My Etsy shop has more than a few regular customers. One of our customers is getting married this summer. The customer gave me an order for a wedding necklace. Of course I was happy to receive the order, but I was even happier that she entrusted me with the necklace that she would use in her wedding, a major event in her life.
The necklace is the one that will go to her as a wedding necklace. This necklace has not been affected by the soaring prices of Akoya pearls this season, which have reached their highest levels in the past 50 years. Her request for the necklace was a white or near-white pink-colored necklace. This necklace has not been artificially dyed, so it has a whitish color that is close to her desired color. Currently, the market price for Akoya pearls has soared to an unprecedented level, and the Akoya pearl shortage is exacerbated by strong demand from China in the pearl industry. Meeting her order was very difficult for me under these circumstances. However, it just so happened that the product was in the company’s inventory. The necklace was prepared as a special sale item for a postponed exhibition due to Covid last year and was sleeping in the inventory. The company I work for mainly focuses on wholesale, and retail has not yet fully resumed. Therefore, even under these circumstances, the necklace, which belonged to the category of retail products, remained untouched by anyone. By the way, the red and white necklace case in the above photo is a style used by Japanese people for celebratory purposes. “Kouhaku” (red and white) is considered a good omen for Japanese people.
“Kohaku Uta Gassen”
By the way, in Japan, there is a very traditional TV program called “Kohaku Uta Gassen” at the end of the year. Until a little while ago, it was customary for Japanese people to watch the “Kohaku Uta Gassen” and cross over into the new year. The “Kohaku Uta Gassen” is a program in which popular Japanese singers who were highly evaluated in that year are divided into the Red Team and the White Team and compete with songs. Watching the program with the whole family on New Year’s Eve, and listening to the songs that were popular that year in Japan, is one of the traditional Japanese scenes. For better or for worse, with the emergence of the internet and smartphones, that traditional Japanese scenery is gradually disappearing. The viewership ratings for the Kohaku Uta Gassen (Red and White Song Battle) have continued to decline every year, and people have been scattered into various fields according to their own preferences. These may include martial arts, comedy, or various internet programs. I am a little over 40 years old now, but in my generation, almost everyone watched the ※Kohaku Uta Gassen with their families on New Year’s Eve until they were in their teens. The set of TV, kotatsu, and mandarin orange is a very familiar three-piece set for Japanese people. Not just on New Year’s Eve, but in winter, it’s all about TV, kotatsu, and mandarin oranges! If you see a Japanese person, try saying that and almost 100% of Japanese people will laugh and sympathize.（※A “kotatsu” is a traditional Japanese heating device that consists of a low table frame covered by a futon or blanket, with a heat source (usually an electric heater or charcoal brazier) placed underneath. People sit or lie on the floor around the table, placing their legs and feet under the futon to keep warm during the cold winter months. It’s a cozy and inviting space for families and friends to gather, relax, and share meals or conversations while staying warm.）
It has now come to the topic of kotatsu from the regular customer’s conversation. I would be happy if you could remember something about the kotatsu.
Not only humans, but dogs also love kotatsu.
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