Tokyo Weekender is a long-standing publication based in Tokyo, originally founded in 1970 as an English language print periodical for expatriates living in Japan. Back in the day we used it when we lived in Japan but hadn't seen it ourselves for some time until one of their correspondents, Sarah B Hodges, recently published articles on kimono culture, which came up on Facebook – so, as we enjoyed them so much we want to share them here on our blog.
If you are an enthusiast of Japanese Culture, particularly what we like to call kimono culture, we highly recommend these pieces in Tokyo Weekender. As for the publication itself, here's how they describe their own 21st Century Tokyo Weekender iteration as a publication:
Founded in 1970, Tokyo Weekender has been the cornerstone of expat life for over four decades.
Over the years TW has evolved from a newsprint tabloid in Japan’s bubble era to a full-color monthly glossy magazine and a daily updated website that reaches tens of thousands of readers each month.
Today, TW continues that long tradition, bringing all the latest events, news, views and interviews from the world’s biggest city: Tokyo.
We loved Sarah's recent articles on TW and feel they are surely of interest to our own kitsuke (kimono-wearing) customers and visitors to our US-based website, www.yokodana.com, YokoDana Kimono. Sarah's latest piece shares the stories of four non-Japanese kimono purveyors-experts. Her earlier articles also delve into other developments in kimono culture.
Sarah B. Hodge's article on July 11, 2019 is what first caught our eye: "My Love Affair with Kimono: Four Specialists Share Their Journey" . She shares the stories of some expert-enthusiasts, non-Japanese who fell in love with -- and learned much about -- traditional wearing of kimono. What we loved about her selection of whom to interview is the fact that each person featured comes from a place of passion for kimono culture. Each interviewee is an auto-didact in their own way, and whose love and initial personal passion evolved into a viable business. We love that.
Since we’ve been selling bulk vintage Japanese kimono and fabrics online ourselves on www.yokodana.com since 1998, we deeply appreciate it when quality, well-informed information on kimono is published anywhere, helping to spread accurate information and respectful appreciation of the beauty which kimono can bring. We invite you to give Tokyo Weekender a look. Yoko Lewis