After the woodworking workshop, we moved to cafeteria, where each instructor took seat on one table. The potential applicants and his/her parents had a chance to ask specific questions about TASK one-on-one basis. The person I wanted to talk to was not any instructor but the person in charge of PR, Furutani-san. He also had …
Kudo-sensei’s presentation included a video clip from a TV documentary that was recently broadcast in Japan, which featured two foreign students studying at TASK. Ryan came from the UK to study woodwork. Asked why he became interested in Japan, he said his first encounter to Japan’s culture was the Legend of Zelda, a Nintendo video …
A Sunday morning in late March, 2019. I was waiting for a train bound for Sonobe at Platform 33 in Kyoto Station. I was the first or second on the line but soon the line got quite long with people mainly with hiking boots and a backpack. I had no idea this local line would …
All the way at the back of the 3rd floor, Nagasu-san was sitting cross-legged. Her Samue jacket looked comfortable. On the right side of her laps were several wood carving knives with different shapes of tips. On her left side laid photos of wooden statues. She was working on something, but when I approached her, …
The Tokyo Olympics will begin in 11 days. Sadly, not only foreign visitors but also Japanese spectators are excluded from the stadium due to the COVID-19 pandemic. I feel sorry for all the people in Japan, including local business and volunteers, who were so much looking forward to this event. No spectators, no tourists to …
April was a lost month. Due to the lockdown, our semi-annual event Senses from Japan was canceled. We usually coincide with Kyoto Art and Antiques’ semi-annual warehouse sale, which was also canceled. I don’t know when we can hold Senses from Japan again, but I’m so happy to let you know that Kyoto Art and …
It’s a meetup that I started at The Collective starting this month. The spiel says, “Calling All Fans Of The Learning Circle! Join For Our First Gathering To Discover All Things Japanese With Like-Minded Japanophiles. The Group Will Meet Up Every Second Wednesday Of The Month From 6-7:30 To Share In Conversations And Demonstrations On …
The brochure of Ueba Eso says it was founded in 1751 as a retailer of paints. Claiming the oldest of its kind in Japan, Ueba Eso has been providing its wealth of colors to almost all the Japanese artists. At its peak, it was selling over 700 different items. After the bubble has burst in …