[The Wisdom of Enjoying Japan's Summer Coolness Through the Five Senses]
Our showroom is filled with items that evoke the essence of summer. Taking a close look at each piece, we can feel the wisdom passed down through generations in Japanese daily life—not only to alleviate the heat, but also to truly enjoy the summer season. While hot days continue, are there any practices you incorporate to soften the heat or make summer more enjoyable?
Today, with air conditioners and electric fans capable of lowering room temperatures, ways to cope with the heat have become vastly more convenient. Even so, when we inhale a refreshing fragrance, create a breeze with a uchiwa fan, or listen intently to the sound of a furin wind chime, do we not feel a different kind of coolness? It seems that Japan has long practiced ways to spend summer comfortably through the five senses, such as scent, sound, wind, and light.
Take fragrance, for example. The culture of burning aromatic woods and spices to enjoy their scents was introduced from China and nurtured in Japan. Invisible to the eye yet capable of transforming the impression of a space, fragrance calms the mind and evokes the season. Gazing at the gently swaying smoke is almost like watching a visual manifestation of quiet time. When burning incense, aromatic wood, or white sage, an item you might want to try is the Mame Hibachi by Iwamoto Kiyoshi Shoten. While opportunities to use a hibachi in daily life are rare nowadays, a mini hibachi inheriting that small form is easy to incorporate into modern homes and can be enjoyed as a tool for burning incense.
When it comes to tools for enjoying the "wind," we have uchiwa fans and furin wind chimes. Tracing history back, uchiwa fans were used not only to ward off the heat but also for rituals and decorations, and during the Sengoku period, they were even used as military command fans (gunbai uchiwa) to direct troops, eventually spreading to the lives of commoners by the Edo period. The breeze created by gently waving a fan allows the skin to feel a softness distinct from mechanical wind. On the other hand, furin wind chimes make us feel coolness not through the wind itself, but through "sound." While sounds do not actually lower the temperature, hearing them sway and echo in the breeze makes us aware of the wind's presence. Such sensory "coolness" has long been cherished as part of the Japanese summer landscape.
On summer nights, gazing at the small light of a candle is also wonderful. Spending time watching a flickering flame helps the mind gently transition away from the daytime heat. With a slightly different flair, when speaking of Japanese summer nights, there are ghost stories told in dimly lit rooms by the light of a candle. Perhaps getting a sudden shudder as a way to "cool down" and forget the summer heat is another form of coolness.
Looking at it this way, "coolness" is not determined solely by the temperature. Why not naturally incorporate the wisdom of traditional lifestyles into your modern life—enjoying fragrances, raising a breeze, listening closely to sounds, and watching lights—to comfortably experience summer through all five senses?
At our showroom, you can view various products that let you feel the summer season. When you are in the neighborhood for homecoming or travel, please feel free to drop by the Wakamatsu Showroom.
Iwamoto Kiyoshi Shoten's Mame Hibachi
https://www.shokunin.com/en/iwamoto/hibachi.html
Sunami Toru Shoten's Ikago
https://www.shokunin.com/en/sunami/ikago.html
Kurikawa Shoten's Shibu Uchiwa
https://www.shokunin.com/en/kurikawa/
Nakamura Rousoku's Erousoku
https://www.shokunin.com/en/nakamura/erousoku.html
Nakamura Rousoku's Mokurobogata
https://www.shokunin.com/en/nakamura/mokurobogata.html
Otera Kohachiro Shoten's Wind Chime
https://www.shokunin.com/en/otera/furin.html
Showroom Information
https://www.shokunin.com/en/showroom/
References
https://www.nipponkodo.co.jp/iyashi/culture/
https://www.ibasen.co.jp/pages/2303_uchiwa_history
