Seiji Muromoto was one of the first people I worked with upon arriving in Japan in January, 2009. We were both English instructors in Shinjuku with lofty dreams and calculated plans for achieving business success in the future. During his lunch breaks, I would always see Seiji studying feverishly, preparing to become a legal professional,…
Florent, Tea Sommelier, Introduces us to Japanese Tea in His Shop ‘Thés du Japon’
I first met Florent Wengue 12 years ago through a mutual friend. He had moved to Tokyo from France a few years before and was working as a French teacher. Recently, I had heard that he had become a Japanese Tea Instructor, similar to a sommelier but for tea, and sold Japanese tea from his…
Nihonga Painter Allan West Shares the Joys and Challenges of Being an Artist in Japan
You may have seen his elegant kimono-clad figure on television, in newspapers, or in your Tokyo guidebook. After almost 40 years of career in Japan, American-born Allan West has become a familiar figure in the world of Nihonga, the Japanese traditional painting. I had the great pleasure to meet him at the end of Spring 2019 in…
The Fascinating Life of a Tokyo Rickshaw Driver
For a long time, I ignored that the rickshaw was actually a Japanese invention! This old profession still subsists today in a newer form in Japan: the rickshaw drivers double as guides who often speak several languages. Let me introduce you to Mr. Taira, a rickshaw driver you can meet in Asakusa, Tokyo. All the…
Discover Japan’s National Parks and Nature Conservation: Interview with a Picchio Eco Tour Guide
Seeing Japan’s beautiful nature should be a top priority for every visitor. The best way to do this is to drop by one of Japan’s 30 national parks. This experience can be enhanced further by joining a locally guided tour. In this article, I’ll introduce Picchio, a company providing nature tours in Japanese and English…
‘Becoming Like the Sky’: an Encounter with a Street Monk in Ginza
In Tokyo, Buddhist priests chanting sutras in the streets, with their traditional robes and straw hats, have become an exotic sight not only to foreign tourists but to Tokyoites too. Mr. Mochizuki has been practicing takuhatsu (religious mendicancy and sutra chanting) in the streets of Ginza for nine years.I had the opportunity to interview him…
This Shamisen Player and Mangaka Draws People’s Portraits While Singing
Chie is a nagashi artist: her job consists of wandering the streets of Arakicho (a part of Shinjuku ward), going from tavern to tavern to play and sing to entertain the customers. She’s also a mangaka and draws people’s portraits while singing. I met Chie by chance at the Ringo no Hana tavern in Arakicho back in 2018, and we talked…
The Secrets of the Tatami and Making them for 6 Generations
I had the pleasure to have a talk with Mr. Tsunekawa, a young tatami craftsman. His family has been making tatami for generations in their small, 160 years old workshop in Tokyo. A bit shy at first but soon very talkative, he explained me the qualities that make tatami different from other flooring, and what…