I couldn’t resist this beauty at Tomioka Hachimangu today. Yes, it is looking like I might need some intervention…
Related Post: Buoys, Bottles and Bargains…The Rainy Day Special at Kawagoe
Glass
A Small Saturday Secret…Shrine Sale in Azabu Juban
While not actually a secret, no one ever seems to list or mention the small shrine sale held in the patio square of Azabu Juban. I guess in all fairness, it isn’t an actual shrine sale as there is no shrine, but the feel is the same. No more than 12 dealers come every first Saturday of the month and they usually pack up by 3 p.m. As it is just down the hill from my house, I go regularly and always get lucky. There is something about small sales that makes shopping easier – like going to a favorite boutique instead of a large department store – it just gives you a more focussed view.
There was a bit of everything this past Saturday – lacquer serving pieces and small chests perfect for holding jewelry.
This set of really pretty Imari plates with tiny diapered patterns.
I can imagine them hanging on the wall in Olya and Charles Thompson’s richly colored Brooklyn brownstone.
An adorable collection of tiny shoyu (soy sauce) dishes, particularly the more unusual blue and white and celadon ones, looks like a plate wall display in miniature…
I loved this tiny wooden hibachi (charcoal brazier) with inlaid wisteria. It had its original copper lining and would be perfect for autumn flower displays. I’ve not seen this wooden style so small – it was about the size of a pineapple.
I also loved these two fabulous huge iron hibachi…
…perfect for planting palms in the Schuyler Samperton style. (And if you love palm trees and layered eclecticism make sure to look through her portfolio).
And for myself? OK, I admit I have gone a little crazy – glass crazy that is. Ever since my finds at Kawagoe I am obsessed with blue-green glass, old bottles and floats! I am not sure if my huge bottle will fit where I want it, so what about a small collection of little bottles, just in case?
These two had visible bubbles in the glass and an older hand blown feel.
The smaller bottle had a threaded neck. When I bought it, I hoped to be able to add a spout or pump and use it for liquid soap. 
Kind of like this!
More information on the shrine sale schedule can be found in the tab at the top of the blog. Feel free to email me if you have any questions!
Image credits: 1,2,4,5, 6, 8 & 9. me, 3. Vogue January 2010 , photo credit: Francois Halard, 7. Domino April 2007, photo credit: Paul Costello, 10. Unknown
The Mail is Always Late…more on Japanese Glass Fishing Floats and Sudare
One of the disadvantages of living in Tokyo is that magazines are hard to come by. International subscriptions are expensive and often arrive well after they do on the newsstands back in their originating country. So of course I got the November House Beautiful the day after I wrote my last post on the glass float and bottle I found at the Kawagoe shrine sale, and it was full of images I wanted to share. So here are a few, just a little bit late…
Peter Dunham, another favorite designer of mine, featured a beautiful greenish glass bottle on the counter of the kitchen in this L.A. home he designed. He also used a number of clear giant bottle lamps in the living room and bedrooms.
And in the same issue, designer Steven Gambrel seems to have gone shopping with Tom Scheerer for the glass float lamp in his front entryway.
That photo jogged my memory and sent me scurrying to page through Gambrel’s portfolio. Voila, he uses the same lamp in a boy’s room in a Long Island Beach house. Gotta love the nautical maps made into wallpaper.
He also uses a giant glass bottle in the entryway of the same home. Perhaps he and Mr. Scheerer need to duke it out for the “king of the glass bottle” title.
One more from another beach house on Long Island that he designed – this one in Bridgehampton – with two huge blue glass fishing floats. 
And finally, Gambrel does a double whammy in his own Sag Harbor house, using a glass float and the netted lamp together. 
On another note, I also just got my hands on the October issue of The World of Interiors. It featured an amazing new house on the Costa del Sol, built by Studio Peregalli Sartori to look as if had “the patina of the past”. While the entire house is rich with antique architectural elements, the tower bathroom is my favorite with its magical old world elegance. There is great tension between the coolness of the white fixtures and the marble floor contrasted with the warmth of the Moroccan tiles and the Japanese sudare blinds covering the windows. For more on sudare, check out my post here.
I think I could really live in that bathroom…
Image credits: 1 & 2. House Beautiful November 2010, 1. photo credit: Victoria Pearson, 2. photo credit: Steven Gambrel, 3-6. Steven Gambrel , 7 & 8. The World of Interiors October 2010, photo credit: Roland Beaufre
Buoys, Bottles and Bargains…the Rainy Day Special at Kawagoe
There is nothing like the indecision of a rainy shrine sale day. Will the vendors be there? Is it worth going? This past Thursday was no exception. The eagerly awaited Kawagoe market falls on the 28th of each month and I skipped it last month as it was pouring out (and later heard that no one was there). We had planned to go this month, no matter what. But as we readied ourselves to leave, it began to rain. Nonetheless, after stalling over yummy breakfast, we set out on the 1 hour drive.
Well, they say “good things come in small packages”. I wish there was a similar adage for “great bargains come from rainy day shrine sales”. There were only about 20% of the vendors present, everything was covered in plastic tarps with only a few brave customers wandering around – mostly foreigners (the only ones foolish enough to be there). We jumped in and had the best day! Let me show you what I found…
First, this huge turquoise bottle originally used to hold alcohol of some kind. The dealer offered me his “rainy day special price” and I couldn’t resist.
I have long adored the interiors designed by Tom Scheerer, the king of the giant glass bottle. If you page through his portfolio or back issues of shelter magazines, there is not a single project that doesn’t include a gorgeous glass bottle in some way.
Often, the bottles have been converted into lamps.
I was so excited about my bottle, that I was unprepared for what I found next. I had long admired these Japanese fishing floats in magazines, but never seen one for sale in Japan. I got the large aquamarine one to go with my giant bottle. It has its original net and is in great condition. I had thought they were asking a bit too much for it, but luckily the dealer who sold me the giant bottle came over and got involved. He convinced them to give me a rainy day special price too!
Japanese glass fishing floats have been used by fishermen here for most of the last century. Floats continue to be in use today, but many have broken off from their nets and surf the Pacific Ocean, sometimes for decades. The floats follow the ocean currents and tend to wash up on shore in Alaska, the Pacific Northwest and islands throughout the region, especially after storms. There are devoted beachcombers who go out and hunt for these treasures, sometimes even flying to a remote area. Take a look at Glass Float Junkie’s blog for more history, information and great photos.
Modern day collectors love them for their decorative possibilities. Thom Filicia hangs three as an accent in a lake house.
Jeffrey Bilhuber has used two as pendants in his adorable Rose Cottage on Nantucket Island. They are like jewelry in the room!
Tom Scheerer has even managed to inspire one into a lamp.
The popular market place has picked up on the trend as well. Pottery Barn had a Japanese float lamp, which is no longer available, but can be found on eBay…
and currently has the giant bottles.
Japanese glass floats have inspired artists as well. Dale Chihuly, the world-renowned glass artist has a series called Niijima Floats. Around 1990 he visited a glass school on the island and it reminded him of “the Japanese fishing floats, which [he] used to collect on the beach when [he] was a kid in Washington State on the Pacific Ocean.” Chihuly’s floats can be giant – up to 40 inches in diameter – and brightly colored, but I found these sheer blue ones particularly beautiful.
I haven’t had a chance yet to clean mine up and look for markings. More details to follow, including where I plan on using my finds, but as many of you know, I am renovating a bathroom at my NJ beach house (hint, hint). Other bloggers have written about these floats and I recommend posts at Completely Coastal and Things that Inspire.
I am going to leave you with this most beautiful image. Maybelline Te of Frou La La took this photo of the loggia at a friend’s house in the Philippines just resplendent with hanging floats.
Wow!
Image credits: 1 & 4. me, 2, 3 & 7. Tom Scheerer, 2. photo credit: Pieter Estersohn, 3 & 7. photo credit: Simon Upton, 5. Thom Filicia, 6. Jeffrey Bihuber in Architectural Digest, September 2003, photo credit: Peter Vanderwarker, 8 & 9. Pottery Barn, 10. Dale Chihuly, 11. Maybelline Te
Country Kitchens and Rice Crackers…a visit to Tomioka Hachimangu
Today I went to Tomioka Hachimangu shrine sale for the very first time. Established in 1627, the shrine has burned and been rebuilt repeatedly over the centuries and is particularly famous for its connection with sumo wrestling. Held on all Sundays of the month except the 3rd Sunday, the market was outstanding today (the 4th Sunday) with well over 80 dealers. Repeat visits will confirm which days are best, as I recognized many dealers who go elsewhere on other weekends. My guess is that the 4th Sunday may be the best one as there are few other nearby options. I did also meet a number of dealers unique to this market as well.
But today, even amidst all the wonderful Japanese antiques, what caught my eye over and over again were the vintage glass senbei (rice cracker) canisters. Occasionally you see one or two, but today they were everywhere in splendid and unusual variety. These were not the only ones I saw, but I tried to keep the photos to the best ones.
I had never seen a double stacked one before…What efficient use of counter space!
This shape was very rare, being squared off in the back to sit against the wall. The price reflected its scarcity!
Charming art deco styling on this one.
By far the best was this long narrow one. The metal cover is hinged for easy opening and it says “Cake Vessel” on the front. It would be perfect to hold spaghetti or bread sticks.
Modest upon first sight and taste, senbei are an integral part of Japanese food culture. On one hand, they are a basic snack kids love, while on the other hand, they can be sent as elegant gifts and souvenirs. They can be salty when dipped in soy sauce or speckled with nori (seaweed) or sweet when dipped in sugar or honey. There are still many traditional senbei shops scattered around in the nooks and crannies of Japan. Some have modernized, but others, like Tamaiya in Shimokitazawa, still keep the crackers in glass canisters.
My favorite senbei is from Tanuki Senbei in Azabu Juban. A tanuki translates best as “badger” or “racoon” in English, but is actually a mythical creature. A giant tanuki stands guard over the entranceway and their delicious crackers are baked in the shape of the animal. Supposedly, the Emperor orders his senbei from them!
Today’s market trip proves what I have been suspecting for a while. There is no doubt or surprise about it, I have country kitchens on my mind…Beadboard, weathered cabinets and butcher’s block, with rows of vintage canisters filled with staples lining the shelves.
A perfectly collated pantry…
Cuteness in a jar!
Tomioka Hachimangu is a few blocks from the Monzen Nakacho stop on the Toei Oedo line and the Tozai line. More details about the shrine sale can be found on the “Shrine Sale” tab at the top of the blog.
Image credits: 1-5. me, 6. via Tokyobling, 7. via Rekishi no Tabi, 8-10. all Country Living Magazine, 8. photo credit: Michael Luppino, 9. photo credit: Steve Gross & Sue Daley, 10. photo credit not listed.