A new year's worth of Washi Akari lamp material

I harvested these kudzu vines during a snowstorm near the beach this morning!

This was a new spot to gather vines, because we do not want to over harvest any one particular area. That way, the vines have time to regrow and we can harvest them sustainably. Kudzu is regarded as a pest and is invasive even here on our little island in Japan. So, it brings me great joy to be able to create something beautiful and useful out of what others consider a nuisance.

I have some cool designs in mind for our latest line of lamps this year. I cannot wait to see if I can turn my imagination into reality!

I decided to move our lamp making operations from our current living room to a new location: the share house (in the background of picture above). This will be an ideal place to cut and dry the vines and then to assemble the lamps. Once it warms up we may even have workshops at the share house, and our guest can make their own lamps there...

Speaking of the share house...does anyone want to lend a hand in reforming and rebuilding it? It desperately needs some loving attention, as you can plainly see! The share house came into our possession a half a year ago, and we are in the process of designing a new layout, and repurposing this old building into a gathering point for anyone and everyone on Ajishima. Check back often for updates on the share house and our latest line of washi akari lamps...Thank you.