Tokyo!

Very long time no write!

We have been crazy busy at Majacraft for the last couple of months and it has been a very exciting time. Things are just about under control again so I have finally had an opportunity to post again. Amongst other things that have been going on, Glynis (Mum) and I went to the Tokyo spinning party. It was a wonderful experience for me and we had a great time. Yuka, Vincent, Tae, Reiko and Katie were very gracious and generous hosts for us both and to be honest, we would have struggled without their help.

We arrived late Tuesday evening and took a bus to our hotel at Shinjuku. For the next day or so we had an opportunity to look around. We took the obligatory trip to Akihabara (Electric Town) as well as visiting the park at Shinjuku and the Mori Art Museum.

On the day we visited Akihabara, there was torrential rain. The water was deep in the street and very heavy. Our friends later told us that it was not just a rain shower but in fact a typhoon!

Our dealer, Yuka Aoshima of Kakara Woolworks invited us to visit  her home at Saitama and we shared a fantastic meal with Yuka, Vincent, Tae and Reiko at an All-You-Can-Eat pizza restaurant.

On Saturday we set up the stand with Reiko, Tae and Katie. Yuka is very pregnant and coming to the show would not have been practical. The days of the show were quite long when the temperature was much warmer than what we were accustomed to after coming from the New Zealand Winter. We met many special friends and were able to teach many people to spin on the Majacraft spinning wheels. As I mentioned earlier, Tae, Reiko and Katie were wonderful and a lot of fun to work with.

Among the many people we met, Tatsuya Jota who is the grandson of the inventor of Saori Weaving spent a little time talking with us. You can see his web site here www.jota28.com

On our last day in Japan, we got up very early to visit the fish market at Tsukiji where Tuna (and every other fish imaginable). It was altogether an amazing experience. The final icing on the cake was a trip on a high speed train (not the Shinkansen – I love trains!) to the airport. I know this post sounds full of superlatives but it really was as good as I have made it sound. The people we met and spent time with made a great trip so much better. Thank you Yuka, Tae, Reiko and Katie.

Until next time

Andy