We moved to the indigo dye room and the experience began immediately. The instructor was a nice lady.
Since it was a one-on-one session, I was able to listen to a serious talk about indigo dyeing. He told us that "the amount of sukumo (indigo leaves fermented by pouring water on them every day for 100 days) shipped is the largest in Japan," "indigo-dyed jeans cost 300,000 yen," "small children are more free and creative," and "his sister dyes her own sneakers with indigo.
In the indigo-dyeing experience, BB bullets or Styrofoam-like balls are fastened with rubber bands, which are then dipped into the indigo-dyeing liquid five times and rubbed one minute at a time to add color.
When the indigo dye solution is applied, the indigo dye is not beautiful and appears greenish immediately. However, as they are exposed to oxygen while being watered, they quickly turn a beautiful indigo color.
By the way, indigo is something that generates bacteria, so the more active it is, the better it dyes. I had no idea.
And here's the finished product!
It's done good!
This is my favorite. I'll treasure it. It's fun for little kids too, so parents and kids might want to join in. It's also a good way to learn. I wonder if it would be good for free research?
After a fun indigo-dyeing experience, I felt completely reinvigorated and drove off in a good mood, saying, "Yes, let's go explore the roadside station.