Irish design is flourishing for Stór in Tokyo, Japan

 Who would imagine that a household item we take for granted — the humble tea towel — could be elevated to art status? 

Apparently the Japanese are quite enamoured of ours and put them on show in their homes.

“Their versions are tiny so they’re fascinated by the size of Irish ones,” says Belfast-born Geraldine Kane who has been at the forefront of developing an Irish design shop in Tokyo, which launched in October last year.

This fascination, however, may also have something to do with property buying not being part of the Japanese psyche, so with most people renting they can’t hang things on walls which gives beautiful kitchen items a chance to shine.

It’s also a departure for a country where Ireland doesn’t really appear to be on the map.

“In Japan, Ireland is mainly known for Aran sweaters, Guinness and Enya,” Geraldine explains, “so it’s been nice to introduce another dimension of Irish culture and design, especially when some people have never heard of Ireland, often confusing it with Iceland.”

And it’s not just tea towels making a good impression on a design conscious country.

Items like Foxford blankets and throws, Jenny Walsh accessories, and wooden trivets from Superfolk are just three of around forty brands being sold in the shop.

In typical Japanese style it’s a compact and space efficient space, aptly named Stór - the Irish for darling – and, coincidentally, the Japanese for shop.

But five years ago the idea of launching a shop was the last thing on Geraldine’s mind when she visited Japan with her partner, on what was meant to be a working holiday.

Since becoming a resident, she’s developed a friendship with graphic designer Mizue Mitsuhasi who was musing on the possibility of opening a shop, so when Geraldine happened to show her photos from 2015’s Showcase— the Irish design expo at the RDS each year -— Mizue was so impressed she decided to launch Stór without ever having set foot in Ireland.

It was a brave step, but often it’s those fast decisions that feel absolutely right that have a happy outcome.

In this case it’s one that’s proving very successful for Geraldine and Mizue who are tapping into the buying power of the affluent residents of Tokyo’s chic Daikanyama district where Stór is located.

Now a seasoned resident of Japan, Geraldine gives us an intriguing insight into how different the shopping experience is there compared to the west.

“There are different districts for different types of shopping,” she explains, “so we have places here like Jewellery Town, Fabric Town and Kitchen Street.”

It all makes for very organised and speedy shopping which is hardly surprisingly for a country renowned for its efficiency.

A practising jewellery designer, Geraldine’s role at Stór involves introducing designers and new products, and helping Mizue communicate with the designers as her English is limited.

That didn’t stop her, however, from visiting Ireland in January this year for a few short days to experience first-hand the breadth of products she could potentially import into Japan.

Despite it being one of the dreariest, most miserable Januarys in living memory, she was not put off.

With Geraldine acting as her interpreter, she enthuses about the friendliness of everyone she met, and her new found love of yet another quintessentially Irish product we all take for granted: soda bread.

It’s unlikely, though, that she and Geraldine will be selling it in Stór any time soon, but they’re keen to broaden the current product offering.

Mizue finds our use of wood particularly interesting as Japanese use is much more formal than the casual, contemporary pieces she has come across from Ireland.

“The Japanese are really impressed by the products,” says Geraldine. “Words they use are ‘kawaii’ meaning cute or lovely, and ‘oshare’ meaning stylish or cool.”

High praise indeed from a country that is famed for the exactness and quality of its design over millenia.

In time, Geraldine and Mizue hope that in addition to importing products they may be able to collaborate with designers, but for the moment they’re looking for more designers and unique handcrafted products.

So if there are any designers who would like their products considered, especially anyone working in non-clothing items in leather, linen and knits, they may yet be big in Japan.

Next week: Glass making in Waterford.