Japanese porcelain

The Japanese are an interesting bunch. They don't appear to really get sets of china. Well, they never entertain or feed more than their immediate family at home so I suppose it makes sense that they don't need settings for more than 4 or 5.

The other interesting thing is that they seem to collect cups. They find one or two that they like and then find one or two more. I don't see many matched sets of cups or other items. Mostly, it is a collection of items that are all very beautiful and sometimes coordinate (based on the tastes of the buyer), but aren't identical as they would be in the US.

It's kind of a freeing concept when you're shopping in Japan. You don't need to remember exactly what pattern you bought before. You just find something in the right color scheme and it will look very nice in your "set".