Summer is here and so are the best parts of summer.. Summer vacations! This year I decided to forgo the beach in lieu of following my heart and traveled all the way to Japan on a fabric and crafting adventure!
Craft shopping in Japan was out of this world! Stores filled to the brim with the cutest and most fashionable notions and accessories you can ever imagine! In Okadaya, one of the larger craft stores in Shinjuku I stood in amazement over the cute craft kits that lined their walls, so far different than anything that I have ever seen in the US or Europe! I splurged on a few needle felting kits and Hello Kitty children crafts.. I just hope that the pictures in the directions will be enough! :)
The crown jewel or diamond in the rough if you will is Nippori Fabric town, just a short 25 minute subway ride north of Tokyo center and we were deposited into a completely different world tucked away just barley on the outskirts of central Tokyo.
Nippori was established during the Taisho era, between 1912 to 1926, and has long been known as a fabric mecca. After walking just a few blocks from the station the streets opened up to endless
rows of fabric stores each different from the last. Some stores specializing in just children’s fabric, others in apparel and leather. All were lined with small sidewalk sales with reasonably priced half meter cuts, threads in every color of the rainbow as well as every kind of notion you can ever ask for.
I felt so overwhelmed at first and wanted to purchase everything that crossed my path but I knew that I had a budget and wanted to save up for the piece de resistance.. Tomato!
Tomato is a well-known group of discount fabric stores in Nippori that are notorious for 100¥ meters of fabric. Currently the Yen is almost 1 to 1 with the USD so that means posh, Japanese fabrics for about a buck!
The fabric in Japan is on long rolls rather than smaller compact bolts which can make shopping a bit tricky! I personally could not hold more than two at a time, so either I had to get each pattern cut immediately or my poor husband stood in a corner as I piled the rolls up against him while I was still deciding. Once I was ready to have my cuts made the excitement did not stop there! Most of the workers who cut the fabric were used to the large crowds and seemed to know a meter without even measuring, just slightly snipping one side of the fabric then tearing the rest of the way.
I had a great time digging through the 100¥ walls trying to find the most unique and different patterns. It seems as though all that I ended up with were meters of fabrics filled with cute Japanese characters or beautiful pastries and sweets.
In the end my poor husband could not hold any more overly stuffed heavy fabric bags so we had to say goodbye to Nippori. If you ever have a chance to visit Tokyo be sure to reserve a day just for craft shopping, you will not regret it!
Happy Slicing!
Best,
Jenn
P.S. A very special thanks to Annie Smith with simplehearts.com for the pattern for my favorite new summer skirt (as shown) and for Lake House Dry Goods for the beautiful fabric that it was made from! Please go and check them out, they are my two newest favorites this summer!
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