Slow Life Lessons From Japan’s Silk Farming Industry
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- čas přidán 16. 07. 2024
- We visited the Nomura Silk Museum and workshop in Ehime Prefecture, Japan to learn about sericulture: silk farming and weaving. From silkworms to reeling, fiber art, natural dyes, and weaving, this Japanese tradition holds some lovely lessons for slow living in rural Japan.
Filmed with permission at the Seiyoshi Nomura Silk Museum in Ehime prefecture, Japan.
www.city.seiyo.ehime.jp/kakuk...
More information about our trip here:
www.inakalifestyle.com/silk-f...
Follow for more rural Japan life, simple Japanese home design, Japan countryside culture, gardening, Japanese food, intentional slow living and DIY home renovation. It's Ghibli in real life over here. I can't wait to share more with you.
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I live in a vacant house ( akiya ) in the inaka countryside of Ehime Prefecture, Shikoku, Japan. It is a Showa-era farmhouse with traditional tatami rooms and fusuma sliding doors. I'm a former career interior designer (American certification/license), and now I'm a foreigner living in Japan. I'll renovate my house while considering the Japanese 'Mottainai' principle, reusing as much as possible.
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📽 WANNA SEE MORE? START AT THE BEGINNING: • Bitsii in inaka all-vi...
#japancountryside #silk #slowliving #fiberart
00:00 Introduction
03:33 Old Cottage Industry Silk Building
04:20 Nomura, Nomura, Seiyo, Ehime Prefecture, Japan
05:32 Seiyo City Nomura Silk Museum
06:25 Processing rooms
07:15 Silk Reeling Machine
10:01 Natural dye workshop room
10:43 Silk history exhibit room
12:23 Making thread
14:13 Student project: hand-made kimono
15:41 Silk weaving experience
16:20 Preparing the shuttle
18:22 Loom
20:56 Silk scarf
21:53 Slow life reflections and conclusion
23:15 My ask to you
I appreciate your slow and considered way of life. As someone who has crafted (amateur) all my life, I have learned the importance of the journey as well as the destination. At the moment my craft of choice is dressmaking but, although I own a sewing machine, I am choosing to sew everything by hand, because it better allows me to appreciate the process.
Big thanks to my Patreon community donors: Carole H., James L., Stephen K., and Robin S! ⭐️
You are absolutely right to take the time you need. And to move with intention in the things you do. Thank you so much for sharing your slice of life!
Thank you for supporting me, Alexander!
@@bitsii Of course! Keep up the good life!
I really love the slower pace and simpler life that you're creating. Thank you for creating these videos, it's an education and makes me think about how I want to live my life sustainably. A slow life is appealing to me. 😊
In renovating your house, you have embraced renovating your values and your thinking. That's what makes your videos interesting! I am looking forward to seeing how your future unfolds. Also, you did a wonderful job on the scarf!
It's heartwarming how respectful you treat the house and honor its previous owner. Most of this DIY rebuilded Akiyas are portraying an effort to erase everything about that houses and their owners histories, and it's really sad. Lots of love from Brazil and wishes of good luck for you!
This was a great video. It was so relaxing to watch all of the little detailed explanations about silk.
Even though I unfortunately can't afford the Patreon right now, I'm gonna support by liking and commenting and so on. Keep going and take your time with all these videos. That's probably just what we need in this fast world of digital overflow
Fiber artists are smiling, i got into fiber art to help preserve tribal designs by using modern knitting methods & i hope that silk arts will stay alive & thrive too.
Well done on another great video.
I try to adhere to the same principles in life and I truly appreciate these vlogs and your so well articulated and considered opinions. Please post whenever is appropriate for you and we will follow along.
I have a deep love and respect for the silk farmers and weavers who are preserving this art and it is my first time ever seeing the complete process. In Asia I learnt how every part of an animal or plant is useful and seeing the worms are used for fish food confirms this, whereas in the west it is consume, consume, consume then throw away and start again consume, consume, consume.
Great video! This brought me back to when I visited the Tomioka Silk Mill many years ago in Gunma prefecture. Your words about Japan trying to preserve the tradition is very true because while I was living in that area, the local government was pushing hard to get it named as a World Heritage Site to protect it.
I think Irish Linen production has gone through a very similar life, from a cottage industry, to big industrial process, to be usurped by modern man made fibres. It is now a luxury material made by a few, mostly artisan producers. Excellent vid, love them all.. :)
I would love to find a proper linen leine for under my kilt. They're impossible.
That Dragonfly!
The video quality just keeps getting better! I love seeing each intricate detail hidden in these videos :)
You are a wonderful filmmaker. My favorite thing in the world is watching things being created and the traditions that go into creating. Lovely.
Such a comfy series, thanks for all the updates. Don't worry about pace, enjoy the time
Interesting, in that it is recalling past Japan from the interest of a "foreigner" living and appreciating Japan. Slow is good, like a classic Japanese made film. Thanks.
thank you for sharing this
This is your best video so far.
Slow and considered is absolutely my speed. I enjoy your videos and process and am looking forward to this slow path. Each video leaves much to think about and digest.
Slow and meaningful has powerful value. Thank you again XX
Beautiful
just loved this video
thanks for sharing
I think your scarf was amazing. Also, that golden silk was beautiful. I had no idea that onion skin was used to dye silk. I know everyone has a responsibility to create a life that will support them and their lifestyle financially, but I wish after setting up one's financial life, I wish we felt the responsibility to work in a dying, forgotten, or ancient industry. I just hate loosing that knowledge.
I love how you expressed slow living to be a powerful thing ❤️ It really is. Although I am curious to see how you live it makes my heart really really happy to know that you prioritize living well over 'living content'! My best wishes always
Exquisite, sublime, 360 degrees of goodness. Worth every moment of waiting for such astoundingly perfect films to arrive; not a moment too soon or too late. Lovely to experience this tempo of real life and connection to the natural world through your work. Always gratefully indebted for the experience. 🏆🎞📽
Some of the best content on CZcams imho, thank you 🙏
thanks. very interesting.
Slow is the way! Nice work.
Fascinating to watch silk from raw material to a final product. I was psyched to see the weaving loom is essentially the same as the one my grandmother used to make floor rugs from old clothing that people donated to her. I always wanted to learn how to weave with it, but was never given the opportunity before she passed. Your love for traditional and intentional arts is so beautiful and inspiring
Your videos are so calming! TY! ^^
Thanks for showing us the silk farming and processing. The scarf you made is so pretty. You really are an artistic person to come up with that design 🙂
I am taking at least the rest of my day to slow down. But I am just so angry and sad these days 😭
This is how to consider a work with meaning. Thank you so much to share with us this important part of the cultural life of the rural Japan !!
You are so right. It is one if not the most important failure of todays life to speed things up and up and up. One loses contact to the real worth of things and life. And in context you lose the relation to the people around you. Please go your way it is important.
👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻Thank you Bitsii! I really enjoyed this video! I find your thought process about your life in Inaka, in your acquired home, to be refreshing and intriguing. I won’t be able to support you financially but I will be here with the likes and the encouraging comments with each video you post. Just one note on this video.. for some reason the sound of your narration on this video, unlike the others you posted, wasn’t coming through consistently. Your voice kept dropping down in volume to almost inaudible off and on throughout so I had to turn my volume way up just to try to hear what you were saying in those spots. Otherwise it was a very enjoyable video! I especially liked watching you try silk weaving. ❤
Thank you for such a beautiful calm video. I raise silk in my home in Canada and I'm still learning how to work with the fibre. Maybe one day I can find a zakuri so I can reel the silk.
Thank you for slowing life down and really enjoying and sharing your new life adventure. I really enjoy your videos.
Oh wow that’s so interesting! Thank you for sharing the story & making such a cool video!
Excellent video, I’ve always wondered how silk was manufactured.
What a great video. I would have enjoyed it even more if the music wasn´t overpowering your voice so much. Thanks for taking us along on your experiences.
I think that in this topsy turvy crazy place we call a world, there is a place for lovely slow projects that are thought through and the result of both careful considerations and a care to do things properly. Take your time, it's your new place in your new life, that you're tailoring to suit yourself. Thanks for sharing when you can and don't worry too much about the naysayers! ^-^
Your weaving is very well done. It's good to hear you will treasure it. I have been hand weaving for over 30 years and often dream of visiting Japan one day. Until then I will be satisfied by watching your channel.
I like how your accent is becoming more Japanese 🥰
lol you think so?!?!
@@bitsii defo!
I really liked your designs for your home. It takes time to visualize, refine and carry out renovations especially in another culture.
Thank you for sharing this informative video. It's interesting to see a traditional craft through the different steps. The scarf you made may not be professional looking but it's yours and it's beautiful.
Learn a lot just by viewing your video, I can't imagine what was the silk factory tour was like.
Just got back from my morning run, sat down at my PC with some food break my 72 hour fast and see that Bitsii uploaded. This Saturday morning couldn't get any better!
I totally vibe with slow life lol Tlingits call it (along with other tribes) “running on Indian time”, meaning everything’s done at the pace that feels comfortable & right because rushing means quality is sacrificed & we’re very survival-conscientious since our environment is extreme & rural. We also believe in helping & caring for each other, especially Elders.
We live too fast. I would love to do this, or to be near it.
And I love mulberries. I wish they kept long enough to ship to a store. Maybe that is part of what makes them special.
awesome
Thanks for the video!
You are my favorite content creator, never felt this connection with any other.
The way you value things is the most important part.
Looking forward for more videos. Grettings from Portugal 🇵🇹 !
Love your videos. I like the pace ❤
Thanks for joining and leaving a kind note! I hope you'll stick around. :)
15:55 Looks like a Canadian loom!
By the way, from what I've learned so far, seems like before silk making became a craft or art many families in Japan were doing it as a side job. People had time in between the field work, so it was one of the ways to make more money to support yourselves. Many houses had those piramid shaped wooden boxes to grow the worms. Now people are different and they spend time differently. Old crafts are diying cause people don't feel the need in them. And I don't think they should die, but I am just a gaijin.
I had no idea that there’d been a silk making cottage industry in Japan. I’ve read that mulberry trees give off a pungent smell. Is this true? Such a precious item….
Hmmm no smell observed but maybe! Thanks for watching!
FYA: If there were supposed to be CC'd translations of the spoken Japanese, none of them made it through to the final video. At least on my end, CZcams may just be giving me grief specifically.
Ty!
Oh, I've seen one video about silk making in other country. Interesting to see how is it done in Japan. Ok, it is very similar, but I were expecting more manual work. Also interesting how at some point silk and cotton use the same tools to make things from it. Still silk production looks more involved
I had no idea Japan produced silk. I thought that was only India and that the Japanese imported it.
Hey Bitsii, just wondering - how is your Japanese coming along? Have you found it easy to learn and understand? Thanks for all these videos!
Getting better but very slowly!
❤
Wery intresting video! Wonder if there is a intrest to go on with seraculture in the emperor family. The video of empress emertiti and the emperor emeritus is sow lovely in meny way! But offcorse intrested persons like you must bee welkome in the special hand craft! Intresting videos you crea!🕊🇸🇪😊
I'm in the process of making tents that use biodegradable materials. I'm trying to find silk thread that is well suited for this project and would appreciate any information about getting it from Japan? I'm here in the United States. Thank you!
I love your latest work!!! (Video and scarf!!) I think you did a great job for a beginner weaver (not that I weave)! This gave me a good view of what happens when they start reeling, which is the part that I haven't found explained in my research on sericulture. I have thoroughly scanned CZcams for videos on sericulture awhile back and a good most of them are made by people in India in their language of choice, and most of the ones in English are people growing the worms to feed their pets then keeping a silk cocoon or two to use but they don't film that part (or they never got to it). Did they say the start of the cocoon was not great and they discarded it? or is it not actually connected?
Did you had a Shinto blessing for your house?
Is there differences in value for non-white cocoons? Like the one at 7:04 "looks like a leaf" green?
American farmers experimented with GMO cotton a few decades ago, so that the cotton wouldn't need to be dyed. Wonder if the same is true here?
There is a kind of wild silk worm in Japan that produces a naturally green cocoon. This facility focuses on non-chemical methods.
u dont know what u need to change or how to change it to fit you till u've lived there a while. ur working on a home, it takes time, energy, and money....sometimes u need to learn to do something which slows things down. this is life not a reality tv show that fakes a lot of things or has these massive crews.