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Architecture, Interior design, Places

A guesthouse redefining luxury travel

Redefining luxury as a state of mind. That is exactly what founders of Maana Homes, Hana and Irene are doing in the heart of Kyoto, Japan. With the intention to have guests rethink the meaning of luxury and travel,  Maana homes captures the refined essence of Kyoto for all guests...

Crafts, Stories

A chopstick making kit with premium wood left-over

A little over 2 years ago I was sitting at a table in the countryside of Japan, specifically Hida Furukawa, whittling chopsticks out of a “Hamidashimono” aka wood left-over with people on my left and my right people who gave me the courage to pursue Pieces of Japan and who...

Architecture, Food, Places

Luxury without amenities: the ryokan that doesn’t need the extras

Sakamoto Ryokan is a tiny inn on the Noto Peninsula in the Japan Sea. With only three guest rooms, it’s one of the smallest ryokan in the country. Like other traditional lodgings in remote parts of Japan, there’s no TV, and naturally, the toilet and bathing area is shared. A...

Crafts, Fashion, Food, Interior design

Craftmanship for babies: tradition for the next generation

When Rika Yajima was only 19 years old, she began to get curious about Japanese craftsmanship. She wanted to get to know the traditions of the preindustrial past, when the handmade goods were central to Japanese culture. The adults in her life – the generation above her own – were...

Architecture, Interior design

Courtyards and small spaces

There are many challenges when building in Japans dense cities. Two that make it to the top of the list is to maintain privacy while letting in enough natural light and creating outdoor spaces within those restrictions that create pleasant views. Arbol Architects is a architecture firm in Osaka that...

Architecture, Crafts, Fashion, Interior design, Places

Naoto Fukasawa converts 132-year-old Kyoto townhouse into a Issey Miyake store

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...

Architecture, Crafts, Interior design, Places, Stories

How a bar owner and his friends are reviving a town

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...

Food, Interior design, Places

Black tea and cookies in the tea capital of Japan

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...

Architecture, Crafts, Interior design, Places

Inspiring ways of dividing a space

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....

Crafts, Fashion

The Tsuchiya School Bag

In Japan it is still quite common to wear uniforms to school. Just like the uniform the school bag is usually a specific type called “Randoseru”. Until recently it was the norm for all boys to have a randoseru in black and for girls in red. My mother had a...

Architecture, Food, Interior design, Places

A tea stand merging old and new

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....

Food, Stories

Grandma’s stories and recipes

When I was younger I didn’t listen too closely to my grandfathers stories which I regret deeply. He used to be held prisoner in Russia during the second world war. I only remember pieces of his stories that he would repeat often the older he got but we never thought...

Crafts, Food, Places

Blue & White – Arita ware past and present

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...

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“Pare down to the essence, but don't remove the poetry.”

Leonard Koren

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