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Bamboo foot massage, great Kyoto museums, interview with Soren Matz

The elegance of Japanese design by Kohseki Co. Ltd. in northern Kyoto.

It might be hard to believe, but a simple piece of bamboo, split down the center, can do wonders to relieve fatigue, headaches, sleeplessness and even high blood pressure. Known as a 'aodake-fumi,' these bamboo health aids were probably discovered through knowledge obtained from acupuncture. Namely, that by applying pressure to certain ‘tsubo’ or pressure points, which are concentrated more than anywhere else in your feet (because this is where most of the body’s main meridian lines end), immediate or certain relief was achieved.

Massaging your feet by standing on an aodake-fumi improves circulation and applies pressure to an amazing number of key tsubo points. Some of the points are directly related to the internal organs, such as the kidneys and the liver. Even if you don’t believe all the claims, a few minutes on the aodake-fumi is sure to change your mind and leave you a whole lot less tired.

Aodake-fumi or massage tools that function in the same way can be found in the health section of all major department stores across Japan. Get one on your next private travel journey across Japan!

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Content by Ian Martin Ropke, owner of Your Japan Private Tours (est. 1990). I have been planning, designing, and making custom Japan private tours on all five Japanese islands since the early 1990s. I work closely with Japan private tour clients and have worked for all kinds of families, companies, and individuals since 1990. Clients find me mostly via organic search, and I advertise my custom Japan private tours & travel services on www.japan-guide.com, which has the best all-Japan English content & maps in Japan! If you are going to Japan and you understand the advantages of private travel, consider my services for your next trip. And thank you for reading my content. I, Ian Martin Ropke (unique on Google Search), am also a serious nonfiction and fiction writer, a startup founder (NexussPlus.com), and a spiritual wood sculptor. Learn more!

More great high-value museums in Kyoto, Japan!

Kyoto (and Tokyo) have an endless range of high-value museums and in the cold winter months (and the hot and humid summer months!) museums offer refuge and something new to learn from. Learn more!

The Raku Museum: 400 years of wabicha history

Raku-yaki, or Raku ware, is synonymous with exquisite tea ceremony utensils. As they are called 'utensils', they are of course tools you use. If you don't know much about tea ceremony, you might wonder what makes something that is a utensil so special. With Raku ware it is partly the fact that these tea ceremony tools are created with skills inherited over 400 years, from 15 generations. Chojiro Raku, the founder of the Raku tradition was an intimate friend of Sen no Rikyu, the tea master who pioneered wabicha (Japanese tea ceremony). Before this time, tea ceremony was primarily a ritual based on Chinese ideas and not the art form it is regarded as today in Japan.

Raku ceramics have their origins in the Momoyama period (1573-1615) when Chojiro Raku made exquisite pottery exclusively for Sen no Rikyu. What makes Raku-yaki different from other kinds of pottery is that it is handbuilt and specially fired.

To get an idea of just how special the Raku style is, a visit to the Raku Museum is a must. Located in a quiet residential area west of the Imperial Palace, it looks like a charming old Kyoto house from the outside. From the waiting room, with its garden view, you enter a room of priceless Raku-yaki tea bowls. On the second floor, there are exhibits that show the process of Raku tea bowl making, and other tea ceremony utensils such as incense containers, vases, etc. All the exhibits deserve a close look, as they clearly show the long history of this unique ceramic tradition and the delicate care that goes into making them.

On Aburanokoji, north of Nakadachiuri. Open 10:00 - 16:30. Closed Mondays. Admission Yen 800. Tel: 414-0304.

Yasui Konpira-gu Shrine Emado Museum

Yasui Konpira-gu Shrine is not in most guidebooks, but it should be. Traditionally, this shrine attracts people for its powers to create and end relationships. In the center of the grounds, lies a large rock with a hole in it. This stone can bring people together or separate them. If you want to form a relationship with someone, take one of the white slips of paper from the box in front of the rock, and then write your name and age and the other person's name on the paper. Holding this in your hand, go around to the back of the rock and wriggle through the hole. After emerging, paste your o-fuda on top of the others already stuck there and wait for the results. To separate from someone, simply enter the rock from the front.

However, in one of the shrine’s buildings, the oldest one actually, is an extraordinary collection of art and prayer painted on wood called ema, a common form of hand-painted shrine votive prayer tablet. Because ema are traditionally painted on wood and then hung outside and totally exposed to the elements, not many have survived through the ages.

Yasui Kompira-gu Shrine’s Ema-kan is the only museum of its kind in Japan. On its two, quiet floors are one of the most interesting collections of ancient and contemporary, large and small ema from all over the country. There are also two rooms of paintings that show Kyoto before modern times.

Yasui Kompira-gu Shrine is on the west side of Higashioji, south of Shijo. The shrine is also at the beginning (or end) of a laneway that leads through the backstreets of ever exotic Gion. The museum is open 10:00-16:00. Tel: 561-5127.

Sumitomo's Sen-Oku Museum: Chinese scrolls & bronzes

The Sen-Oku Hakko Kan is located in the calm and beautiful environment of the eastern part of Kyoto with the Higashiyama mountains in the background. The bronzes of ancient China treasured in this museum are known throughout the world and the collection ranks as one of the finest outside China. Many of these bronzes were eagerly collected by prominent individuals already 1,000 years ago. In all there are nearly 600 pieces ﾑ ceremonial vessels, mirrors, Buddhist statuettes, and coins.

The museum is open to the public 7 months of the year. The grounds and facilities of this well-endowed facility are splendid and include extensive garden areas and patios. The museum is conveniently located in the Ginkaku-ji/Nanzen-ji/Philosopherﾕs Walk area.

Sen Oku Hakko Kan was incorporated in 1960 as a foundation separate from the Sumitomo family. The foundation has over the years made the collection available to researchers and the general public and thus is highly respected. The museum was established on its present location in 1970.

Sen Oku Hakko Kan is located 200 m east of Shirakawa / Marutamachi, in the vicinity of both Ginkaku-ji and the Philosopherﾕs Walk. Open 10:00 - 16:00, closed Mon and nat'l holidays. Tel: 771-6411.

Orinasukan Textile Museum

Popular with foreign tourists, this museum is located in the heart of Nishijin, Kyoto’s weaving district. Orinasukan offers the visitor a comprehensive overview of handmade fabric creation and related cultural aspects. The interior of the museum has preserved the atmosphere of Nishijin’s homes with skylights, central pillars and ceiling wells. Displayed inside are an excellent collection of handmade fabrics from all over Japan, Noh costumes, and weaving tools. A studio space next to the exhibition halls lets the visitor see textile works in progress. A tea shop and gift shop are also open to visitors. A stroll around the area, which is full of active dyeing and weaving shops, and historical sites, is also highly recommended. Open daily 10:00-16:00. Closed Mondays. Tel: 431-0020.

Orinasukan located in Nishijin, the historical center of the textile industry in Kyoto. The museum's permanent exhibits include Noh costumes, textiles from various regions of Japan, and period costumes from the end of the Edo period (1603-1867) to the Showa era (1926-1989). At the same time, visitors can listen to explanations from weavers who weave textiles by hand at the factory located on the premises. Visitors can enjoy a variety of traditional Japanese textiles, and also purchase them.

The museum itself is a notable piece of traditional Japanese architecture, an old Nishijin building that was renovated and repurposed. In contrast with the often-crowded Nishijin Textile Center, Orinasukan has a calm and quiet atmosphere, ideal for studying the fabrics on show. The adjacent annex, Susameisha, is a beautiful space with a blend of Japanese and Western styles that can be rented for concerts, exhibitions, and other events.

Orinasukan can be accessed from Kyoto Station by subway and bus (and a short walk from the bus stop). From the station, take the Kyoto Municipal Subway Karasuma Line, and transfer to the Kyoto Municipal Bus at Imadegawa. Get off at Imadegawa Jofukuji Temple and walk about 5 minutes north to the museum. Or take the Municipal Bus from Imadegawa to the Senbon Kamitachiuri bus stop. The museum is a 5-minute walk east of there.

The Umekoji Train Museum

Everybody loves trains. Three times each day (at 11:00, 13:30, and 15:30) a gleaming steam locomotive is rolled out along a little turntable at this interesting park near Kyoto Station. There are seventeen engines in the museum, of which six still move. You can't ride the big ones, although there is a toy railroad that takes kids around a track. A trip to the Umekoji Train Museum can be combined with sightseeing at Toji, the Hongan-ji temples, or even Sanjusangen-do. The Tourist Information Center is also nearby. If you've been thinking of taking a good stroll through a 'real Kyoto neighborhood', this is a good place. And while you're marvelling at the train, a shining reminder of the great optimistic age of engineering and technology, think about this: in 1945, had Secretary of War Henry L. Stimson not put his foot down and removed Kyoto from the list of targets for the atom bomb, this roundhouse would have been the epicenter of the blast.

Located 1 km west of Kyoto Station. Open 9:30 - 4:30, closed Mondays, or Tuesday when Monday is a holiday. Tel: 314-2996.

Lake Biwa Canal Museum

In the beginning of the Meiji era (circa 1880), Kyoto started to run short of water. A brilliant and visionary 21-year old engineer named Tanabe Sakuro, proposed a 20 kilometer canal be dug between the city and Lake Biwa to the east, much of it underground. Within five years, he overcame monumental problems and successfully completed Japan's first modern, large-scale public works project. The new canal also functioned as a highly profitable transport artery for rice, charcoal, ceramics, etc.

On the centenary of the canal's completion, Kyoto city built the small Lake Biwa Aqueduct Museum at Keage overlooking the pond behind the Kyoto Zoo, where the canal flows into the city's water system. The exhibits and the excellent historical photographs from the turn of the century are interesting.

The area, one kilometer east along the canal, is a highly recommended place to stroll in what can only be described as a tiny, lush valley that has been entirely forgotten by time. To enter the valley walk directly east from the museum towards Nanzen-ji. Just past the temple gate turn right and walk until you come to the red brick wall of the aqueduct. Follow this up towards the mountain and keep going. In the immediate area you will find an old, peaceful graveyard, a quiet temple with a grotto in behind it, and lastly the French Villa Kujoyama complex with its excellent views of over the city and superb art gallery.

Lake Biwa Canal Museum (752-2530) is open 9 am to 5 pm every day except Monday. Villa Kujoyama: 752-7171.

Fine Design: An interview with master cabinet maker Soren Matz

In April 1996, when this interview took place, Danish cabinetmaker Soren Matz was the manager of the interior section of Kohseki Co. Ltd., which is an affiliate Nakamura Komuten, probably Kansai's most famous specialist in the construction of traditional Japanese teahouses (sukiya-tsukuri), and related private homes. He has been with Kohseki since 1988, when the firm set up a mutually complementary workshop in the field of European interior design. Moving from his initial responsibility for custom-made wooden furniture, Matz's responsibilities have greatly expanded. Today, he is responsible for the import of a wide selection of highest quality Scandinavian interior goods. Basing his activities from Kohseki's 3-story head office and showroom in Kyoto, and a recently opened display space in Shinjuku Tokyo, he maintains close ties with highly skilled Scandinavian designers and artisans, particularly in Denmark. As part of his work he helps to supply Kohseki's diverse range of clients with distinctive silver and glassware, made-to-order carpets, original paintings, wrought-iron interior fixtures and objects, etc. Soren built on his success in Japan and moved to Shanghai in the early 2000s. His global stature as a great furniture designer and maker continued in Shanghai. To learn more about his current work visit his website: http://www.matzform.com/en/ .

YJPT: What were the most difficult aspects you faced in establishing yourself in Japan? How did you overcome these aspects.

SM: In the beginning the most difficult thing was getting to actually meet and communicate with traditional craftsmen. I overcame these difficulties by being persistent, which is very important in Japan. So I got involved with design societies, and followed through on introductions that were offered to me. Finally, after I gave up on Tokyo and came to Kyoto, I was introduced to a traditional joinery (sashimono) workshop through a Danish man I knew here who was married to a Japanese woman. I was accepted at the workshop on two conditions — that I studied Japanese and that I work for free. This was in 1986. I lasted about a year. And then, through a famous furniture designer I met in New York, Tom Hawker, I was provided with the opportunity to enter this incredible company. It's really funny but I find New York to be the best city in the world for getting introductions to the Japanese.

YJPT: What aspects of your work do you enjoy most?

SM: In the early days here I really enjoyed putting together pieces of furniture, working with my hands. Now I gain great satisfaction from seeing my clients become more interested in Scandinavian design, make more tasteful choices, become educated. I also love seeing the work we do help to make our client's projects successful.

YJPT: What kinds of design projects are you currently involved in?

SM: Well, right now, I'm actively involved in the design of furniture suited to the needs of the Japanese lifestyle. I'm also doing some work for a Danish theme park in Nagoya and a copy of Denmark's famous Tivoli gardens in Kurashiki.

YJPT:As a person who deeply admires great design sense, what places in Japan (or aspects of Japanese culture) do you feel are timeless from a design perspective? In Europe?

SM: Well in Japan I would have to say Ise Grand Shrine, Katsura Rikyu, and the thoughts of Japan's tea ceremony genius, Sen no Rikyu. As far as Europe goes, I remain totally entranced by the golden age of Danish furniture (the 50s), the work of Le Courbussier and Miess Van Der Rohe, and in particular Paris's La Maison de Verre by Pierre Chareau.

YJPT: In what way is your life here in Kyoto a synthesis of Japanese and European lifestyles?

SM: Well in terms of food, with the exception of breakfast, I'm totally Japanese. My home, again except for the kitchen and my box mattress (laughs), is also almost entirely Japanese. However, like so many Danes, I don't have a driver's license, and move about almost exclusively by bicycle. When it comes to fashion I'm crazy about Isse Miyake and Yoji Yamamoto. Another thing that is very Japanese is the fact that I'm drawn to a tatami space when I'm stressed out.

YJPT: In your Kyoto experience have you encountered other companies, like Kohseki, which have expanded their traditional business base with the injection of foreign approaches and products related to their original line of business? Do you feel this is a trend that will continue to grow?

SM: Yes, definitely. And yes this trend will definitely grow. But I rarely find that this is done with sensitivity, and that few companies are successful in incorporating foreign things into Japanese realities.

YJPT: How has your work been affected by the recession in the Japanese economy over the last few years?

SM: Well, as you can imagine, our construction division isn't getting many requests for 40 million dollar homes. But the growth in Scandinavian furniture has been phenomenal, 45% last year for Denmark alone. And I feel that the demand for the timeless, strong quality of Danish design products is destined to continue to grow. These are things that you can hand on to your children, and the Japanese appreciate that.

YJPT: What plans and hopes do you have for the future?

SM: I would definitely like to expand our Tokyo operations. And I would like to get involved in more exhibitions, as well as set up study groups to educate people on the simplicity of Japanese and Danish design for example. I also have a strong interest in publishing books on these and related subjects.

Content by Japan travel specialist & designer Ian Martin Ropke, founder & owner of Your Japan Private Tours (YJPT, est. 1990). I have been planning, designing, and making custom Japan private tours on all five Japanese islands since the early 1990s. I work closely with all of YJPT's Japan private tour clients and have a great team behind me. I promote YJPT through this content and only advertise at www.japan-guide.com, which has the best all-Japan English content & maps! If you are going to Japan and you understand the advantages of private travel, consider my services for your next trip to save time & have a better time. Ian Martin Ropke (unique on Google Search) is also a serious nonfiction and fiction writer, a startup founder (NexussPlus.com), and a spiritual wood sculptor. Learn more!