From everyone here at 45R, we would like to wish you a happy and healthy new year! As we celebrate 2024 and anticipate the year ahead, we have decided to bring in this new year with a time-old Japanese tradition.
Here at the New York Soho Flagship Store, we welcome 2024 with a change of display inspired by Kadomatsu, a traditional New Year ceremony in Japanese culture. Intended to welcome ancestral spirits and the harvest season, as you enter our store you will encounter a beautiful display of plants, each holding a special symbolic meaning for the new year.
Placed at the forefront of our window frame is the Japanese Camellia plant. Historically acting as a symbol of a noble death amongst Japanese warriors, we use the Camellia to represent bravery, love, and honor. The goat willow – introduced to Japan during the Nara period – presented below hand in hand with the Japanese Camellia, acts as a symbol of being able to bend or adapt, but never break.
To demonstrate strength, resilience, and prosperity, bamboo has consistently made an appearance in Japanese folklore for millennia, representing a vessel for a miraculous bounty. Last, but never least, are the beautiful plum blossoms. As the round buds begin to emerge from its branches around New Year’s, they are cherished as symbols of good luck and perseverance. Blooming amidst the cold of winter, these plum blossoms emerge from the darkness to embody hope and renewal for a lucky and bright new year.
As we continue to move headstrong through January and embrace yet another new year, we look forward to welcoming you into our store. We hope our display elicits a feeling of inspiration and hope; a feeling of prosperity and resilience that we all encounter upon entering our space.
We thank you for your continuous and unwavering support and we wish you, once again, a happy new year.
Arigato,
45R