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…

Out and About with Alice Gordenker: Oki Islands Alice shares of her recent media tour of Oki Islands, just off the coast from Matsue, Japan. 在住外国人メディアと隠岐のトレッキング With foreign media on Nishinoshima, Oki Islands, doing the super-impressive downhill trek from Matengai Cliff past Tsutenkyo Arch to Kuniga Beach, in the company of freely grazing cows and…

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…

The Omote Senke school of tea was founded in the 1600’s by the great grandson of Sen no Rikyu.   In addition to their modern administrative offices, the original site of the school has a number of tea rooms and a garden of impeccable refinement.  Omote Senke is one of the great architectural and cultural…

My doctor in Japan for many years, HONJO Soji was a true master of moxibustion. Below, I re-post my article from 2009. I used to think that all doctors’ offices were located in medical buildings with names like New West Professional Plaza and a pharmacy on the first floor, a huge parking lot and long…

The biwa (琵琶) is a kind of lute, with a short neck and frets. Jetavana Vihara, for Biwa and Voice The biwa (琵琶) is a kind of lute, with a short neck and frets.   It is usually used in narrative storytelling. The origin of the biwa is the Chinese pipa. It arrived in Japan well…

Buaisou Indigo by Matt Gross from AirBnB Magazine. Introduction by Mora Chartrand Main Article: Buaisou Indigo from AirBnB magazine, written by Matt Gross If there is one color that epitomizes Japan for me, it is indigo — deep, mystical, midnight blue. The oldest evidence tells us that indigo dyeing first appeared in Japan in the…

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…