Vintage 1960s Japanese Showa Era Ice Bucket – Bamboo Design with Tongs

Description

A wonderfully nostalgic 1960s Japanese ice bucket, capturing the distinctive look of everyday design during the Shōwa era.

The sturdy plastic body has a warm faux-bamboo finish, decorated with a bold bamboo motif in black and green. Chrome-tone fittings contrast beautifully with the wood-grain effect, while the carrying handle retains its original faux-leather grip.

Inside is a removable white plastic liner, and the original metal ice tongs are still present and clip neatly onto the side of the bucket.

Best of all, this example appears to have never been used.

A little piece of Shōwa Japan

When the day was done, the evening ritual began.

Long before hotel minibars and convenience stores on every corner, a bucket of fresh ice delivered to your room was one of the small pleasures of a stay at a Japanese ryokan.

Picture the scene: you slip into your cotton nemaki, settle onto the tatami beside a low chabudai table, the television glows with a black-and-white Shōwa drama, and ice gently clinks into a glass of Suntory whisky.

Outside, the cicadas sing. Inside, time slows down.

This beautifully preserved ice bucket captures something of that world. With its bamboo decoration, faux wood-grain finish, chrome-tone handle and original tongs, it’s a wonderfully evocative example of Japanese mid-century everyday design.

Use it exactly as intended for whisky, cocktails or entertaining, or simply display it as a piece of vintage Japanese décor.