The Land of the Rising Sun

I came across an old Japanese calendar when we moved into a rented premises years ago. The calendar contains old prints from Katsushita Hokusai collections. We got them all framed and hung them in our home for years. The influence from those prints were my first love for Japanese crafts and textile.  The Katsushita Hokusai prints below are courtesy of Google image, but some of them are the same as what we have. 

I will be leaving to join The Silk Study Tour  to Japan on Wednesday May 18th. and return June 12th. This blog will be unattended during that time so I thought I would leave you these great prints to enjoy....! 

Beautiful Woman by Katsushita Hokusai

I hope while I'm in Japan I will see someone wearing a Kimono. I also hope to find some vintage Kimonos to bring back.

Hibiscus and Sparrow - Katsushika Hokusai

I also hope to visit some of the beautiful Japanese gardens. In my experience the whole of Japan is Japanese garden!

Tama River in Musashi Province, Edo

And see Mount Fuji from the train on my travel from Tokyo to Osaka. I had glimpse of it the last time I was in Japan. It was a breath-taking view!

Shibori Festival - Arimatsu

I know I will see lot of Shibori both on the display and in the making. Would you believe it? The annual Shibori Festival at Arimatsu will be on while I'm there. The event happens on the first weekend in June every year. We will be spending that weekend in Nagoya.

Ryogohu Bridge at Onmayagashi by Hokusai

Ryōgoku bridge at

Hokusai - from an animated sketch book

I hope to see some of these prints as well.

The great wave

BUT I  do hope I'm not going see this (The great wave!) 

If you want to follow this tour please go here. It has been a rough road preparing for this trip after what has happened in Japan recently. Thanks goodness the road is now clear and the bag is now packed, I'm ready to follow this silk road to the land of the rising sun!!!