by Steve Beimel A simple truth: trees suck up carbon and cool down the area in which they are planted. They are also beautiful, assist in ground water replenishment, provide habitat for many forms of life and act as wind breaks. I was tired of years of helplessly watching the world get hotter and ignoring…

by Steve Beimel                                                                                                                                                                                                                           Japan continues to delight, surprise and fulfill me after nearly 50 years.  About two years ago, a group of about a dozen American and British friends joined together to support me in my efforts to identify needs and give strategic support to small, key projects that encourage traditional Japanese crafts to flourish…

  Charles Bernstein, A.I.A. This poetically designed church was completed in 1995 on a low budget, and won Ando the Pritzker Award. The relatively small structure is located in a suburb of Osaka. Like most of Ando’s work, the building materials consist of glass, steel and of course, poured-in-place concrete. In addition to evocatively placed…

Baby step: Bought a book at a local independent book store. Goal: support local retail culture Baby step: Baby step: Planted a begonia in a pot, placed next to my apartment door. Goal: beautify neighborhood, support local retail culture. Baby step: Baked a bread and shared with a neighbor whom I don’t know well. Goal:…

The foodie’s foodie, Mora Chartrand-Grant, shares about her donabe. Steve Beimel: Mora—So you finally bought a donabe??? Mora Chartrand-Grant: Yes, and I’m really proud of it. I always come back from Japan with yet another piece of rustic Japanese pottery to add to our home collection, which I regularly use in the kitchen…the crustier and…

NEW YORK TIMES:   The tidying guru is heir to a long tradition: Japan marketing itself as spiritual foil to a soulless West. By Christopher Harding Mr. Harding is a lecturer in Asian history and an author. A diminutive Japanese woman kneels, eyes closed, caressing a rug with open palms. She appears to be praying…

by Amy Katoh                                                                                                                                                 Blue &White has lived in Tokyo’s Azabu Juban district for the past 43 years. See how much is going on in the world outside flying kites, trimming trees, smokey moons Our world spins in blues and whites:   Previous page: Tenugui roosters drying at Asahi Dye Works Woman modelling kimono at O…

by Noriko Nakane  “In Praise of Vegetables” Yasairaisan Series Ａ. “Live the life you Love” B. “Fukiyose 2018″ C. “Zucchini Sticks” —————————————————————————— A. “Live the Life you Love” A. “Live the Life you Love:  Part 1” A. “Live the Life you Love:  Part 2” A. “Live the Life you Love:  Part 3” A. “Live the Life…

by Alice Gordenker Entry on Noguchi Shōhin in Bunbu kōmeiroku 文武高名録, a compilation of famous people and important literary figures published in 1893. Private collection. Image used here with special permission. Are you familiar with the painter Noguchi Shōhin? If not, you’re hardly alone. Even when famous in their day, female artists are more likely to…

                        NUNO Textile Design Studio presents “suke suke” fabrics,  by weaving sliced strips of metal with conventional yarns to create a shimmery mirage. Japanese Weavers have traditionally used metallic foils in brocade obi sashes and other formal wear. Thin sheets of gold and silver were affixed to washi handmade paper with sulphur or lacquer, then cut into lomg slender…