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Starbucks Reserve Roastery Team Up With 160-Year-Old Kyoto Doll Makers for Traditional Japanese Souvenirs

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Source: Starbucks Japan

 

You may have heard of the unique Starbucks located on Kyoto’s famous Ninenzaka, the steep hill leading up to Kiyomizu Temple.

 

In order to blend in with the traditional neighbourhood, the instantly recognisable coffee brand created the first ever ‘tatami mat Starbucks’ inside a renovated century-old townhouse.

 

The location also happened to be very close to Shimada Kouen, a doll makers shop which was established in 1859, and has helped keep the beautiful craft alive since then, passing the business down the family over five generations.

 

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十五夜のお話 9月に入り少しずつ涼しくなってまいりました 9月といえばお月見 日本では太古の昔から月を神聖視していたそうで縄文時代には月を愛でる風習があったそうです しかし民衆に広く十五夜が楽しまれるようになったのは江戸時代に入ってからで、このころからただ月を愛でるのではなく「十五夜のころは稲が育ち無事収穫が始まる」と収穫できる喜びを分かち合い、感謝する収穫祭や初穂祭の意味合を持つようになっていったのでした ススキやお月見団子を何故飾るのか皆様はご存知ですか? ススキは秋の七草の1つで白い尾花が稲穂に似ている、魔除けになるという理由で供えられるようになりました お月見団子は丸い団子を月に見立て、感謝の気持ちを表わしているそうで、15個ピラミット型に積み上げて供えることで一番上の団子が霊界との懸け橋になると考えられているそうです 今年の十五夜は9月13日 空気が澄んで1年で最も月が美しく見える日です どれだけ時代が変わっても月の美しさは変わらない… ことしの十五夜は、月に見えるはうさぎさんと満月のように丸々した可愛らしい御所人形と一緒に月を見上げて名月の美しさを感じられてはいかがでしょうか #十五夜 #お月見 #うさぎ #御所人形 #島田耕園人形工房 #京都 #二寧坂 #名月 #満月 #kyoto #japan #人形

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Shimada Kouen’s doll factory specialises in a certain type of traditional Japanese ornaments. They are called Gosho-ningyo, literally imperial palace dolls, because they were often given as gifts to Daimyo who visited the royal court at Kyoto.

 

They usually take the form of cute chubby children or babies, with stark white skin, adorable faces, and short limbs.

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The fifth generation craftsman of Shimada Kouen created a special doll for that Starbucks branch which was displayed proudly, a maneki neko (the lucky beckoning cat statues, often seen in shops and other businesses) wearing a green apron just like the Starbucks staff members wear.

 

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Now Starbucks are collaborating with the 160-year-old workshop, utilising their expertise to create beautiful, original souvenirs which are being sold exclusively in the Starbucks Reserve Roastery, a mega-coffee shop which only recently opened in Tokyo.

 

The rest of the article can be viewed on our partner’s website, grape Japan at ”Starbucks Reserve Roastery Team Up With 160-Year-Old Kyoto Doll Makers for Traditional Japanese Souvenirs.

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