Life is Wabi-Sabi

Saw this store on Unilocal and convinced my husband to take me to pick up some gifts for friends on our last day in Hilo! The owner was so kind and helpful! We picked up cute wabi-​sabi cat and powerful zen message magnets, a boko art piece and a re-​useable wabi–
sabi bag. Got home and put names on all my gifts then found I needed more! Thank goodness they have an online website! More magnets ordered! Even if you don’t like cats, these wabi-​sabi themed goods are SO cute you can’t resist! I think I’m needing a stuffed wabi-​sabi cat too!

Cute place. My wife got a couple gifts. The artist actually works in the gallery. Pretty cool guy. There are many items to choose from, from magnets to actually framed prints.

Wabi-​sabi has a great story (father-​daughter art design; wabi-​sabi philosophy for a perfectionist), is thoughtfully executed (printed on rice paper, kamaboko blocks stained w Japanese calligraphy ink), and is very aesthetic. Who can resist Wabi-​sabi cat? Purchased framed Momo no aware and Ichigo Ichie boko. Great for meaningful omiyage or a treat for yourself.

I love love love their Wabi-​Sabi line! If you like cute, inspirational things this is the place! Especially if you like cats! It’s right by Two Ladies Kitchen so stop by after picking up your mochi!
I ended up getting a picture with the words Ichigo Ichie, which means to treasure each meeting for it may never happen again. #Deep

As I was leaving Two Ladies Kitchen, I was moseying to the car when this cute little cartoon cat caught my attention. Now let me tell you that I am FAR from being a cat person, but I fell in love with the little guy and decided he had to go home with me.
I talked to the owner and found out that he used to specialize in custom framing, but recently decided to stop production and focus on the artwork. He was in the middle of working with the Japanese American National Museum in Little Tokyo because they were interested in carrying his artwork!
I love the motto for the Dharma cat, Wabi-​Sabi, meaning, life is not perfect.

A great shop with a variety of products. Love the Dharma cat series and the kanji designs. Brian is friendly and an interesting person to talk to. Be sure to spend some time with him… don’t just browse.

If you need custom framing in Hilo, this is the place to go for quality! This shop is a beautiful little gem for unusual originals, to prints, to gifts. It is small, but worth the effort to visit. Unique!

Do you know what a Van Gogh or a vintage Otsuka painting look like? Me, neither.
I can spend time in a museum, wandering around and looking at artwork but I don’t think I know how to appreciate art for what it is, despite taking rudimentary art courses in school. And, truth be told, I have to wonder how a small gallery makes it in a town like Hilo. Maybe it’s the spillover traffic from Two Ladies Kitchen just a few doors down, or the fact that it’s on a main street, or maybe nobody else on the East side does framing as expertly as they do here. Or, just maybe, it’s because they’re a great store.
I’d seen Tanimoto’s on every trip to Hilo (en route for mochi at Two Ladies Kitchen), but never had a reason to walk in until I’d arrived four hours early for a meeting and found myself with nothing to do. The first thing I saw on entering the store literally mesmerized me. I spent twenty minutes looking at it, but not being a big art guy I left without it. On returning to Hilo months later I made it a point to stop in and told myself that if it was still there I’d have to buy it.
Long story short: it now graces my bedroom. The staff here are very knowledgeable, helpful and low key; no sales staff hovering over your shoulder, no sales-​y talk trying to get you to buy a lithograph of lehua blossoms or framed kanji. Just competent, friendly service, and a small but beautiful collection of paintings and photographs. They also get bonus points for remembering me years later, and remembering exactly what I bought.

Just a couple shops down the street from Two Ladies Kitchen is a little frame shop/​art gallery full of Asian inspired art. They have been a frame shop for the past 25 years, and have more recently started producing and selling original art.
If you find yourself in Hilo town be sure to stop by and check it out! Some of the smaller items in the shop make some great non-​food omiyage!

Brian was very friendly and very informative on all his products. Great atmosphere and alot to see especially if you LOVE cats. Would highly recommend him if you want something done special, he is the person to see.

The framing at Tanimotos is outstanding. I have never been disappointed in their work. Anyone could put a frame together and some matt board.
But at Tanimotos you will get quality. Not only do they perform museum quality archival framing but their are artists and create a beautiful showcase for your piece.
If you have important documents or certificates that you need preserved Brian and his crew will take good care of you. They were also able to match the previous job they had done for me and ship it to me with no problems.
I do not trust my important framing to anyone else.