Friday 22 November 2019

Some lovely vintage kokeshi on our etsy shop

We are selling a fantastic sellection of vintage kokeshi at our etsy shop

Find out more about how kokeshi are made in this video:

Friday 15 November 2019

Tuesday 5 November 2019

Wednesday 9 October 2019

Tuesday 10 September 2019

Rugby World Cup in Japan starting soon - buy a hachimaki to cheer your team to certain victory!

Tenugui Hachimaki now available at Japanya

Hissho 必勝 translates as “certain victory”

Tuesday 27 August 2019

About Kokeshi Dolls


Kokeshi dolls, originating from the Tohoku region of Northern Japan, are simple wooden dolls with no arms or legs. The making of these handmade dolls dates back more thant 150 years to when kijiya (woodworkers) accustomed to making bowls and trays, began using their woodworking skills to make simple dolls to sell as souvenirs and toys to onsen visitors. Read more about kokeshi dolls on our kokeshi infomation page.

Saturday 4 May 2019

Understanding Japanya Kimono Measurements





Many of Japanya's kimono gown customers are replacing a kimono that they have purchased while visiting Japan.  A good place to start when choosing the size of your new kimono is to compare key measurements such as length, front panel width, and back width.  Within our kimono gallery pages we have indroduced figures which show all the measurements you will need to make a comparison with your current kimono gown and ours.

The kimono diagrams also illustrate the type of sleeve a particular gown has. For example the gown in the figure above has sleeves which are attached to the kimono body at their base. In addition, the opening can be seen to be the full length of the sleeve drop. In contrast, the the gown shown below has long sleeves which are detached from the kimono body at their underside and the arm openings are restricted to the upper section of the sleeves.

Example of gown with sleeves with partial opening.



Tuesday 5 February 2019

Secondhand Oshima Tsumugi silk haori and kimono

Oshima tsumugi haori

We have just received a batch of lovely vintage Oshima tsumugi silk haori and kimono.

Oshima tsumugi silk is traditionally made on Amami Oshima an island halfway between Kyushu and Okinawa. It is a lightweight high quality silk created by using threads pre-dyed with natural dyes Typically the warp and weft threads are different colours. Oshima tsumugi (unlike other tsumugi silks) has a smooth texture, it is resistant to wrinkles and has a beautiful subtle sheen.

Oshima tsumugi kimono