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…

Some highlights from Kimoto in Tokyo that relocated from Kobe in 2018 and is one of top kaiseki restaurants in Japan. Chef Yasuya Kimoto used to train at Sakurada in Kyoto along with Tadayoshi Matsukawa (who runs introduction only Matsukawa, thus similarities in styles..).

Those who have ever tried to book Tokyo top sushi shops like Saito or Sugita, might know how difficult or even impossible to book them unless you are introduced by a regular. I asked Andrew Gyokudari, the man who has over 300 sushi meals per year to recommend top sushi…

By John Hirai a.k.a. Tokyo Rocks on Tabelog (instagram.com/tokyorocks69)All images©John Hirai As most of you might know, ramen is originally from China. The first ramen shop opened 1910 in Tokyo and spread around all over Japan after World War II. Almost every region or city has their own style of…

Shuji Niitome, currently Japan’s number one tempura master in action. Until only recently, tempura master from Nagoya Shuji Niitome refused to be listed in any restaurant guides. As soon as he got onto tabelog.com, he soared to number one in Japan for tempura. Niitome-san is a true shokunin (and despite…

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…

“As fresh as it can be” is one of the most common pre-conceptions about sushi. Sushi masters in Tokyo have the world’s greatest seafood market to buy their fish, but often, depending on the fish or seafood they would mature it before serving to their guests. Yet few of the…

Pictures from introduction only Kawamura steakhouse, which is known for one of the most difficult reservations in Tokyo. It was the season of Alba truffles in October, but we decided to go for the “student” menu, which still cost us around ¥100 000 per head without wine. Full review here.

Images from my visit to Sushi Sugita last October. Some older articles I’ve written about Takaaki Sugita can be found here, here and here. He is a sushi master with a soul, who never ceases to evolve and is definitely my favourite.