Like this post? Help us by sharing it! Japan is a land forged by fire and ice, as well as what happens when the two of them meet – mainly lots of water! Formed by volcanic activity at the merger of four tectonic plates, Japan is the product of massive forces – forces that […]
Culture & History
Shokunin kishitsu: The Craftsman’s Spirit
Like this post? Help us by sharing it! The meticulousness that drives the craftsman’s spirit, or shokunin kishitsu, has made the arts and crafts of Japan famous worldwide. In this blog, I would like to focus on a few examples of Japanese craftsmanship techniques that epitomise this spirit, along with a few of my favourite Japanese […]
Edo kiriko and the Kobayashi family
Like this post? Help us by sharing it! The term for an artisan in Japan is ‘shokunin’; it is heard regularly but never used lightly. At its best, shokuninsan is a title bestowed on those who evidence a complete devotion to their craft. Artisans who make their work the focus of their waking hours. It can indeed […]
Exploring Japanese wine in the Kōfu Basin
Like this post? Help us by sharing it! The origin of Japanese wine is still open for debate… Recently, evidence of ancient grape fermentation has been used by those who support an early origin story. The Jōmon people who inhabited the Japanese archipelago from 14,000 BCE to 1000 BCE are said to have used fermentation […]
Kengo Kuma: Finding Architectural Harmony
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New National Stadium, Tokyo
Like this post? Help us by sharing it! Words by Tyler Palma and quotes from Kengo Kuma reprinted with permission Kengo Kuma has been in the news most recently as the designer of the new Japan National Stadium, the planned site for the Tokyo Olympics. But his prominence as one of the most significant and […]
Ainu face masks
Like this post? Help us by sharing it! The face mask has become a more defining feature of everyday life in the last few months than any of us in the West expected. Though it’s now a visible reminder of the coronavirus pandemic, in Japan they’ve been commonplace in hay fever season or as winter […]
Like this post? Help us by sharing it! The face mask has become a more defining feature of everyday life in the last few months than any of us in the West expected. Though it’s now a visible reminder of the coronavirus pandemic, in Japan they’ve been commonplace in hay fever season or as winter […]