Kyoto is seemingly hot these days. On a hilly path near the golden temple Kiyomizu-dera, a new art and tools shop just had a grand opening. The entrance reads “Japan’s Art and Tools Shop Nittodo” on a traditional Japanese shop curtain sign. I get excited with this type of shop typically...
When traveling to Japan most people often visit the big urban areas such as Tokyo and Kyoto, but you haven’t really seen Japan if you haven’t gone to the country side. Over 80% of Japan consists of mountains and woods and the the beautiful 17 room Beniya Mukayu is located...
The Japanese Nikkapokka were inspired by the “Knickerbockers” fashion movements in the early 20th century. Before World War I boys would wear knickerbockers until puberty and then transitioned to long pants. Baseball players still wear a stylized version of Knickerbockers today although they have become less baggy and many players...
If you know about Japanese tea ceremony it’s often associated with being very serious, having to kneel a long time and if you’re interested in learning it, the hurdles seems to be hight since it requires many years of practice. Simultaneously more people all over the world are starting to...
Originally posted on Spoon & Tamago by Johnny Strategy (@Johnny_Strategy). Sanjo City in Niigata has a history of blacksmithing that dates back to the 17th century. Susceptible to flooding, the farmers of the region were struggling to make a living until a local magistrate went to Edo and convinced a number...
When we moved to the US the hardest thing for us to find were beautiful, lightweight table ware. Everything in the US is oversized and extremely heavy. They are obviously made for larger tables and larger portions. We ended up buying most ceramics at MUJI but the most challenging of...
Kaikado was established in 1875, shortly after Japan opened its doors to the rest of the world. With civilization came the import of tinplate from England.
Daitoku-ji is a buddhist temple in Kyoto, one of fourteen autonomous branches of the Rinzai school of Japanese Zen. Currently the the subtemple Shinju-an is closed and preparing to reopen in fall to showcase something that hasn’t been done before. The fusuma (room dividers), usually covered with historical paintings, will...
Originally posted on amworkshops.com . Writing and photographs by Adam Marelli (@adammarelli). These days you don’t often see real indigo. In common use today, the dye is almost always synthetic. Producing natural indigo dyes for modern markets is time consuming and expensive. This is why denim, even high end denim, is...
When it comes to Japanese craftsmanship Kyoto and Kanazawa quickly come to mind. But recently Takaoka in Toyama Prefecture has been putting more effort into promoting it’s crafts. The moment you arrive Takaoka a giant buddah sculpture made of metal welcomes you to the city. This buddah is one of...
Does it ever happen to you that you come across some amazing designs and end up finding out that one person is behind it? In my case that person that captured my attention is Shigenori Uoya, an architect in Kyoto specializing in Machiya (Japanese for “town house”) remodels. First time...
If you’re interested in design or architecture as well as into Japan (which is probably why you’re reading this) the likelihood of you being familiar with the term “wabi-sabi” is pretty high (if not, I highly recommend reading Wabi-Sabi for Artists, Designers, Poets & Philosophers). “Wabi-sabi” is a way to...
Blue Bottle founder James Freeman has always had an obsession with Japan. You can see his love for the culture in the Japanese flower arrangements (Ikebana) that can be found in every shop in the Bay Area as well as everything they sell in the store being from Japan. “Anybody who’s...
