all things blue and white, tokyo

Not only did I visit the legendary Blue & White shop in the Asabu Juban district, I was welcomed by its generous owner, Amy Katoh. What a spirited and inspired woman! Amy seems to be non-stop in her endeavors of all things authentically crafted in Japan—in blue and white.

I purchased the shop’s 2010 calendar with bold prints on the top half of each month. My intention is to mount the prints and hang them in my dyeing studio—as they are printed on wonderful paper.

At the front of the store was a small exhibition of Boro work. It’s like shibori—covered with stitching—but much more folksy and textural. I bought Amy's book on Boro and now know more about the remarkable yet practical artwork originally made by poor farmers’ and fishermens’ wives out of neccesity.

Blue & White is two blocks from the Azabu Juban JR train stop, at 2-9-2 Azabujuban, Minato-ku, Tokyo.