The Great Wave Off Kanagawa (1823-29) by Hiroshige //

My dad and I went to a Japanese street market today, in Leiden (NL). The market was bigger than we expected: about 20 participants, with all kinds of Japanse products, varying from sports to sake, from antiques to origami and from bonsai to food. It was great fun walking along the Rapenburg and snoping around!

But I’d also expected a lot of Hello Kitty, Miffy, chopsticks, sumi-e art, lacques, Kimmidolls, Japanese fabrics, washi (paper and tape), maneki neko’s (waving cats), imari china, ikebana flowers, tea products and more. Maybe next year?

At the Hortus Botanicus of the University of Leiden was a Buddhist market were you could attend lectures and workshops with Japanese themes. But we went straight on to the Japanese museum, the Sieboldhuis, for an exhibition of  origami art by Akira Yoshizawa, entitled “Animal Farm”. Very impressive what he can do with just a sheet of paper! Within the Sieboldhuis you will also find art trader Hotei. They sell the most beautiful antique prints by Hiroshige, for app. 2500-4500 euros. Too expensive for me unfortunately, but I did leave with to gorgeous books on the art of Hiroshige and Hokusa and a bottle of Kizan sake (via Yoigokoch).