FUROSHIKI: THE JAPANESE ART OF WRAPPING

At the Asia Gardens Hotel & Thai Spa, the Christmas spirit is starting to take over us, and that is why today we would like to tell you about a Japanese gift wrapping tradition which dates back many years: the Furoshiki.

The Furoshiki started as a tradition half way through the Nara period in Japanese traditional baths. This wrapping technique was used to avoid mixing up clothes. This tradition soon began to be used by traders to protect their goods.

The word FURO-SHIKI literally means “bath time extension”, “furo” makes reference to traditional showers, and “shiku” means to extend.

The Furoshiki is a Japanese traditional quadrangular fabric used to wrap and transport all sorts of objects, from clothes to presents and even bottles of wine.

This type of wrapping was used at weddings between 1926 and 1989. The parents of the bride used to prepare Furoshiki with patterns such as cranes, fans, pine trees and waves as symbols which represent a beginning full of happiness and good fortune.

Later, in the Edo period, Furoshiki became even more popular and several other ways of wrapping started to be used. This art was passed on from generation to generation until it became an essential technique for Japanese people.

In time, this art has turned more versatile, and it is currently used for gift wrapping and interior decoration.

There are several ways of using Furoshiki, depending on the gift and its shape.

The Furoshiki wrapping stands out mainly because it is reusable, therefore it is environmentally friendly. Japanese people see it as a way of showing true gratitude to the person it is given to.

At the Asia Gardens Hotel & Thai Spa we are already using the different wrapping techniques to make our gifts more exclusive and creative. What about you, would you like to try out this new way of wrapping your Christmas presents?