In the previous post, I summarized my voice regarding “Boro” as follows: it exists in a world where there are no answers, and often no definition, but with mutual understanding. As I received a comment, I realized this (no answers, but mutual understanding) is the most important message I need to deliver to the people […]
I have been sharing what Sashiko/Boro is for us. I hope you understand that what I share is “My” Stories – and there are no “Right and Wrong” in Sashiko. I just want to share the original stories as a Japanese person who practices Sashiko, instead of interpretation by non-Japanese who have limited understanding of […]
Another episode of my continuous challenge: “What is Boro, anyway?”. I will have a Thursday Youtube Live Streaming today (1/20) at 9 pm EST. Bring your own stitching project, and join via the comment section. Boro in English is interestingly transformed into something else. The culture changes, but the change should be done mindfully – […]
I share my honest Sashiko Stories. I say that Sashiko in English isn’t wrong, but insufficient. For those who think they already know about Sashiko, my voice can be interpreted as an act of “Division” or “Fragmentation”. No, “Exclusion” is the opposite of my voice. All I am asking is to “learn” more so that […]
I often receive a request to share my idea for Cultural Appropriation (C/A). I am still learning about C/A, and nowhere close to the “expert”. However, as the one who experiences it now, I am sharing my honest feelings. The simplest point is “Acknowledgement”, not right or wrong, while many talk about the “Fairness” in […]
All I am doing is to be “the someone” I wanted to have when I was a child. ☆ Everyone has their own challenges. In this society, sometimes, “What one has” doesn’t define happiness, and so was my childhood. “How much we have” is important to dodge unfortunate events, but they are all relative to […]
In 2015, before I truly faced my fate, I was all about the “desire for approval”. I wanted to be someone that I wasn’t. I was always looking for something to be “recognized”. After a year of talking to myself after tragedy, I learned how to be a friend of “desire for approval”, not a […]
One of the biggest misunderstandings about Sashiko & Boro exists in the difference of “Approach”. In English, they say, “Sashiko is Mending Technique” and “Boro is Salvage”. They aren’t wrong statements but it filters the core of its practice. ☆ Sashiko isn’t a miracle drug to solve the current clothing culture in SDGs. Yes, a […]
I want you and everyone to enjoy Sashiko. I really do. Therefore, I want you to try to learn the whole picture, instead of the “Sashiko (as Instant Gratification)” filtered & modified by those who use Sashiko/Boro to sell their products. I say something uncomfortable to protect the “Essence of Japanese” in Sashiko. It can […]
Many agree that “Mending Fabric” is similar to the process of “Mending ourselves”. I move my needle in complete silence when I am in need of “mending myself”. It isn’t easy to go through this “Internet based on Individualism”, where anyone can say anything with complete ignorance, without expecting the pain. I speak up to […]