Travel stories, unexpected encounters and the crafts that make Japan worth going back for.
Every piece in the shop started somewhere.
Here is where I write about the travel, the people, and the crafts behind it and how to take care of them.
Sourcing diaries from regular trips. Warm encounters with collectors and makers. And the beautiful landscapes.
Deep dives into the traditions I keep returning to: urushi lacquerware, kokeshi, chawan, haori…. And the quiet details that make Japanese craft worth seeking out
Stories from my journal
What the wood remembers: grain, fire and chisel marks and the face that looks back
What draws you to a kokeshi is rarely the name on the base. It is the grain showing through the dark wood, the mark the tool left, and the two lines that somehow become a face. A close look at how makers like Usaburo and Sansaku Sekiguchi work with and against the wood itself.
The same face, eighty years apart: Naruko kokeshi and the art of handing something down
Two kokeshi, eighty years apart. Same face, different hands. The story of the Sakurai family and five generations of Naruko tradition.
How to live with kokeshi: placing a Japanese wooden figure in a modern home
A kokeshi placed well in a room is more powerful than five grouped without thought. Here is what I have learned about height, background, and the quiet effect of giving one figure enough space to simply stand.