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 …
Horyu-ji Temple’s pagoda lays a strong claim to being the oldest wooden building not just in Japan, but in the world. The record shows that most of the buildings in Horyuji-Temple were burned down in 607, but by 711 the pagoda was rebuilt and has been there since. The temple was approved to be Japan’s …
How lucky I am! I happened to be in Tokyo when 100th Sogetsu Annual Exhibition is being held this year, which is scheduled from March 20 through 25 at Nihonbashi Takashimaya. The exhibition is well beyond my expectation in every aspect. The size… Over 870 Sogetsu people, including the headmaster, participated in it. The crowd… …
Are you an e-book lover? Or do you still cherish a paper book? I’m latter. And I’m glad to have learned about Chin Music Press at Japan Fair. At their booth Bruce Rutledge, the founder of Chin Music Press, showed me a couple of books that were published by them. Kaibyo (怪猫) : The Supernatural …
As I mentioned in my previous blog post, there will be bonsai demonstrations at one of the mini stages on the show floor at Japan Fair. Since I often write about tea ceremony and ikebana in this blog, let me mention about bonsai today, for a change. What does bonsai “盆栽” really mean? Bon (盆) …