Past March a new organic donut shop Koe Donuts opened its doors that immediately caught my eye due to its high quality design starting from the branding through to it’s interior design. No surprise when I found out that the creative team behind it included star architect Kuma Kengo, award-winning...
Shikoku is the smallest of the major islands in Japan. In the lush greens of Kochi prefecture, about 30 min away from the hustle and bustle you’ll find Auberge Tosayama. Surrounded by mountains and rivers you can enjoy contemporary architecture, great dining as well as a outdoor hot spring bath...
A couple weeks ago a new culinary experience called “The Farm Tokyo” opened its doors. “The farm” will be open from April 5th until end of October 2019 and is located right by Tokyo station. This should be a great place to enjoy some good food and cold beer after...
The Miho Museum is a modern museum with a mystifying history. Nestled in the mountains of Shigaraki southeast of Kyoto (an area traditionally known for its ceramic kilns), it was founded by Mihoko Koyama, who believed that works of art have spiritual energy. Mihoko was the originator of Shinji Shumeikai,...
Guntu is a 38-passenger cruise ship that takes guests on a journey along the coastlines of Japan’s Seto Inland Sea. Part yacht, part ryokan, part high-end hotel, Guntu is not only a true achievement in nautical design, but it also represents something exceptional in the world of contemporary hospitality as...
Genten kaiki (原点回帰) means something like, “returning to the original starting point,” or “going back to the origin.” It’s an idea lacquerware company Gato Mikio adopted as their guiding approach, a philosophy that goes into each and every bowl, plate, tea canister, vase, or sake cup they design and produce....
A popular YouTube channel Guy Jones recently posted video footage of life in Kyoto in 1929. While it isn’t uncommon to find video footage of that time, it is rare for them to include sounds. There are various scenes during the video that you can skip to: 0:07 – Street...
Japan is known for its “Capsule Hotels” but newly opened one in Nara stands out. Often the hotels have very little to do with craftsmanship but the “Nara Forest Hotel” is different. This hotel’s signature is the generous use of Japanese cypress carefully integrated in each guest room, the entrance...
I’d love to learn the craft of Ikebana (Japanese flower arrangements) but it’s always hard to find the time to get started. These vases would make it easy to get started with simple “ichirin zashi” (single-flower arrangements). Simply pin the vase to the wall and collect a few flowers /...
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...
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...
