Discoveries from around the archipelago
It's my final week in Kumamoto, which means getting around to all of those things I promised myself I would do before (and never did) or the things I just discovered in the past month and wondered why I had no idea they existed. The karashi renkon class at Murakami was a combination of both... Continue Reading →
I first heard of David Bull a few years ago, when I stumbled across the Ukiyo-e Heroes website of Jed Henry. Jed took modern video game characters, placed them in traditional Japanese settings and sent his pictures off to David in Tokyo to be made into woodblock prints. David took the process through the complicated... Continue Reading →
Earlier in the summer, I was clued in to a new cultural course in Kyoto called Ikebana Cadeau. Now, it doesn't take much to convince me to take a cooking course, or even sign up for a tea ceremony or a walking tour. But ikebana (Japanese flower arranging)? I have to say my interest was... Continue Reading →
I'm a big proponent of learning by doing and there is no better city in Japan in which to try your hand at a traditional craft than Kyoto. As the epicenter of dozens of traditional craft industries, you'll find no shortage of artisans to guide you through making your own souvenir, whether it be a... Continue Reading →
The network of national museums in Japan is quite impressive. Of the four branches, three are located on the main island of Honshu - in Tokyo, Kyoto and Nara. It wasn't until recently that a fourth branch opened in the leafy town of Dazaifu, a short drive or train ride from Fukuoka. The museum exhibits... Continue Reading →
