Shinobu Aihara (head of OIKAZE, a regional trading company based in Marugame) recommends five items from the Museum Shop as gifts for the holiday season.
Shinobu Aihara (Representative Director, OIKAZE, Inc.)
Time has flown, and there are just a few days left of this year.
When the old year turns into the new, there seems to be a special atmosphere that is somehow different from the Golden Week and summer holiday periods.
There are a variety of ways to pass the holiday at the turn of the year: some of us spend time with friends, some of us spend with family or loved ones, and some work to support others.
Still, aren't we all preparing to welcome in the New Year, just as people have always done?
When we're thinking about other people at this time of year, we wonder how they'll spend the holiday. It's only natural to envisage how the recipient will use a gift and who they'll be with at this time of year. We may well be looking forward to being with them when they use it.
Marugame Genichiro-Inokuma Museum of Contemporary Art (MIMOCA) offers exclusive merchandise that has been created by keeping in mind the desire of Genichiro Inokuma (1902-1993) to bring beautiful and delightful things into people's everyday lives. The shop also carries other merchandise based on Inokuma's artwork. Here are five items I have selected from MIMOCA's extensive lineup that make perfect holiday gifts.
MIMOCA exclusive merchandise
Give a Horse Furoshiki for wrapping sumptuous holiday food
A furoshiki (wrapping cloth) with a horse pattern that is a based on a motif found in a mural at the Marugame City Central Library. Furoshiki can be used to wrap items of all sorts of shapes, and they have been used in Japan for hundreds and hundreds of years. During the holiday season, they're perfect for wrapping up boxes of osechi and other New Year's delicacies. Someone who receives a box of osechi wrapped in Inokuma's Horse Furoshiki will surely feel special.
Horse Furoshiki, green or blue
Price: JPY2,750
Fabric: 100% cotton
Size: 92cm x 92cm
Weight: 120g
Give a set of cutlery to use at a family gathering
A gift box containing a set of teaspoons, ice cream spoons, and cake forks with graceful design incorporating the MIMOCA logo. Enjoy teatime with shiny new cutlery to start off the New Year! What a great way to start afresh and spend some time with the family.
Cutlery gift set, six pieces
Price: JPY4,840
Material: 18/12 stainless steel (18% or more chromium, 12% or more nickel)
Give MIMOCA drip coffee for a break from holiday food
The museum's blend of coffee is characterized by a soft bitterness, deep richness, and a complex, deep aroma. The packages have about ten different designs, so it can be hard to decide which package is the best. We recommend this coffee for when you've finished your deep-clean at the end of the year, or when you're ready to take a break from New Year's delicacies.
MIMOCA drip coffee
Price: JPY275
Ingredients: coffee beans
(Countries of origin: Brazil, India)
Net weight: 15g
Artwork: Genichiro Inokuma
Product design: Schule 963
Made by: Craftsman's Factory
Give a memo pad for playing with the kids in the family
A memo pad embellished with Inokuma's horse motif. Each memo pad has three different horse designs. I chose this item with the idea that I can add something to Inokuma's horses to make it into a flip book to play with the kids in my family.
Horse memo pad
Price: JPY550
210 sheets per pad (3 designs x 70 sheets)
Colors: yellow, sky blue, violet
Material: paper
Size: 10cm x 9cm x 2.5cm
Artwork: Genichiro Inokuma, titles unknown, years unknown
Product designed by OIKAZE
Give Inokuma-san enamelware filled with sweets to a busy mother
Inokuma-san enamelware container filled with oiri, sweets that originated in Marugame. In Kagawa, these sweets are commonly given to wedding guests, but they would also be good to eat with family and friends at New Year's for good luck. The enamelware is developed in collaboration with Noda Horo Inc. After enjoying the contents, it makes a great storage container. Enamelware does not stain or absorb odors. It is freezer safe and can be used on a stovetop. The container comes with a lid that makes it easy to stack and organize in the refrigerator. This is a versatile item that would be appreciated by someone who's busy with housework.
Sweets and Inokuma-san enamelware
Price: JPY2,750
Size: 183mm x 125mm x 62mm
Contents: 5 cups oiri and 2 pieces hakebiki
Artwork: Genichiro Inokuma, title unknown, 1955
MIMOCA exclusive merchandise can also be purchased at our online shop
https://www.mimoca.org/ja/shop/
*All product prices include tax
Shinobu Aihara (Representative Director, OIKAZE, Inc.)
https://oikaze-mg.com/
