new and Upcoming essays
Hans Karlsson started venturing into virtual worlds with his mobile phone in this simple cardboard box.
From tokyo to tajimi - part 2The author left mammoth city Tokyo to settle down in a countryside town. Now he travels back by VR. Not just to Tokyo, though, but to boundless real and imagined worlds.
Local cuisine in Tajimi is a pleasant discovery for foreigners who find the tastes of Japanese food to be too sublime.
the rich taste of the tajimi cuisineMiso is the secret to the sauce.
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Hans Karlsson meeting famed potter ... at the Tile Museum
from tokyo to tajimi - part 1After almost three decades in Tokyo, an old Japan hand settle down in countryside town Tajimi. It turned out to be a good move.
Warlord Toyotomi Hideyoshi on a climb to take a Mino castle and towards a brilliant career.
The story of mino ware - Part 2The patrons of Mino ware pottery not only appreciated the tea bowls in themselves, but perhaps even more so as useful pieces in a political chess game.
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NEW STORY
A polar bear pottery performanceHans is drawn into a stage performance and ends up in a place he didn't expect.
The suwa festival - OH, what a night!"I may not be around for the next year's festival," said the old man. "But you are here now," said I, "and so am I. Let's toast to that!" "Sure!", he said, and smiled.
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Mr. Watanabe is close to unstoppable when the topic of discussion is pottery.
The Story of Mino Ware - Part 1The story of Mino ware has more drama, political intrigue, blood and death, and obsession that you would ever think possible. In this first part of my series on pottery in Mino and Tajimi, we will explore how this culture of aesthetic perfection and political power play came into being.
The mama-san at local pub The Broken Umbrella is a great collector of Minoyaki ware.
fine pottery for the patronsThe Tajimi local pub Yaburegasa (The Broken Umbrella) is an immensely popular, rustic izakaya where you get friendly with people after a few cups of excellent Gifu produced sake. Drinks are served in fine Mino ware flasks and cups, collected by the jovial mama-san that runs the place.
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the exotism of the ordinary
Barbershops were hubs of communication in the old days in Japan. This Tajimi one still is.
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finding a new path into the futureIn spite of the good days being over, young creators are reinventing local industry.
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