The Kyoto Shimbun
  • Home
  • Sightseeing/Events
  • News
  • "Unryu Washi Lamp" Awarded Grand Prize
    Japanese Souvenir Contest

    22 February 2013 - Sightseeing/Events
    Grand Prize winner "Unryu Washi Lamp" (Minato Ward, Tokyo)

    Grand Prize winner "Unryu Washi Lamp" (Minato Ward, Tokyo)

    The contest "Miryokuaru Nippon no Omiyage Contest," or Charming Japanese Souvenir contest, sponsored by the Japan Tourism Agency, designed to appeal to foreigners, was held in the Tokyo Metropolitan Area on February 22. "Unryu Washi Lamp" made by the shop "Hirose Sosaku Kogei" in Yosano-cho, Kyoto Prefecture, won the Grand Prize. The lamp is seasonal interior product with a wooden frame used for textiles and Tango Washi. Representative Isao Hirose was pleased about the award, saying "I hope this award encourages our languid textile town."

    Having run a textile business for 40 years, Mr. Hirose also established a shop named "Hirose Sosaku Kogei" in 1995. The lamp is a reused wooden frame measuring 15 centimeters square and 17 centimeters high, wrapped in Tango Washi decorated with real flowers on the outside, with a light bulb installed.

    His products have been sold at local "Michi no Eki," or roadside rest areas, Japanese inns and hotels in Amanohashidate, Kyoto Prefecture. In addition, he has also provided a workshop where visitors can experience lamp production since roughly five years ago.

    There were 636 applicants from across Japan in the 9th contest. Results of a poll by staff of foreign tourist bureaus and Japanese experts had the lamp's total score tied with another product. However, the lamp was awarded the Grand Prize because it received high scores from foreigners.

    A French Embassy official said, "I felt a special Japanese touch from the washi decorated with 'Momiji,' or maple leaves, not to mention the materials. The size is easy to carry home."

    The award ceremony will be held in the Tokyo metropolitan area on March 19, and the products are also scheduled to be exhibited and sold in international airports, including Narita International Airport, Haneda Airport and Kansai International Airport. For more information, contact the "Hirose Sosaku Kogei" at 0772-42-5609 (Japanese language inquiries only).

    (translated by Galileo, Inc.)
  • Also in Sightseeing/Events:

    Character of "Dai" Emerges in Kyoto's Night Sky
    Traditional Summer Event "Gozan Okuribi" Held Completely for the First Time in Three Years
    30 August 2022

    Taka Yama Float's Full Return to Kyoto Gion Festival's Second Procession after 196 Years
    Imposing Dignity Met with Applause
    5 August 2022

    First Float Procession, One Highlight of Kyoto's Gion Festival, Takes Place
    Two-Year Hiatus due to COVID-19 Pandemic
    5 August 2022

    Kyoto festival parade to return after 2-yr lull amid pandemic
    13 July 2022

    Kyoto's First "Gozan Okuribi" with Full Ignition in Three Years
    Traditional O-bon Event
    7 July 2022

News Archive
  • April 2023
  • March 2023
  • February 2023
  • December 2022
  • October 2022
  • August 2022
  • More...
Categories
  • Sightseeing/Events
  • Temples/Shrines
  • Tradition/Culture
  • Local topics
  • Education/University
  • Business/Company
  • Traffic
  • Gourmet
  • 1min Kyoto
  • Kyoto
  • Shiga
Web site
Introducing Privacy Policy Japanese Site
Copyright © 1995-2023 The Kyoto Shimbun Co., Ltd. All rights reserved.
We use cookies for a number of reasons, such as keeping our websites reliable and secure, providing social media features and to analyze the performance of ads. Accept & continueReject Read More
Privacy Policy