Houses and apartments in Japan can come with many interesting features that are distinctively Japanese: automatic-flush toilets, tatami (straw mat) flooring, and kotatsu (heated tables), to name a few. But why stop with these? Have fun delving deeper into Japanese culture by adding the following classic Japanese decorations to your home interior.
Furin are traditional wind chimes originally hung in Buddhist temples. During hot Japanese summers, many people hang furin near a window or on a balcony and enjoy the gentle ring of the small bell as it sways in the breeze. To Japanese people, the furin is the sound of summer, evoking a sense of coolness and calm during a season of intense heat.
Furin come in a variety of designs and materials, including glass, bronze, or iron, depending on the region where they are produced. A strip of often colorful paper hangs down from the clapper in the middle of the bell, adding a decorative effect and helping produce the bell’s gentle ring. Try hanging a furin in your house as an elegant midsummer decoration.
A tenugui is a piece of patterned cloth, typically about three feet long and one foot wide. These cloths can be used in a variety of ways; for example, as hand towels, as headscarves, or even for wiping away sweat in summer. But their intricate designs are best displayed in the home, where they can be hung on a wall like a tapestry or laid on a table like a tablecloth.
There are plenty of beautiful designs to choose from, and many tenugui are painted or dyed by hand in an intricate design by Japanese craft artists. Hang a tenugui in your house on a wooden holder designed especially for that purpose, or place it in a frame for a modern slant on this traditional Japanese art.
Kokeshi are smooth wooden dolls, which were originally made as children’s toys in the early 19th century but have since become a cherished folk art. Authentic kokeshi are handmade, sometimes with the artist’s signature appearing as a red stamp on the base. Depending on the region, the shape or design of the dolls may vary slightly, but the defining characteristic of all kokeshi is that they have no arms or legs, just a trunk often decorated with traditional designs and a head with a simple face painted on it.
Kokeshi can brighten up any area of the house with their cute silhouette. Place one as an ornament on a shelf in the living room or as a decoration in the kids’ bedroom.
It feels good to change things around in the house every so often. Have fun adding a Japanese twist to your interior décor, and have a good clean out while you’re at it. Kurashinity’s fluent English-speaking housekeepers can clean and help refresh your living space, so you can enjoy decorating while undisturbed by clutter. Book Kurashinity’s Initial Trial Service today, and spruce up your living space.
Originally from the United Kingdom, Jessica is a writer and translator now living happily by the sea just south of Tokyo in Kamakura, Japan.
