by Mora Chartrand A shared homemade meal is a fine way to offer gratitude for friends and family and participating in the actual act of cooking the meal together makes it even more special. Shabu shabu (swish-swish) is the Japanese onomatopoeic equivalent for the name of a popular nabemono, a simple and delectable Japanese hot…

Sake: This Year’s Rice Report by Sake Expert John Gauntner Sake Rice Survived a Couple of Typhoons, But How Did it Fare Otherwise? In late October, the National Research Institute of Brewing in Japan released their annual rice report, loosely translated as the Suitability of This Year’s Rice to Sake Brewing Report. In short, the…

Between Heaven and Earth After recovering from three somewhat harrowing days driving a rental car on the road in Japan, we learned , despite the high points of the trip, not to do it again. I also relearned that there is a very small margin of error between life and death on a snake like…

Kusama and the Compulsive Visionaries by Gail Rieke Perhaps this sounds like the name of a band, but it is not. Yayoi Kusama may currently be the most appreciated international woman artist of this time. Some of you may have seen her polka dot pumpkin in Naoshima, or her mirrored installations, or the Forever Museum…

Ando Saeko, Japanese lacquer artist Since relocating her studio from Hanoi to Hoi An in 2016, Saeko has been immersed in the energy of Nature which is ‘so powerful here that I have become just one of the creatures in the middle of it’. Vietnamese lacquer has long been the perfect material for her creative…

by Gail Rieke White turns to black/ black turns to white The Japanese design concept of Notan is the balance between light and dark elements. Adachi Garden in Yasugi It demonstrates the idea that the image and the ground or the positive and the negative spaces are of equal importance   Toji Pagoda in Kyoto…

Jimbocho Den: Dishes Without Rules…Part I by Mora Chartrand Much has been written about restaurant Jimbocho Den since its 2007 opening by chef-owner Zaiyu Hasegawa, then a 29-year-old unknown. Today, he is no longer unknown. Den is almost always on the must-dine list of those passionate about Japanese cuisine, both from Japan and abroad. In…

by devapnek I knew we were in for a visual fest last spring, when we received an invitation to join our friend Masa to visit a temple and garden that is only open to the public for a short time in the spring and autumn. I didn’t know that the visit would prompt a spontaneous…

A TREE MOVES IN MINATO-KU It’s a matter of priorities.  Minato Ward has its right! Unbeknownst to me, the powers that are in Tokyo’s Minato ward, where many Embassies are located, and many international residents of Tokyo live, decided that the venerable camphor tree in the historic Arisugawa Park needed to be moved.  By chance or…

By Joan B. Mirviss The third solo exhibition of celebrated artist, Shoko KOIKE will be held at Joan B Mirviss LTD. September 11 – October 19, 2018 Joan B Mirviss LTD 39 E 78 Street, New York, NY 10075 Shoko KOIKE (b. 1943) has always taken inspiration from nature, especially from the sea and plants….