Zen and the Art of Living
In Hanoi, a Japanese designer is using Vietnamese craftsmanship to create an oasis of calm
HANOI - Tucked away on a tranquil side street in Hanoi, Nagu is a refuge from the city's blaring motorcycles and construction
clatter. The shop's name derives from nagomu, a Japanese word that roughly translates as "calm down." On display: Delicate
pedestals for plants and candles, gently sloping ceramic bowls, and other housewares that reflect a meditative spirit.
It's all the handiwork of Sayaka Murabayashi, a 28-year-old Japanese designer who moved to Vietnam in 1999, attracted by the
country's creative possibilities. "In Japan, they care too much about your background," explains Murabayashi, whose design studies
amount to no more than a course in sewing curtains.
Nagu opened last December, and caters mostly to resident Japanese and other expatriates in Hanoi. The designs are all by
Murabayashi, who works with select artisans in Ba Trang, a well-known ceramics village 14 kilometres south of Hanoi. While shops
in Ba Trang bulge with identical tea sets and vases--churned out for the tourist trade--Murabayashi urges her Vietnamese potters to
slow down and focus on quality.
"If there are small defects, the Japanese don't buy," she says, pointing to tiny specks inside an otherwise perfect teapot. Happily,
Murabayashi came up with a neat solution for dealing with seconds. To avoid offending her potters at Ba Trang--and prevent copying
of her designs--she buys up the seconds and then sells them as small plant-holders. That's why Nagu offers an innovative choice of
miniature greenery embedded in café-au-lait bowls and other crockery.
Indeed, for all its contemplative appeal, there is something a little freewheeling about Nagu. The clean white walls and sleek black
shelves bear evidence of Murabayashi's wandering mind, from beer glasses to handbags, stitched linen coasters and embroidered
book covers. The designer is now experimenting with a summer collection of clothes and hats.
By Japanese standards, the wares don't cost much:$4 for a rice bowl, $26 for a handbag. But that's still too steep for some
Japanese wholesalers, who are used to paying much less for Vietnamese-made goods. Still, it's early days, and Murabayashi is
hopeful she'll be able to crack the Japanese market with her products, which dovetail neatly with the Japanese idea of carving a
quiet moment from the busy working day by focusing on small plants and harmoniously designed everyday goods.
Indeed, Murabayashi remains very much in touch with her native culture. She reaches back to memories of Tokyo's Asakusa
district, where she grew up surrounded by artisans who made decorations for the famed Senso-ji temple. And she reflects on her
father, who had to give up his job carving elaborate picture frames after the market was flooded with cheaper, factory-made frames.
In contrast, Vietnam remains a haven for low-cost hand-made goods. And the more relaxed pace gives Murabayashi some breathing
room to study traditional Japanese patterns in illustrated books. She sees no need to hit the road to search out inspiration. Says
the slender, soft-spoken designer: "I like a quiet life."
Nagu 3 Truong Han Sieu Street, Hanoi, Vietnam.
Web site: www.zantoc.com
By Margot Cohen - The Far Eastern Economic Review - April 24, 2003
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