One of our previous posts featured a group of craftsmen that specializes in traditional indigo dyeing called Buaisou. They’ve recently collaborated with major fashion brand Tory Burch for an exclusive line for the Ginza flagship opening last week. I wish I were in Japan right now to purchase some of...
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...
Maruwaka Hirotoshi is an award-winning designer and one of the founders of GEN GEN AN by EN TEA, a Tokyo-based tea house that’s actively broadening notions of what Japanese tea can and should look like. Even before becoming a tea master for the new millennium, Maruwaka straddled the worlds of...
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...
Kyoto Denim started as a Kimono manufacturer dating back to the Edo period, specifically 1688. While many of their competitors have gone out of business in the the past few decades, Kyoto denim is going strong. Toyoaki Kuwayama, the successor of this family business took the company in an unexpected...
Kawara are the roof tiles that define the historical cityscapes of places such as Kyoto. Yasuhiro Ichinose, the successor of a family business specializing in traditional roof tiles that has recently celebrated it’s 100th anniversary, is looking to expand the scope of kawara products beyond roofs. Yasuhiro has been involved...
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...
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...
