#summer box

The pamphlet in this months box talks about how the summers in Japan are hot and humid, but its still a time you should visit the country as there are many festivals to enjoy. After a few minutes of advise on what to do in Japan during the summer: mountain hiking, watermelon splitting, and visiting the breathtaking sunflower seeds; the pamphlet entices you to read on to see the items you’ve received while unraveling them.

The first item I fished (no pun intended) from my Kizuna box was the Goldfish Scooping Game Display set. Goldfish Scooping is a game that is popular at Japanese summer festivals. It involves players scooping goldfish with a paper scooper. The pamphlet also states that this was an original origami project from their team for the subscribers. I find the display set adorable and I’m amazed to find out that they took the time to create the goldfish for who knows how many boxes?!

The next thing I pulled from the box were the snack items! There was 1 Bourbon Petit rice cracker pack, and 2 eel pies. Both are things i have never tried before. The bourbon Petit rice crackers came in 1 of 2 flavors: Yakisoba (stir fried noodles) or Karaage (fried chicken) I received the Karaage flavor and I can’t wait to give it and the eel pies a try! They even add that both snacks are delicate and apologize if they don’t make it in one piece. Mine arrived in really good shape. Only one of the eel pies were broken, and only in one spot; hardly noticeable. 

The next item I pulled out was this beautiful Goldfish ceramic plate. It’s a Mino-yaki piece from the Gifu Prefecture; and it’s gorgeous! I love the colors and how it just brightens the area that it’s near. That and the goldfish are just adorable. Speaking, of adorable goldfish; that brings us to the next item I got from the box.

A Goldfish washi note pad and Goldfish washi tape. I’d like to first point out that both of these are going to come in handy for a person like me. I’m constantly jotting down little notes of things I need to remember, and the washi tape will play a nice part in the scrap book. The note pad is made of Echizen Washi and produced in Kyoto. Also, a fun fact I learned from the pamphlet and wasn’t aware of: Washi is commonly made from bark fibers of the gampi tree, the mitsumata shrub, or the paper mulberry. It’s appreciated for it’s unique texture and durability. 

A Hamamonyo Tenuhui handkerchief. Though I personally tend to use these to line the shelves that hold my collections, you can also use this as a handkerchief or a lunch mat. The pattern you see on it is inspired by water yoyo or mizu yoyo, which is a popular Japanese festival game. 

The second to last item in the box was a sunflowers and lady postcard. According to the pamphlet the postcard embraces the vintage romance lifestyle and fashion developing in the Taisho era (1912-1926), intended to evoke a sense of nostalgia. I find it to be super pretty, and have already added it to my scrap book. If you came here from my instagram, you may have noticed it in the video telling you this post was up!

Last, but Certainly not least is this Seto-yaki wind chime, or Furin. This isn’t the first furin I own, and it probably wont be the last. The reason being is the sound they produce is beautiful, soothing, and soft. Wind chimes I’ve heard my whole life have always bothered or annoyed me, but Japanese Furin simply bring me peace. This is, hands down, my favorite item in the box. I even might have danced a little when I realized what it was. Now, the pamphlet informs you that along with the goldfish, wind chimes are an icon of Japan’s summer. It’s also stated that Seto-yaki (seto ware) refers to a type of japanese pottery produced in and around the village of seto in Aichi Prefecture. Seto was the location of one of the six ancient kilns of japan. The Japanese term for ceramics from Seto (setomono) is used as a generic term for all pottery.