Furoshiki

Have you heard of Furoshiki ? These traditional Japanese square cloths are getting a lot of attention lately, as a "green" alternative to wrapping paper and plastic shopping bags.

Furoshiki means "bath spread" -- in feudal Japan, they were used to bundle and protect people's clothing at public bath houses, but over the years, their standard use has been to tie up any bundle you can imagine (they've even been used as baby carriers). The word is pronounced something like "f'-ROHSH-kee".

The term is a general one, not referring to any particular size or pattern, though most are around one-and-a-half to a little over two feet on a side. They usually have a printed pattern and a stitched hem around the edges. Unlike wrapping paper, which is often too creased and weak to effectively reuse, furoshiki can be part of a gift, and can be used again and again. They can also be tied up in various ways to make an "instant bag."

Instructions on wrapping a bottle of wine or sake:
-Place the bottle in the center of your furoshiki. The cloth must be fairly small and square. I experimented with longer, scarf-like materials and there was simply too much cloth floating around.
-Bring two diagonal corners together and knot them on top of the bottle.
-Pull the other two corners toward you, around the bottle, and knot them on the face of the bottle.
-Tighten and fluff to make it look perfect.
-Kanpai! Your first furoshiki!