26th Oct 2026
A calligraphy brush looks simple: a bamboo handle and a tuft of hair. Almost everything about how it writes is decided inside that tuft. Two brushes can look nearly the same on a shop shelf and wri…
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23rd Oct 2026
A matcha bowl is the one piece of teaware you hold in both hands and look straight into. It is worth knowing what you are looking at. Choosing a first matcha bowl, or chawan, can feel like choosing…
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22nd Oct 2026
Set ten pieces of Kiyomizu-yaki side by side and they may look as if they came from ten different places. That variety is the craft itself. Many Japanese pottery regions are known for a signature l…
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18th Oct 2026
What would you reach for first: a warm skewer, a cool piece of tofu, or the last slice of rolled omelet? A few small dishes sit between the glasses, each offering a different bite. There is room for…
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15th Oct 2026
What would make everyone linger over one more bowl? Steam rises from the pot in the middle, with small bowls waiting beside each pair of chopsticks. Japanese hot pot at home begins with that shared…
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8th Oct 2026
A bite of onigiri can be creamy and savory, bright and tangy, or gently sweet, depending on what’s tucked inside the rice. These six favorite fillings will help you find a flavor to try first…
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18th Sep 2026
A Yamanaka bowl begins before the lacquer. Before the black, red, or transparent surface catches the light, a craftsperson has already chosen the direction of the wood, mounted it on a lathe, and s…
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2nd Sep 2026
The meal is already made. What remains is the part most recipes leave out: which bowl holds what, and where each one goes. The rice is done, the soup is hot, there is a piece of grilled fish and…
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25th Aug 2026
A tea bowl that looks a little different at the end of its life than it did on the day it was made — that's not a flaw in Hagi ware. It's the point. In Hagi, a castle town on Yamaguchi's Sea of J…
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22nd Aug 2026
Look long enough for a good Japanese teapot, and the search tends to lead back to the same place: a stretch of the Chita Peninsula, southeast of Nagoya, where the clay itself is part of the reason…
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4th Aug 2026
Some pottery hides its clay. Shigaraki puts it on display — coarse, flecked, and warmed by fire until the earth itself becomes the decoration. Pick up a piece of Shigaraki ware and the surface ask…
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30th Jul 2026
Some pots are made to be light in the hand. A piece of Nanbu ironware is the opposite — it asks you to slow down and listen to the water. Pick up a piece of Nanbu tekki and the weight is the fi…
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