io Plaza Hotel Tokyo (KPH), one of Japan’s most prestigious international hotels located in Shinjuku, Tokyo, will host a special exhibition entitled “Hina-matsuri (Japan’s Traditional Girls’ Doll Festival),” where 6,800 magnificent and ornate handmade dolls and other traditional decorations will be displayed in the lobby from February 1 to March 29, 2018. The exhibition this year will also have a special corner highlighting the history and tradition of Japanese incense culture.
Incense arrived during the Asuka Period of Japan (From 592 to 710) originally as part of the Buddhist religion from overseas. Over time, incense became an intrinsic part of daily grooming of Japanese, and later became an important part of Japanese artistic culture helping to reflect the mood of its song and seasons. Aristocratic Japanese began mixing various incense materials to be used as perfumes for clothing, and Japanese samurai warriors commonly used fragrant wood in their daily lives, and it developed to become an independent cultural art form. To reflect the various incense smells used during these various time periods, the long established “Yamadamatsu Incense-wood Co., Ltd.” in Kyoto and Kyoto City will participate in this exhibition to provide rare traditional craft items and fragrant woods to introduce the history of incense culture in Japan. We will also host special workshops for our guests to learn about the Japanese culture of fragrant sachets commonly carried by Japanese women from 11:00a.m. to 4:00p.m. on Thursday, February 15, 2018 for JPY1,000 per participant.
Also, the hanging decorative art ornaments are specially hand stitched using finely woven silk cloth from old kimonos by the quilt artist Mitsuyo Matsuo and the some 90 members of her Group. The handiworks carefully crafted for this exhibition symbolically reflect the hopes for the health and happiness of children. In addition, traditional wooden Mataro dolls from Kamikamo Shrine in Kyoto will also be displayed alongside the magnificent 3.3 meter high hanging decorative art ornaments in the main lobby area to welcome guests to our hotel. Our guests from around the world are awestruck by the grandeur of this central exhibit, which offers the perfect opportunity for guests to take pictures as memories of this exhibition.