Happy New Year to you all. After a hectic Christmas at My Friend’s House, and a bit of radio silence – sorry about that – we’re back reporting on our Christmas gifts. This year was a very special Christmas as my brother returned from Tokyo for a visit, bringing with him his lovely girlfriend. They certainly seemed to have a lot of luggage when I picked them up from the airport, and on Christmas Day it was revealed why – they had brought us all beautifully thoughtful gifts.

This – photographed terribly – is their gift to me. An antique Tansu chest made with traditional Kamakura-bori carving. Tansu refers to any type of mobile storage box, and Japan has a vast array of these – it’s what kept their homes looking so tidy and minimalist. The chest of drawers, I am told, would have been designed for a geisha to store her head-dress of faux flowers and intricate hair combs in. That’s why I’ve got my fruit turban stashed on top of it. The exterior Kamakura-bori carving style originated in mid 13th century in the city of Kamakura, where Buddhist monks skilled in carving for temples carved wood from the Katsura tree (Japanese Judas) or gingko. The exterior was then lacquered to create a mix of black and red in the finish.

I have always loved little chests of drawers. You can see the Tansu on my dressing table is sat next to a smaller one make of lacquered paper that I had already. These little sets of drawers are perfect for keeping make-up, jewellery, love notes and other secret lady equipment. As a child my aunties all had ones – again in cardboard – with pictures of ships on them. They used them for storing sewing stuff, and I mithered and mithered until one finally came to me.

This one is a cut above however. It’s so beautiful, and the fact that it was chosen just for me and carried carefully from a Tokyo antique shop makes it even more special. What did you get for Christmas? I’m dying to know.