During Golden Week, I received an envelope from a friend that smelled like jasmine.

When I opened it, I found an envelope full of small white flowers, along with a letter that began, “The mandarin oranges have begun to bloom in Mikkabi.” Maybe the scent that I thought was jasmine was actually Mikkabi mandarin orange flowers? I got excited all at once. Of course, I also know about Mikkabi Mikan, a brand that everyone who lives in Hamamatsu knows. It’s my favorite. However, I lived my life without knowing that tangerine flowers were so beautiful and had such a bright fragrance.

The letter continues, “The herb name for mandarin orange flowers is neroli. Neroli is…” I don’t know about tangerine flowers, but I do know about the aromatic neroli.

Aroma has recently become popular not only among women but also among men as a means of recovering from fatigue and maintaining the mind and body. There are many people who use aromatherapy to relax and refresh themselves. Among them, “Neroli” is popular as a natural tranquilizer and the strongest recovery aroma. To be more precise, neroli is extracted from the flowers of the bitter orange (Japanese name: orange), which is one of the many citrus fruits, and because it takes time to cultivate, it is considered one of the rare essential oils and is quite expensive. Neroli, which is said to be a natural tranquilizer, has the effect of balancing excitement and sedation, lifting depressed moods and making you positive, while also calming excitement. Now in May, the same citrus tree, the Mikkabi mandarin orange, is in full bloom in white at Lake Okuhamana, giving off a rare fragrance.

The other day, after the self-restraint period ended, I asked a friend who had sent me a letter to take me to a farm.

On this day, Jenne came to the Nihashi Dye Factory in Tokiwa-cho, Chuo-ku, Hamamatsu City. I came here to experience the traditional technique of Hamamatsu chusensome. Have you ever heard of “chusensome”? For those who grew up in Hamamatsu, I want them to imagine the tenugui of the Hamamatsu Festival held every year during Golden Week. Tenugui with kite stamps from each town are dyed using a technique called chusensome.

The characteristic of this chusensome is that it has good breathability. Hamamatsu is a major producer of yukata, accounting for about half of the domestic market. If you have ever worn a Hamamatsu chusensome yukata, you will know that it is very comfortable to wear. It is also hand-washable and can be worn multiple times in one season. Another major feature of the production process is that multiple pieces can be dyed using a single pattern.

It is said that Hamamatsu’s chusensome began in the Taisho era. Hamamatsu, with its strong winds, was probably suitable for producing yukata. After the war, the textile industry flourished, and for a time it became known as the “Itohen Town,” but it declined over time. However, we are conducting this experience with the hope that young people will also learn about this traditional technique that has been passed down to this day.

Sakae Shokai Co., Ltd., founded in 1948, mainly deals in original eyeglass-related products such as eyeglass cases and eyeglass cloths.

One product worth noting among Sakae Shokai’s products is the floating school bag “Ukuran®.”

Based on a request from people who were saddened by the Great East Japan Earthquake to “develop a school bag that would protect children from flooding,” the company began developing the school bag with the belief that “as a company that deals with textiles, there is nothing we can’t do.”

It took about four years to complete “Ukran®.”

This month’s recommendation is Sakae Shokai Co., Ltd., located in Kamitate-cho, Chuo-ku, Hamamatsu City.