My husband, as befits a French chef, believes in the value of thousand-dollar china. After we got married, he bought a ridiculously expensive set of china from a ridiculously expensive department store. The salesperson made such a great commission from my husband, he took him out for a steak dinner afterwards. In comparison, this mother of 2 boys believes in the intrinsic value of plastic dishware, the total cost of which was probably less than a glass of wine at the aforementioned steak dinner.

Perhaps my husband and I could reach a happy medium with Ceramic of Victory Co., Ltd. Modern and stylish, practical and sturdy, they fuse their traditional earthenware expertise with modern technology to create a product that will satisfy both the 3-star chef and take-out queen in all of us.

Like most women over the age of 5, I have a weakness for Hello Kitty. Some tourists, visiting Tokyo, go crazy in Akihabara, the electronics district; others shopping for designer duds in Ginza; a friend of mine amassed over $1000 worth of Kitty memorabilia during her one-week stay. Kitty is such a cultural icon, that anywhere you go in Japan, you can find Kitty souvenir keychains…Hello Kitty at the hot springs resort. Hello Kitty skiing in Hokkaido. Hello Kitty holding a wasabi root, when you visit the town that’s famous for wasabi root.

There’s even a Kitty dressed in a vibrant silk crepe kimono, which for me, is death by chocolate. I love accessories using kimono fabric; like a zesty paprika pedicure, the shot of color makes everything so much prettier. From Shuwa Co., Ltd., comes dainty bags fashioned out of vintage kimono cloth, fabric-covered cardholders, even portable ashtrays that look like elegant old-fashioned pill-holders. These kimono-patterned accessories are pretty, they’re practical, and they’re a heck of a lot more stylish than a wasabi-root keychain.

There’s nothing more lovely than young girls wearing summer kimono. Every weekend in August there are fireworks festivals all over Japan, and slender girls in gaily colored kimono stroll the streets, hair artfully arranged in an updo, sheer declarations of the joy of feminine beauty.

Inspired by their loveliness, I went shopping in the posh Ginza district and bought a flirty kimono, a coordinating obi sash, and matching geta slippers. I arranged my hair so it swept off my face, then started to dress.

An hour later, frustrated by the endless layers of fabric and the 10-foot long obi sash that I couldn’t figure out how to tie around my body, I called my mother-in-law for help. My husband came home a while later to find us sweaty from the exertion, and me, wrapped up like a brightly patterned burrito.

Inspired by the artfully tied obi sash and draping sleeves of kimono, bag manufacturer Otani created a line of graceful bags that creatively meld the shape of kimono into accessories. The Obi Rucksack, when worn, resembles the ornamental knot at the back of the kimono. The Furisode Kimono Bag was inspired by the sleeve of formal kimono worn by unmarried women, and the Obi Waist Bag incorporates the texture and pattern of the kimono stash. It’s the perfect, stress-free way to incorporate kimono into your life.

The summers in Japan are ridiculously hot and humid. In a concrete metropolis like Tokyo, the heat radiates off the endless asphalt, the tortured businessmen in suits and ties, and the hundreds of sweaty people glued together in a rush-hour train. To beat the heat, men and women carry small washcloth-sized towels in the summer to wipe their faces and necks. Some are designer logo-ed, some feature a famous brand’s distinctive plaid, and some are straight out of the bathtub.

Now there’s a trend by Miyazaki Towel, Inc. of wrapping on a lightweight, organic cotton towel scarf…it absorbs perspiration, but its gauzy texture feels cool on your neck. They are also chic fashion accessories…they are beautifully dyed in shades from subtle beige to vibrant red, using traditional Japanese methods. These towel scarves allow you to be stylish and cool in the city…and to leave the washcloths where they belong.

My Japanese in-laws live in an apartment in Tokyo, and the only gardening they do is to prune the potted eggplant on the balcony. So, imagine my surprise when one day my father-in-law pulls out the biggest pair of branch cutters I’ve ever seen. Those must be some eggplants, I thought. Then he opens the kitchen window and matter-of-factly hacks a branch off the neighbor’s fruit-laden kumquat tree, growing right outside. Like the orangutans who poke sticks into termite nests to fish out a tasty snack, a healthy dose of opportunism, combined with the right tools, can make for interesting primate behavior.

Perhaps my father-in-law would appreciate a pair of gardening scissors from Otake Sangyo, Co., Ltd. They are made with premium quality steel, manufactured using traditional Japanese iron-making technology. Their blades have the reputation for being as sharp as samurai swords, making them ideal for bonsai pruning, flower arranging, and, perhaps, opportunistic kumquat harvesting.

I like to think of myself as fairly stylish. Maybe I don't live up to New York City standards, but I'm not too shabby either. The pinnacle was when I attended a seminar in rural Virginia where everyone (mostly Canadians) admired my "NYC wardrobe" and I was dubbed the "Carrie Bradshaw of the Woods."

The low point was a few years prior when I met my boyfriend's father - a very dapper, traditional Japanese man. I bought a vintage kimono for the occasion that I believed was very subtle in color and design. I wore it robe-style over a simple black dress, sure that he would be impressed by my fusion of "East meets West." At dinner that night, he commented to my future husband, "That kimono Cathy's wearing looks like an old lady's." Ouch.

Fashion missteps aside, I still love traditional Japanese materials. Lucky for me, there's a trend in Japan known as Jiba that takes traditional manufacturing methods & materials and uses them to create modern products. Notebooks are made with handmade paper and traditional bookbinding techniques, gift cards are adorned with elaborate paper cords shaped into loops and pinecones, wallets are made using traditional dyed cloth from Kyoto, which gives it an organic feel, and vintage kimonos are re-designed to make elegant bags, coin purses, and girly hair ornaments. Jiba cleverly blends the quality of traditional craftsmanship with the charm of vintage fabrics and materials, expressed in a modern design that is stylish and youthful, and not at all like an old lady's.

Limited quantities of exclusive Jiba products will be on sale at at the Japan C exhibition at the Felissimo Design House (10 West 56th Street, NYC) until Saturday.

Monday, at the historic Felissimo Design House, was the opening reception for Japan C - the eleven week rolling exhibition of all things Japanese. Some luminaries were in attendance, such as:

Tobias Wong & Josee Lepage, the creative team that turned the townhouse into a giant origami sculpture for the exhibit.

Shinzi Katoh, the famous Japanese illustrator who designed the towels that Tara (from our office) is sooo in love with.

Taeko Baba, founder of New York-Tokyo.

Nora Abousteit, founder of BurdaStyle.com.

Bruce L'Orange, Director at Street Attack.

Felissimo Group's president Mr. Yazaki, who flew in from Kobe, Japan, and Felissimo New York Director Haruko Smith and her staff, who were all very happy, if a bit exhausted, from all the work.

In case you couldn't make it, here are the photos.

For those of you who keep wishing all the people would get out of the way so you can see the gorgeous displays & products here are some photos of the displays.

Be sure to check out the calendar for more events & if you want to get up-close and personal with some of the products, check out the online catalog.