I love thrifting videos so it's a joy to find one from Japan, when I didn't even know it was a 'thing' there. And of course so many unfamiliar (to me) items. It's also fascinating to see how different thrifters approach things. Your outlook seems cautious with tones of regret afterwards that you didn't buy many of the things you looked at. I'm exactly the opposite and, if the price is right, I don't hesitate. I can always find another new home for those things that don't work out. But we are all different in that respect.
I learned something from your video!!! I didn't know the name for flower frogs 😊 . Love the rhythm of the flow from your voice. Very nice and entertaining video. Thank you Arigato!
Love the dragon 🐉! You’re so knowledgeable about all these items. First time viewer here and die hard thrift shopper (in Australia we call them op shops). I’ve never been to the Oi market and can’t wait to be in Tokyo again to get there! Enjoy wearing your Haoris-I haven’t been game to wear mine yet 😅
Ned from Spain and this my first time seeing your videos. Great stuff, very informative and you made some incredible purchases. I only have two requests , 1st, please don't cut that butterfly obi into placemats and 2nd is you have to keep that wrought iron dragon. It's a once in a lifetime find and so beautiful. Thank you for the videos
Thank you so much for watching and for your kind comment! Will be back at Oi Racetrack Flea to show some more of the market soon!😊Happy you liked the obis!🤩🎶
Just discovered your channel Michelle. Found this video very hard to watch as it made me 'homesick" for Japan. I went to the Oi Keiba-jo flea market almost every weekend for 10 years before I moved back to Australia. I always arrived before 8am. Sometimes I had to take a taxi home (to Shiroganadai) as I couldn't carry my purchases on the bus.
Sounds like you scored amazing things at the market each week! Hope you were able to take most of it with you when you moved back to Australia. Thank you so much for watching!😊
Thank you for taking the time to reply. I brought all of my purchases home and use them every day. My house has many beautiful Japanese treasures. I like the knowledge you share about the items. Like you I was selective with my purchases and took time to research any unfamiliar items. @@tokyotique
The word “Kokeshi” literally means “child erase”. During times of famine in the north of Honshu new born and very young children were sacrificed because there just wasn’t enough food to feed them. The Kokeshi were carved and kept as more of a memorial to the deceased / erased child, and not used as “dolls”.
Wow!! What an amazing video! I learned so much about the arts and crafts of Japan! Much appreciate all the information you have included in your video. By the way, I’d be in Japan in a couple of weeks. I wonder if you could tell me a thrift shop where I could get some Obis. We’d be as the usual tourist areas like Asakusa, NIHONBASHI HAMACHO, Osaka and Kyoto. Is there any flea market that you could recommend around these areas? Thanks in advance for your time!
TOKYO Asakusa has several shops dotted around for second-hand kimonos, obis etc., some in the covered arcades. Kirakuya and Tansuya are in the Shin Nakamise Arcade. There’s another one called Tatsumi which is on a lane near the famous tempura restaurant Daikokuya, not far from Nakamise (shopping) Street. It's relatively easy to navigate the trains here so you could check out an antique market (usually held on weekends), depending on the dates you’re in town. Tomioka Hachimangu Antique Market is on 1st, 2nd, 4th, 5th Sunday each month (not too big a market so you can check it out in the morning maybe). Oedo Antique Market is much bigger and also has obis (1st & 3rd Sunday), right by Yurakucho station. Super easy to go by train.
KYOTO There's an excellent list/schedule of markets on the Kyoto City Official Travel Guide website. If you Google "List of Flea Markets in Kyoto" it will come up in English. Markets in Kyoto (and some in Tokyo) are often in shrine or temple grounds so perhaps you can combine it with sightseeing!😊🎶
The wrought iron dragon, looks a bit a like a shoe scrapper to me. Could also be just an ornament , but the edge on its back is a bit off for just that.
Thank you for watching and for your interesting interpretation!😊Most likely as traditionally our footwear were wooden geta sandals, we don’t have shoe scrapers in Japan. The dragon is also a highly sacred and spiritual being in Asian culture so unlikely we would scrape our feet on it😓🐉 so it’s just an ornament but wish I could figure out when it was made!🤔
Oh man, I've yet to go to the Oi Racetrack one. This is a dangerous proposition as I would need to buy another suitcase..I collect sosaku creative type kokeshi primarily yokai kappa...
Thank you for watching the video😊You never know what the vendors will have at this flea but usually there are always kokeshi in the covered car park area. Finding kappa kokeshi is a bit harder but you never know! Hope you enjoy visiting the market✨
Esse é realmente um problema de muitas pessoas que não conhecem a verdadeira seda. A seda é realmente um delicada assim como o linho. Tem que ser lavado de maneira específica. E a seda é tão especial,lembro em pequena os bichinhos é lindo porque depois deixam essa riqueza que para eles já não é necessário. É um processo natural lindo,a interligação entre humanos e esses seres.
Sim, no caso dos cintos obi de seda e dos quimonos a tinta começa a escorrer e a seda encolhe, por isso é preciso cuidar bem. Obrigada por assistir e pelo seu comentário!😊
Oh awesome! Some of the Bookoff Super Bazaars have Godzilla, Ultraman etc. figurines...but I confess I've never gone and investigated them properly😅Hardoff is super useful too for sure! Thanks so much for watching the channel and for your comment!😊
Depends on what the item is priced at and how many pieces you’re buying. If the price is already low they may say no. Also if it’s towards closing time you’re more likely to be successful. They often knock off a bit from the total for me when I haven’t even asked for a discount😊
...... i finally found out where that durp looking horse i picked up for .75 cents at a thift store came from.. i thought... russia? but nope.. its a yawata horse. its a long way from home... this is canada.
I'd love to know how to get the smell out of old obi! I have a bag full of them I love, but the smell is too overwhelming to work with them. Wonder why they get so stinky!
Thank you so much for watching and for the comment. There's an extra piece of material called "obi-shin" sandwiched between the outer silk layers and that tends to soak up sweat (I know, a bit gross...). Unless it's been aired out properly, this leads to mold and the smell. Specialists can remove and replace the "obi-shin" if you want to wear it as an obi again, but I split the obi down the seams and take it out myself if making placemats/table runners. The flimsier obis without an "obi-shin" can sometimes smell a bit too though😅I steam iron them (not directly onto the silk but with a cloth in between), then air them outside thoroughly. Hope you can get the smell out of yours!
Always a pleasure to join you on these trips. One question if I may: do you, Lady Tokyotique, or other informed readers know of reputable Tokyo dealers or markets for vintage Japanese eyeware. I would like to find antique or pre-owned spectacles and frames from companies like Matsuda, Masunaga and Kaneko. Thank you
Thank you so much for watching as always! Hmmm, unfortunately I don’t know anything about vintage Japanese eyeware. Googled for a good 20 mins but couldn’t find anything appropriate (vintage glasses dealers in Tokyo yes, but they seemed to be for non-Japanese brands). Hope somebody else will be able to assist!✨
Thank you for watching and commenting😊Another viewer asked me the same thing so will paste my response here: There's an extra piece of material called "obi-shin" sandwiched between the outer silk layers and that tends to soak up sweat (I know, a bit gross...). Unless it's been aired out properly, this leads to mold and the smell. Specialists can remove and replace the "obi-shin" if you want to wear it as an obi again, but I split the obi down the seams and take it out myself if making placemats/table runners. The flimsier obis without an "obi-shin" can sometimes smell a bit too though😅I steam iron them (not directly onto the silk but with a cloth in between), then air them outside thoroughly. Hope you can get the smell out of yours!
Thanks for your comment😊On hiatus from selling on any platforms (other than Mercari for domestic sales). Hope to have something set up for international sales again in the next few months😉
Depends on type of obi. If it’s one with a “shin” meaning an additional piece of material between the silk, that absorbs sweat which becomes moldy if not dried properly, hence the smell. In that case the “shin” needs to be removed and replaced, or if you’re making table runners or placemats, you can sew it up without a new “shin”. Types without the inner fabric, I air outside (but not in direct sunlight). Put it out daily for several weeks. Then steam iron with a cloth in between. All in all, it’s quite a mission. Sometimes the obi is too far gone to rectify the smell.
@@tokyotique Thank you so much for writing about smell/mold (which is not often done in vintage/thrifting communities - often they just advice to spray some vodka on smelly item) and giving an advice on obi and its layers. ❤️
@@sofijones5048 Oh yes, vodka! Someone suggested this in the comments once but, probably not a good idea…wetting a silk obi tends to damage it, even with water. You can try to hand wash in cold water but the threads tend to shrink and misshapen the obi, plus the dyes usually run. Hope airing it out/steaming it works for you should you ever need to remove the smell off an obi!😊
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I love thrifting videos so it's a joy to find one from Japan, when I didn't even know it was a 'thing' there. And of course so many unfamiliar (to me) items. It's also fascinating to see how different thrifters approach things. Your outlook seems cautious with tones of regret afterwards that you didn't buy many of the things you looked at. I'm exactly the opposite and, if the price is right, I don't hesitate. I can always find another new home for those things that don't work out. But we are all different in that respect.
Yeah, teeny weeny apartments in Tokyo with little to none storage space is the reason why I’m cautious😅Thank you for watching and for your comment!😊
Just had your channel in my feed. TH-cam sometimes recommends a great channel ❤
Aw thank you so much for watching and for your lovely encouraging comment! Super grateful!🥰
I learned something from your video!!! I didn't know the name for flower frogs 😊 . Love the rhythm of the flow from your voice. Very nice and entertaining video. Thank you Arigato!
Thank you so much for watching and for your lovely encouraging comment! Happy you liked the video! Arigato!!😊🎶
Love the dragon 🐉! You’re so knowledgeable about all these items. First time viewer here and die hard thrift shopper (in Australia we call them op shops). I’ve never been to the Oi market and can’t wait to be in Tokyo again to get there! Enjoy wearing your Haoris-I haven’t been game to wear mine yet 😅
Thank you so much for watching and for your lovely comment😊Hope you can make it to Oi Flea when you're next over here😍That's great you own a haori!😍
Ned from Spain and this my first time seeing your videos. Great stuff, very informative and you made some incredible purchases. I only have two requests , 1st, please don't cut that butterfly obi into placemats and 2nd is you have to keep that wrought iron dragon. It's a once in a lifetime find and so beautiful. Thank you for the videos
Thank you for so much for watching and glad you enjoyed the video😊
Awesome. Japan is so good for thrifting! So many good second hand things!
Thank you so much for watching and for your comment😊Super fun thrifting in Japan for sure! So many treasures to be found🎶
I’m so glad I discovered your channel, these videos are so cozy and relaxing.
Thank you so much for watching and for your lovely encouraging comment!😊🎶
such a beautiful video. so serene. can´t wait to follow more
Aw thank you so much for watching and for your lovely comment😊🎶
Fantastic! Lotsa fun and informative.
Thank you so much for your kind comment! Glad you enjoyed the video!😊🎶
I am watching from Canada and I love all your purchases especially the fabrics. Can’t wait for your next video. I love Kokeshi dolls😊
Thank you so much for watching from Canada and for your lovely comment!😊
That's exactly the kind of market I love! Thanks so much. Will definitely arrange to visit. I learned so much watching your video. Loved the obis too.
Thank you so much for watching and for your kind comment! Will be back at Oi Racetrack Flea to show some more of the market soon!😊Happy you liked the obis!🤩🎶
I’m so glad I found your channel……I adore kokeshi dolls so shall be definitely be going to this flee. I’m so excited ❤❤
Thank you so much for watching and for your kind comment!😊Hope you find something you like there!😍🎶
Just discovered your channel Michelle. Found this video very hard to watch as it made me 'homesick" for Japan. I went to the Oi Keiba-jo flea market almost every weekend for 10 years before I moved back to Australia. I always arrived before 8am. Sometimes I had to take a taxi home (to Shiroganadai) as I couldn't carry my purchases on the bus.
Sounds like you scored amazing things at the market each week! Hope you were able to take most of it with you when you moved back to Australia. Thank you so much for watching!😊
Thank you for taking the time to reply. I brought all of my purchases home and use them every day. My house has many beautiful Japanese treasures. I like the knowledge you share about the items. Like you I was selective with my purchases and took time to research any unfamiliar items. @@tokyotique
Hello there, great video. I have a friend who LOVES Koshi so I will tell here about this market.
Thank you so much for watching and for your kind comment! Hope your friend enjoys her day at the Oi Flea Market😊
I love watching videos like this 💙I collect kokeshi too💙watching from Philippines
Thank you for watching Janette and for your lovely comment!😊So nice you collect kokeshi too🥰Hello from Tokyo!🎶
thank you. I learn so much from you.
Thank you so much for watching and for your kind encouraging comment!😊
The word “Kokeshi” literally means “child erase”.
During times of famine in the north of Honshu new born and very young children were sacrificed because there just wasn’t enough food to feed them. The Kokeshi were carved and kept as more of a memorial to the deceased / erased child, and not used as “dolls”.
Thanks for watching and for your comment!
Thank you, i love your videos.
Thank you so much for watching and for your kind comment Brenda!😊
Oooh I used to live in Japan and go to these. I miss them so much
How lovely you used to go to fleas here😊Thank you for watching!✨
I would go crazy there❤️❤️❤️
Haha yes, difficult to resist buying everything!😍Thank you for watching and for your comment!😊
Hopefully I’m coming to Japan this year. I hope I can find this.
Thank you so much for watching and hope you enjoy exploring Japan!😊
Wow!! What an amazing video! I learned so much about the arts and crafts of Japan! Much appreciate all the information you have included in your video. By the way, I’d be in Japan in a couple of weeks. I wonder if you could tell me a thrift shop where I could get some Obis. We’d be as the usual tourist areas like Asakusa, NIHONBASHI HAMACHO, Osaka and Kyoto. Is there any flea market that you could recommend around these areas? Thanks in advance for your time!
Thank you so much for watching and for your lovely comment! Info below:
TOKYO
Asakusa has several shops dotted around for second-hand kimonos, obis etc., some in the covered arcades.
Kirakuya and Tansuya are in the Shin Nakamise Arcade. There’s another one called Tatsumi which is on a lane near the famous tempura restaurant Daikokuya, not far from Nakamise (shopping) Street.
It's relatively easy to navigate the trains here so you could check out an antique market (usually held on weekends), depending on the dates you’re in town.
Tomioka Hachimangu Antique Market is on 1st, 2nd, 4th, 5th Sunday each month (not too big a market so you can check it out in the morning maybe). Oedo Antique Market is much bigger and also has obis (1st & 3rd Sunday), right by Yurakucho station. Super easy to go by train.
KYOTO
There's an excellent list/schedule of markets on the Kyoto City Official Travel Guide website.
If you Google "List of Flea Markets in Kyoto" it will come up in English.
Markets in Kyoto (and some in Tokyo) are often in shrine or temple grounds so perhaps you can combine it with sightseeing!😊🎶
@@tokyotique thanks a million for your speedy reply!!
Omg I would need several suitcases to fly back home
Hahaha it's hard to resist all those kokeshi!😊Thank you so much for watching and for your comment!🎶
I would go so broke at this market! I want all of it!
Hahaha believe it or not, I do sometimes go home empty-handed...but I do see other people arrive with suitcases to fill up!😊
The wrought iron dragon, looks a bit a like a shoe scrapper to me. Could also be just an ornament , but the edge on its back is a bit off for just that.
Thank you for watching and for your interesting interpretation!😊Most likely as traditionally our footwear were wooden geta sandals, we don’t have shoe scrapers in Japan. The dragon is also a highly sacred and spiritual being in Asian culture so unlikely we would scrape our feet on it😓🐉 so it’s just an ornament but wish I could figure out when it was made!🤔
You know how to pick antique kokeshis 💙
Hehe, it's like meditation...totally focused, in the zone😂🎶
Oh man, I've yet to go to the Oi Racetrack one. This is a dangerous proposition as I would need to buy another suitcase..I collect sosaku creative type kokeshi primarily yokai kappa...
Thank you for watching the video😊You never know what the vendors will have at this flea but usually there are always kokeshi in the covered car park area. Finding kappa kokeshi is a bit harder but you never know! Hope you enjoy visiting the market✨
Book Off in America has gotten really expensive in the last few years too.
Oh no sorry to hear that!😅
🥰😍🤩
🙏🥰✨
are the kokeshi dolls solid wood? really heavy? I want to buy a bunch of them but worried it will put me over weight limits in my suitcase.
Solid wood. Maybe buy the small to medium sizes?
Esse é realmente um problema de muitas pessoas que não conhecem a verdadeira seda.
A seda é realmente um delicada assim como o linho.
Tem que ser lavado de maneira específica.
E a seda é tão especial,lembro em pequena os bichinhos é lindo porque depois deixam essa riqueza que para eles já não é necessário.
É um processo natural lindo,a interligação entre humanos e esses seres.
Sim, no caso dos cintos obi de seda e dos quimonos a tinta começa a escorrer e a seda encolhe, por isso é preciso cuidar bem. Obrigada por assistir e pelo seu comentário!😊
❤
🤩💕
My daughter loves kokeshi too ! Im a godzillia Raideen guy 👦 lol ! My mothers Japanese Nisei ( US born) love hardoff
Oh awesome! Some of the Bookoff Super Bazaars have Godzilla, Ultraman etc. figurines...but I confess I've never gone and investigated them properly😅Hardoff is super useful too for sure! Thanks so much for watching the channel and for your comment!😊
Did u try to bargain or negotiate or is it frown upon in Japan?
Depends on what the item is priced at and how many pieces you’re buying. If the price is already low they may say no. Also if it’s towards closing time you’re more likely to be successful. They often knock off a bit from the total for me when I haven’t even asked for a discount😊
...... i finally found out where that durp looking horse i picked up for .75 cents at a thift store came from.. i thought... russia? but nope.. its a yawata horse.
its a long way from home... this is canada.
Nice score!🙌Thank you for watching!😊
How do you clean your kokeshi. Its dusty here where i live so im having a hard time cleaning them i cant wipe them the paint is erasing
I wipe super gently (applying very little pressure) with a dry soft cloth, preferably gauze material. Yeah...can't wet them as the paint will smudge😅
I'd love to know how to get the smell out of old obi! I have a bag full of them I love, but the smell is too overwhelming to work with them. Wonder why they get so stinky!
Thank you so much for watching and for the comment. There's an extra piece of material called "obi-shin" sandwiched between the outer silk layers and that tends to soak up sweat (I know, a bit gross...). Unless it's been aired out properly, this leads to mold and the smell. Specialists can remove and replace the "obi-shin" if you want to wear it as an obi again, but I split the obi down the seams and take it out myself if making placemats/table runners. The flimsier obis without an "obi-shin" can sometimes smell a bit too though😅I steam iron them (not directly onto the silk but with a cloth in between), then air them outside thoroughly. Hope you can get the smell out of yours!
Thank you so much@@tokyotique
@@Nasturtiumsandducks Super grateful for your lovely encouraging comment!😊🎶
Do you ever find bonsai stuff? Pots and things
Not so much in thrift shops but some antique markets have them😊
Always a pleasure to join you on these trips. One question if I may: do you, Lady Tokyotique, or other informed readers know of reputable Tokyo dealers or markets for vintage Japanese eyeware. I would like to find antique or pre-owned spectacles and frames from companies like Matsuda, Masunaga and Kaneko. Thank you
Thank you so much for watching as always! Hmmm, unfortunately I don’t know anything about vintage Japanese eyeware. Googled for a good 20 mins but couldn’t find anything appropriate (vintage glasses dealers in Tokyo yes, but they seemed to be for non-Japanese brands). Hope somebody else will be able to assist!✨
@@tokyotique Thanks for trying. Maybe you will stumble upon a good dealer in the future.
@@hermanblinkhoven1856 Will report back if I do😊
How do you get the smell out if you can't wash them ?
Thank you for watching and commenting😊Another viewer asked me the same thing so will paste my response here:
There's an extra piece of material called "obi-shin" sandwiched between the outer silk layers and that tends to soak up sweat (I know, a bit gross...). Unless it's been aired out properly, this leads to mold and the smell. Specialists can remove and replace the "obi-shin" if you want to wear it as an obi again, but I split the obi down the seams and take it out myself if making placemats/table runners. The flimsier obis without an "obi-shin" can sometimes smell a bit too though😅I steam iron them (not directly onto the silk but with a cloth in between), then air them outside thoroughly. Hope you can get the smell out of yours!
Do u have etsy?
Thanks for your comment😊On hiatus from selling on any platforms (other than Mercari for domestic sales). Hope to have something set up for international sales again in the next few months😉
❤❤❤Wow beautiful. I live in Gardena anything local?? California
Thank you for watching and for your comment😊I live in Tokyo so you'll probably need to ask this question to someone in California.
16:14 How do you remove the smell?
Depends on type of obi. If it’s one with a “shin” meaning an additional piece of material between the silk, that absorbs sweat which becomes moldy if not dried properly, hence the smell. In that case the “shin” needs to be removed and replaced, or if you’re making table runners or placemats, you can sew it up without a new “shin”. Types without the inner fabric, I air outside (but not in direct sunlight). Put it out daily for several weeks. Then steam iron with a cloth in between. All in all, it’s quite a mission. Sometimes the obi is too far gone to rectify the smell.
@@tokyotique Thank you so much for writing about smell/mold (which is not often done in vintage/thrifting communities - often they just advice to spray some vodka on smelly item) and giving an advice on obi and its layers. ❤️
@@sofijones5048 Oh yes, vodka! Someone suggested this in the comments once but, probably not a good idea…wetting a silk obi tends to damage it, even with water. You can try to hand wash in cold water but the threads tend to shrink and misshapen the obi, plus the dyes usually run. Hope airing it out/steaming it works for you should you ever need to remove the smell off an obi!😊
@@tokyotique There are indeed some items made of smelly Japanese fabric (incl. handmade miniature kimono/obi) I have to deal with somehow.