こんにちは！ (Hello!)

Hi everyone! This is Melissa, the other half of the Akabana Designs team! We've put up a brand spanking new layout for the blog, featured around the gorgeous woods we get from many island nations. The header also features an ukulele from Hawaii and sanshin from Okinawa (we'll have a post dedicated to this awesome instrument soon!).

We hope you like it and come back soon (and often!)! :)

Giri-choco 義理チョコ

Valentine's Day is again upon us. And what does that mean? Well, in Japan, it means that women are "obligated" to give chocolate to all the creepy guys she works with. I don't know what marketing genius came up with the idea, but it's an awesome way to maintain a customer base of half the population.

For all you feminists, don't worry. Your day will come in exactly one month. On March 14th, that creepy guy you gave chocolate to has to return the favor.

Minsa-ori

So, you may (or may not) have noticed the design in the background of our blog. It may look like a bunch of nicely placed squares, but the design and the meaning behind them are from long ago and from a land far, far away.

It's called minsa-ori (ミンサー織り) and is a design that was typically woven into sashes in the Yaeyama archipelago, which is the southern portion of the Okinawa islands. The four and five square patterns symbolize couples to be together forever, and young girls would give these sashes to the men they were going to marry.

Its popularity has not diminished in the modern day due to its deep colors and unique, yet simple pattern. Today, the minsa-ori pattern is largely used in souvenirs around Okinawa because the design is unique to a specific part of one of Japan's smallest regions and can be found on anything from neckties to purses.

The best of the islands

ようこそ！めんそーれ！Aloha! Maeva! However you want to say it, it means WELCOME! This is our new blog here for Akabana- Designs. We will be sharing many things with you here on this blog. From crafting ideas to our interests and inspirations that help us in designing our origami jewelry. We will also be sharing random bits and pieces from the many cultures in Asia and the Pacific that provide the reasons we love these islands and hope they will help you to appreciate and love these cultures as well.

One thing all island cultures have in common is a reliance and a respect for the ocean. Nami (波) and nalu both mean "waves" in Japanese and Hawaiian respectively. The soothing sound of the waves crashing onto the beach is definitely something we always remember when thinking about the islands as they help inspire our work....especially when there is nearly two feet of freshly fallen snow outside my window!

We hope you check in here often to see what's on our minds, hear about any events we may be participating in, want to find out more about Asia-Pacific cultures or are just bored at work with nothing better to do. And always feel free to check out our stores on Etsy and Storenvy, or like us on Facebook!