides by mountains it's a city that has
faced trial after trial only to rebuild and to thrive once more.
It's been called the thousand-year capital and for centuries was home to the Emperor of Japan.
Kyoto was ripped apart by war, yet carried on.
It's a place that is both ancient and modern, adapting yet standing steadfast against historical erosion.
Craft making always been a major industry here and now once again Kyoto
faces another test. Those craft makers are under pressure to adapt to
contemporary techniques and designs in order to stay competitive.
Kyoto, tradition and modernization side-by-side, that is why these entrepreneurs and
their businesses are here, And Nowhere Else.
Kyoto has been the home of kimono manufacturing since the Emperor's
soldiers walk the city streets and Ayumi of Singing Crane is inspired by the
kimonos her grandmother used to make. She uses discarded Obi's which are the sash
belts of the kimono and makes something entirely new.
How are you? - Good, how are you?
How were they?
Hmm... this was pretty thick, actually.
When we moved to Kyoto, I was looking for a beautiful guitar strap
for a new guitar, but we couldn't find any we wanted.
We decided to make beautiful guitar, with beautiful fabrics. Japanese fabrics.
When I was sewing this, I felt like it could work.
One day we went to the market at the temple.
They had kimono fabrics and really beautiful obis.
We thought, ah, this is really good, really shiny silk fabric, and really strong.
We brought one to my friend, to put together.
And it came out a really beautiful strap.
And I wanted to make more. That was the start of Singing Crane straps.
I think silk is beautiful. You can see the color changing by the light.
People wear kimono for special occasions so they can't wear with even one stain.
So, they bring it to the recycle shop to sell. Those obis, are still beautiful.
I even like the little stain on the strap. That's the obi's life too, like a story there.
And then make a new story, for another life.
We are in the recycle shop, in the north side of Kyoto City.
They've got the kimono section, and sometimes, they've got really beautiful obis.
I come often, every week, and find the right one.
This one, would be nice to have here, on the front.
This is not woven, but a really nice print.
In the recycle shops, there's so many beautiful kimonos and obis.
I think about my Grandmother. She taught me a lot about the old style of the Kimono.
And when I was a child, she made kimono for me and my sister.
I always wanted to wear kimono, I never think to make before.
Connecting to kimono and obis, I think about her more.
I try to decide where to cut the straps and try not to be, looks like, not the same looking.
Usually kimono and obi, are similar colors, or the same group of color.
But I think unwatched is really beautiful and I feel funky that way.
I like to use Kyoto's colors like a black, brown, grey, Kyoto style into the guitar straps.
But I wanted to put those together with bright colors, on at least one side.
I want to bring the colors into making straps.
At the moment, I sell my guitar straps to Los Angeles, and Sydney, Australia and Germany.
I'm wondering what kind of home they're gonna have. And what music the owner is playing.
And sometimes, they send me photos with their guitars. And I'm so happy to see it.
Throughout history merchants practice the art of furoshiki to keep items safe and clean
during transport. With elegant simplicity they would wrap items in this
traditional cloth to decorate them and present it as a gift.
Etsuko of Musubi Furoshiki is finding new ways to keep this tradition alive.
I lay down the furoshiki. I place two bottles horizontally.
Then you roll them up.
Put this edge between the bottom of these bottles.
And this is done.
Since I was a child, making furoshiki has been my family's business.
Inside out. Like this...
Here it is... a bag.
Furoshiki can be resued over and over.
You can lay it down as a decoration or wear it on your shoulder.
This has a unique design that a furoshiki would never have had in the past.
A design like this can go well with clothes, as well.
We can feel the traditional backgroun here [in Kyoto],
and at the same time we can change the furoshiki to fit today's fashion,
and introduce modern ways of using furoshiki.
Cherry flowers respresent spring and Japanese people love them,
so many furoshiki have cherry flower patterns.
Furoshiki was a big part of everyday life.
We went through the bubble economy and while the Japanese economy was growing,
we got used to mass production and mass consumption.
People slowly forgot about furoshiki and blindy believe that using disposable things
such as plastic and paper bags as status symbols.
Environmental problems arose, and people started to realize that we couldn't keep consuming like that.
We thought we should learn more about how people lived back then and make changes to our lifestyle.
The theme of this lesson is gift wrapping
and I would like you to try it out.
I hold these workshops because I want people to keep using furoshiki.
We want to hand down furoshiki culture to the next generation.
Ah, this one and this one. Yes... okay.
Pull them to the side.
It's done. Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful.
There you go.
Our mission is to spread wisdom, culture, and the sense of beauty
that our ancestors developed through furoshiki.
You don't have to be born in Kyoto to be moved by its rich traditions.
Thomas Bertrand originally from France was inspired by the traditional use of
bento boxes and thought he could share this with the world.
When you cook a bento, you don't see through the lid. And so when you open it,
you get a surprise to see what's inside. It looks cool, it looks nice.
I started Bento&co in 2008. I was doing some freelance job in Kyoto,
and I wanted to sell something online. And it just popped up in my head, I said, Oh, bento box.
I'm sure it can sell very well.
Here's another one. These are really nice.
I really like to eat, I really like to cook. For me, it's important to sell something
I like, something I'm into. And so, the bento was perfect for that.
Bento boxes are really common in Japan. Most of the kids will have their lunch packed in a
bento and bring it to school. And, it has been like that since, hundreds of years.
Ah, what is it?
Chocolate - Chocolate
Wow. A chocolate box.
Because you have this history of like, hundreds of years of the Emperor being in Kyoto,
you needed like, all these craftsmen to make nice things for him.
You have many, many craftsmen doing all the kimono, lacquerwear, and so on,
and also, also the food, though actually.
Many makes in Kyoto, don't know how to export their products,
so they probably need more like, entrepreneurs. It's what we do with Bento&co,
because we sell something very traditional, And we sell online and we export these products, everywhere.
Chicken tenderloin.
Tenderloin. Okay. -- About four pieces, please.
Teramachi street is a shopping arcade.
It's really famous, in Kyoto. Every tourist coming to Kyoto, they're going to pass by this street,
and we are just 50 meters from this shopping arcade.
The location is good for us.
The people who come to our shop a lot of Japanese of course, and also many foreigners
are quite surprised about the shop. It's not really common to have like a
bento boxes only shop, in Japan.
Being a French guy in Japan, and selling like, something traditional, I think, it's a bit fun to tell.
But like, being here, is like, really important for us. And we have this responsibility to tell the story about
Kyoto traditions, Kyoto culture.
Is anyone sitting there?
Lasagna?
Tacos rice. - Tacos rice.
Looks good.
Bento&co, I think we're a pretty modern business. And it just seems to,
still fit in well with the environment that we're in.
So we're selling something tha's like hundreds of years old, technically but,
it's still very modern at the same time.
Being outside, celebrating nature, being with some people I like, and having good food,
it's easy to relax and take a break, when you're in Kyoto.
Inspired by the culture and landscape around them
Kyoto's people are deeply connected to their traditions. Crafts and arts are
cherished for their beauty in their history and these people are finding
ways to adapt them to the changing world.
For me, like, Kyoto it's a young city, and also a traditional city,
so there's this mix of old traditions and new, modern Japan.
It feels good to be here.
Kyoto is a very significant place.
This place is important for me because it has taught me so many things.
Because I'm in Kyoto, I can find so many different types of kimono and obi here.
I don't think I can do Singing Crane in other places.