Japan is an amazing country with its culture, customs and mentality. Japanese culture intertwines ancient traditions, new technologies, fashion trends from Europe. For two hundred years, Japan had been isolated from the outside world, which helped it to preserve its identity. Interest in Japanese culture is growing every day.

Japanese culture is diverse in types of craft - amigurumi, mizuhiki, kusudama. You may have once heard of some species or owned them yourself.

Amigurumi — Japanese crocheted toys

Amigurumi ("knitted or wrapped") — a Japanese kind of knitting or crocheting of cute little animals, cartoon characters. They are usually 5-8 inches high with big heads and small hands. Traditionally, amigurumi is knitted in spiral using needles or a crochet hook of smaller size than required for the yarn not have gaps through which filling material can be seen. You need to start knitting amigurumi toys in spiral so that there were no holes. Now amigurumi is popular all over the world, and each country has added a pinch of their culture to this technique.

The mizuhiki is a Japanese art of tying cords

The mizuhiki — a Japanese technique of handicraft based on making special cords. This technique appeared in 18th century in the north of Japan, mizuhiki was originally used to decorate letters. Today, the scope of mizuhiki is very diverse — national costumes, bags, hairstyles, gift wrapping. Mizuhiki is a study of 300 different nodes, and each of them has its own meaning.

In Russia, this type of craft appeared in early 2000, as a packaging technique, and Russians liked it, and now there are schools teaching mizuhiki.

Kusudama — the art of creating balls

Kusudama is an ancient art of folding paper balls. One kusudama can consist of various modules reaching hundreds. Individual modules can be connected by means of bonding, stitching, friction. Originally, kusudama was used in medicine. Dried herbs were placed into three-dimensional paper balloons, then hung over the bed of a sick person. The Japanese believed that kusudama promoted rapid recovery.

Many years later, kusudama began to be used for decoration of festive places, to give as a gift. Kusudama art develops, and now it is not only round, but cubic form. The production of one kusudama can take months of hard work. The largest structure, made in the technique of kusudama, was assembled from 2800 identical modules. More than three weeks were spent on work.

The number of kusudama fans is growing, exhibitions are held around the world, schools are opening, annual competitions are held in Tokyo. Kusudama inspires many designers around the world to creat interior decorations.