Photos and Writing by Dianna Drahanchuk

Unlike Colleen, the Metrotown Burnaby store grand opening was my first visit to a MUJI store. The store was packed with lovely things and wall to wall people. I visited again a week after they opened and people were still a lined-up to get in. Such a surprising array of items from household accessories, cleaning implements and storage containers, furniture and furnishings, food, tableware, beauty and stationery products plus clothing for adults and children, and that is not the full list of elegantly designed articles. The design ethic to produce low price, good quality, anonymous, nature oriented pieces without unnecessary complexity and simplicity in packaging is deeply rooted in the Japanese culture. MUJI’s aim is to promote environmentally pure, simpler, natural living to help improve Canada's lifestyle.

After the dignitaries opening speeches, the presentations by the artists showed equal thoughtfulness. The poet Soramaru Takayama read a poem created especially for MUJI in Japanese while an english translation was projected on a screen. I was immediately reminded of MUJI's flannel shirts when he said the fabric “softly settles on the skin”. (His website: https://www.takayamasoramaru.com). Impressively, the calligraphy artist who became a master at the age of 18,  does her work to create a bridge through art to create inner and outer peace. A traditional sake barrel opening symbolized blessings of health and happiness.