Today we have a special guest post from our old friend, Lisa Y. Allen. Traditional Japanese Craftsmanship: Tatami in the 21st Century An interview with award-winning tatami craftsman, Mitsuru Yokoyama Tatami is a rush-covered straw mat used for flooring and dates back to the Nara Period when the word, tatami, first appeared in the Kojiki, the oldest Japanese book written … [Read more...]
Craft Beers at Kyoto Brewing Company Taproom
Here's a pleasant way to spend a lazy weekend afternoon. Head down to Kyoto Brewing Company's Taproom and enjoy the very freshest craft beers in a super relaxed and casual space. If the weather is good you can sit outside, and if not, you can chat to the friendly brewery staff indoors as they pull your pints. In the colder months they will also set up a tent outside with … [Read more...]
Zenbu Zen Winter Tour of Kyoto January 2016 with Food Writer Jane Lawson
In December 2010, food writer and photographer Jane Lawson, escaped her overworked and stressed out life as a publisher and ran away to her dream city: Kyoto. Here she spent five months exploring Kyoto culture, particularly Kyoto food culture, and wrote a book to record that exploration. Zenbu Zen is part memoir, part cookbook, and part pictorial tribute to the city she loves: … [Read more...]
Kawai Kanjiro’s House
This is the house of Kawai Kanjiro, a legendary potter and a key figure in the mingei or Japanese folk art movement. His beautiful wooden townhouse has been preserved as a memorial run by his family. The building itself and the garden are wonderful, but you can also see here many of his works: ceramics, sculptures, and woodcarvings. His kilns are preserved at the back of the … [Read more...]
Craft Beer in Japan: The Essential Guide by Mark Meli
This is an excellent little book, packed with useful information for beer lovers here in Japan and a handy portable size for carrying around to all those bars. Personally, I enjoy drinking craft beers, but I am very far away from being an expert, and far too lazy to study the variety of beers available in a systematic way. Fortunately, Mark Meli has done my homework for me. … [Read more...]
Craft Beer in Kyoto
Craft beer is trending in Kyoto with craft beer festivals twice a year, many bars stocking varieties and some bars dedicating their business completely to promoting craft beer culture. There are two craft beer breweries in Kyoto, and another starting next year. Here I talk to Tadg McLoughlin who runs the eponymous Tadg's: a craft beer specialty bar in Kyoto, about being on the … [Read more...]
Kubota Rekkou’s Blue Celadon Works @ Robert Yellin’s Gallery
On Wednesday I spent a very pleasant evening at Robert Yellin's ceramics gallery, looking at all beautiful things that he has gathered there and enjoying his fascinating conversation. Robert had invited me up to see his new exhibition; the beautiful blue celadon of Kubota Rekkou. Light, pale and graceful this 青白磁 (seihakuji - or blue-white porcelain) stands in marked contrast … [Read more...]
Somushi
Somushi is a beautiful Korean tea shop on the north side of Sanjo, a short walk west of Karasuma. John Einarsen and I have gotten into the habit of meeting up here whenever a new issue of Kyoto Journal comes out. These pictures were taken in the spring. … [Read more...]
!-style
A couple of months ago, I was at Tezukuri Ichi when I came across a stall selling some rather nifty pottery: !-style (reads "exclamation style") is the brand-name of a series of products made by the !-design project based to the south of Kyoto. The brand was created in order to give people with disabilities the means and skills to be self-supporting. This particular … [Read more...]
Kisui
ＵＰＤＡＴＥ ＭＡＲＣＨ ２０１４： Sad to say but due to the changing life circumstances of the good folk at Kisui... this wonderful little bar has now closed. We wish both Setsuko and Risae all the best with their new lives. Kisui has gone, long live Kisui! The name Kisui (器酔) could be translated as “vessel intoxication”. You see, what’s intoxicating about this bar is not just the booze. … [Read more...]
