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...
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...
My relatives recently went on tea picking / hiking experience via Airbnb in the countryside of Kyoto, Wazuka. That area has been producing tea for over 1000 years which is around the same time as the introduction of tea to Japan itself. You’d often hear about how the tea culture originated...
Did you ever wonder why Blue Bottle Coffee sells so many things from Japan? It is because the founder James Freeman was inspired by the Japanese coffee culture which lead him to start the company. The coffee culture in Japan has been around for a few decades now but recently...
If you are a foodie and love Japan, you might have heard of the term “Kyoyasai” which means “Kyoto vegetable” and is used to describe heirloom vegetables from the Kyoto prefecture. According to research the vegetables have more minerals, fibers and vitamins compared to regular vegetable and they also have...
I don’t know how I have never heard about this absolutely impeccable hotel chain Hoshinoya. The hotel pretty much has everything I’d ever want in my future house. No matter where you go you are surrounded by amazing craftsmanship and a perfect blend of old and new. This specific hotel...
Naoto Fukasawa to me is like the Dieter Rams to many designers. He is behind many of the internationally beloved MUJI products and author of Super Normal: Sensations of the Ordinary. Him and Kenya Hara both spend a lot of time thinking about how they could scale their success to...
Japan is one of the oldest countries in the world with a median age of 46.5. A big percentage of the older population can be found in rural areas where the average ages are even higher and the younger people usually leave for one of the big cities and never...
A new tea house called Uji-Kochakan recently opened in Uji, the tea capital of Japan. They specialize in black teas, 30 varieties to be exact, that come with cookies in multiple flavors or a beautiful. On their menu is this beautiful 30mm thick pancake with an original sauce that is not at...
I often wonder what differentiates Japanese crafts from the ones in China where a lot of them originated. One thing that immediately stood out is the weight of things: Chopsticks for example are much lighter weight than the ones in China or Korea and the same thing goes for Shoji....
Before even knowing what it was I got really excited when I saw this wallpaper pop up on Instagram. When you look at the cup you’d probably think it’s yet another coffee shop but it turned out to be a new “tea stand cafe” in Daikanyama and Sendagaya in Tokyo....
I’d like to start this publication by introducing one of the most famous Japanese ceramics “Arita”, easily recognizable by it’s blue and white color. Past When thinking of Japanese ceramics, the first thing that comes to mind with a high probability is Arita ware. The reason for it’s international recognition...
