On my recent trip to Kyoto and the installation “Eternal Affinity” by the wonderful glass artist Yukito Nishinaka. “Eternal Affinity” is a unique piece of artwork created and located at the entrance of the Honen-in Temple in Kyoto, which has been in existence for over 340 years. Nishinaka’s installation is…

Art historian Rossella Menegazzo has always specialised in Japan: she completed her PhD in Oriental Studies with a dissertation on Japanese art history and photography in 2009, and went on to become Professor of East Asian Art History at the University of Milan. Menegazzo is the author of numerous texts…

As part of our deep dive into Japan, Luxeat has the joy of meeting with a Japanese ceramics legend to better understand the history and importance of cups, plates and bowls across the nation. Robert Yellin is an American Japanese ceramics specialist who has been living in Japan since 1984.…

To see my full article in collaboration with All Nippon Airways please go here. Japanese ceramics expert and gallerist Robert Yellin once told me that “ceramics are like living creatures”. Indeed, when on one late autumn afternoon I was walking around his Yakimono gallery in Kyoto, located in an old…

When Tea Ceremony first came to Japan, it was elaborate and “Chinese Oriented”, but everything changed with the introduction of “Wabi” by Zen monk Murata Juko, who introduced simple and rustic aesthetics vs the richness and elegance of the Chinese arts. Like Alex Kerr writes in his brilliant book “Another…

The magical world of the Japanese ceramics, which encompasses wide range of styles and aesthetics from earthin-like Bizen ware to glazed stoneware pieces and porcelain by ‘Living National Treasures” or phantasmagorical creations by young generation artists such as Takuro Kuwata. Some objects that have caught my eye recently- mainly by…

Fabulous artwork by young Japanese ceramic artist Hashimoto Tomonari @hashimoto_tomonari and an excerpt about shadows from Jun’ichirō Tanizaki’s book “In praise in shadows”, perfectly describing the importance of shadows in the Japanese aesthetics .”Whenever I see the alcove of tastefully built Japanese room, I marvel at our comprehension of the…

Owned by 160 years old dried seaweed and tea wholesaler from Tokyo Maruyama Nori, Jugetsudo tea salon and shop is like a tiny island of Japanese culture on the Left Bank of Paris. Here you can buy premium Japanese tea (like exceptional Gyokuro), beautiful artisan-made pottery or have a cup…