The Japanese region that time forgot

The Japanese region that time forgot

The first thing I notice about Kazuyoshi Watanabe is his hands. They’re blue, the colour strongest under his nails and around his cuticles, fading slightly as it reaches his fingers and covers his palms.

“It takes about three days for the blue to completely wash off your hands,” he tells us, pushing his black-rimmed glasses up his nose with an indigo finger. “But nails are the worst – sometimes mine are still blue for a week after.”

Watanabe-san is the fifteenth-generation head of the Watanabe Dyeing Company, which has been using traditional ai-zome (Indigo) dyeing techniques here in Gujo Hachiman for centuries. He’s a thoughtful man, lean and balding, and only his nails and the rich blue haori...

Originally Posted On
Telegraph.com