Japanese Classics via New York

Asako Ueno grew up just south of Tokyo in the coastal town of Chigasaki, where, for 15 years, she owned a shop specializing in imported goods for beach living. Later, she worked as a buying consultant for the late, great New York branch of department store Takashimaya where, she tells us, “I learned what to look out for and how to find well designed products and their passionate creators.” Based in Brooklyn since 2009, Ueno now runs her own online enterprises: Southern Accents New York, which brings a well-edited look at overseas life to Japan, and Anzu New York, which is devoted to introducing time-honored Japanese goods to an American audience. Here are some of her Japanese finds. 

Above: A Large Tea Pot Ash Gray, porcelain with a rattan handle and built-in tea strainer; $85.  

Above: Handwoven Bamboo Sieve Baskets, 8.3-inches wide; $38 each –“simple, even basic, but everlasting,” says Asako, who points out that it in addition to rustic sieves, they make a good fruit containes.

 

Above: A set of four Chinese-style Black Bamboo Spoons made in Kyoto; $65.

Above: From the orchard region Aomori, a light but strong Bamboo Apple Basket; $150. Asako recommends using it as a shopping basket.

Above: Gray and black-glazed dinnerware by Yumiko Iihoshi. The small Tori Dish, here filled with jam, is also used as a tea bag holder and sweets plate; $30.

Above: The Copper Tea Leaf Container for matcha, hand-hammered from two sheets of copper with an intricate closure: $280. 

Want to see some of these pieces firsthand? Anzu New York will be joining us at our first Remodelista Market in New York.

And for more online shopping, check out another great source for well-crafted Japanese goods: Analogue Life in Nagoya.