The Circle of Yanaka Friends – From the Yanaka Kōgei Exhibition (2)

The Circle of Yanaka Friends ~From the Yanaka Kogei Exhibition~ (2)

Leprotto & SCAI THE BATH HOUSE

What makes the Yanaka area so appealing is the sheer number of people who express their own ideas and communicate them independently. It inspires me, and it's a warm town where everyone feels like they're living together.

Photo by JamandfixText by OPENERS

It was Ms. Takahashi from "Leprotto" who introduced me to the charms of Yanaka.

"Leprotto" means rabbit in Italian. They moved to their current location this past July. Their products are handmade, hand-stitched leather goods, and are completely original, allowing customers to choose from leather materials and threads sourced from Italy. Cutting the pattern, punching the holes for the stitches, and sewing by hand must be incredibly painstaking work, but when you hold the finished product, it's soft, warm, and makes you want to cherish it. They say it takes about two months to complete an order.

Watching the sewing process, time seems to slow down. It reminds you of things you've forgotten in urban life. The shops and people in Yanaka generally fall into the "kuuneru" category.

Leprotto
Taito-ku Yanaka 2-5-9
Tel. 03-3827-8100

"SCAI THE BATH HOUSE" Inspired My Decision to Live in Yanaka

The art gallery "SCAI THE BATH HOUSE" evokes the atmosphere of a small MOMA. It's housed in a renovated public bathhouse, "Kashiwayu," with a 200-year history. For me, returning from New York and experiencing Japan, it feels like a very modern, miniature MOMA. And the fact that it's always free is truly ideal.

I can't connect with places that are merely old; I'm very stimulated by the modern aspect. Yanaka is a town that can embrace both the old and the modern.