3 in 30 - 2001.10.07 Sunday
Photo packaging
We had a request for snapshots of some of the elegant packaging for which the Japanese are famous. To get some of the packaging that shows up in coffee table books, it is necessary to go to some of the higher priced shops and actually make a purchase. While there are a few exclusive shops in our Matsubara cho, I thought I would take a look at some more readily available options.
For instance, we have had photos processed from time to time and it typically is passed over the counter in an abundance of packaging. First, the negatives and prints are included in a colorfully printed envelope. As a service, they also provide a small paper and plastic album to display your pictures. Of course, as the customer, you get to choose which come out of the envelope and are placed in the album.
The envelope and album are then placed in a clear plastic sleeve, taped shut with the bill attached. This plastic sleeve goes into another plastic bag to carry out your purchase.
While this is not an elegant Japanese wrapping solution, it is somewhat indicative of what we perceive to be a need to package things up. Probably more than what we need. When we bring a cloth bag into a grocery store to use instead of a brand new plastic bag, the clerks are sometimes at a loss as what to do.
Tea boxes
On the other hand, ground up tea is shipped from the farms to shops in wooden boxes lined with tin. Both the tin and wood keep the tea at the proper level of humidity. The boxes are about the size that one person can carry, probably holding about 40-50 pounds of tea.
Boxes are made in smaller sizes for shops and individuals to store tea. The smaller ones—about 9x14x10 cm— are very popular for craft projects. Beverly and Candy covered these two with washi (Japanese paper). The largest ones, when a tea shop will sell them can be used like a small cedar chest and are sometimes covered with fabric and cushions.
The petals on the bush have fallen from a camellia tree that blossoms in the in October. The camellia in our yard blossoms in March.
Muskmelon in a box
Another item I see on the street in our neighborhood is the fruit stand by the train station. This is a muskmelon and box on display and for sale. While the container for the melon is not the woven straw we have seen in pictures, it is almost immaterial. In a sense, the melon itself is the elegant packaging.
These melons are cut from the vine with part of the vine, providing the appearance of having a handle. The melons themselves are grown in their own little hammocks so that they grow round and smooth.
These are not inexpensive melons. This one is priced at about $30.00 and is usually purchased as a gift rather than for the table. There is no guarantee that the melon is ripe or particularly tasty. The melon itself is the package.