Almost completely unknown in the west until about 15 years ago, Japanese artists specializing in one-of-a-kind bamboo baskets have since gained a considerable international following.   I had long heard about one such artist, Yonezawa Jiro-san, and was finally able to meet him the other day, in the city of Oita.  After 17 years living in…

There are a few places in the world that are truly enchanting. One such place is a town of just 500 people that has touched my life and the lives of many people I have taken there. It is a town near the Sea of Japan in Shimane Prefecture, in a long narrow valley, tucked…