It was exciting to stop by the Wonder 500™ Project exhibition pop-up at Exhibition Hall (4-16 West 43rd Street) to experience Japan in New York City!
Daily traditional tea and sweet tastings enhance your experience as you peruse the 500 unique Japanese products –
both edible and utilitarian -- on display and for purchase, only through February 9. Many of these items are unfamiliar outside of Japan.
Items from all 47 Japanese prefectures were selected by 30 of the country's top producers. Each of these pieces embodies the craftsmanship and superior design for which Japan is renowned.
The exhibition is open from 11 am until 7 pm daily, with admission free to the public.
Examples of Wonder 500™ products include:
*Suzugami tin paper that can be folded into endless variations to create newly shaped and stylish dishes for each of your meals. The tin paper can made flat again using a simple wooden roller.
*The Edo Glass Guinomi Sakasa Fuji -- Upside-down Mt. Fuji -- Sake Cup, which is the result of a traditional craft that has been passed down since Japan’s Edo period. The glass has been melted at the high temperature of 2,500 Fahrenheit (1,400 Celsius) and wrapped around an iron pole, then blown, pushed, and lengthened by hand to shape into glass pieces.
*Shottsuru fish sauce, which is aged 10 years using only fresh sailfin sandfish and sun-bathed salt, without a single drop of water added.
*The Karakami Kit, which allows you to print the traditional patterns of Kyoto Karakami paper art by hand.
Japanese design embodies both simplicity and practical innovation, providing an emotional allure fused together with fine craftsmanship. Through these 500 specially crafted and creative items, The Wonder 500™ campaign hopes to communicate the warmth and ingenuity of Japanese invention. The 500 products fall broadly into several industries including food, manufacturing, accessories and fashion, home décor, furniture design, and tourism. They range from items such as: specially hand-crafted lacquered chopsticks, hand-blown glass cups, denim, couture bags, condiments such as seasoning and sauces, and much more. Each and every one of the 500 items expresses the values embodied by Japanese society since ancient times, such as innovative craftsmanship, cutting-edge concepts and quality design.
The Wonder 500™ was exhibited at Paris Design Week in September 2015, while a selection of The Wonder 500™ products is on display at Monocle magazine’s Monocle Shops in London, Tokyo, New York, Hong Kong, Toronto, and Singapore until the end of March 2016.
The Wonder 500™ Project is an auxiliary enterprise of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry of Japan is Revamp Corporation (Headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo, Representative Director, President and CEO: Takashi Sawada).
It’s definitely worth stopping by!
Comments