Yesterday was India’s Independence Day. Continue reading
Words, of course, are the most powerful drug used by mankind.
- Rudyard Kipling
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Disposing of My Mother’s Things
Removing the contents of my mother’s home, handling all her mementos and treasures has proven a problematic, even excruciating task. For one, I’d been after her to do some of it—at least the non-treasure stuff—for years. How many plastic yoghurt containers do you need to keep at any one time, Mother? Apparently, many. Continue reading
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A Little Break
Following the recent and unexpected death of my mother and all the upheaval that means for a family, I have decided to officially take a break from posting. That doesn’t mean I won’t create posts, but the 7-10 day regularity that I like to observe can’t be counted on. Just so you know. Continue reading
Irene Sarah (Wedel) Philippsen 1928-2016
You know you are not in a good place when you’ve got the undertaker on speed dial. Continue reading
The Birth of Saké Is Now on Netflix
I wrote about Tedorigawa Yoshida brewery, which still makes rice wine the old fashioned way, in October after visiting the premises in September 2015.
Tedorigawa
The Birth of Saké, a documentary of the process and the people who give life to this 2000 year-old art, debuted at the 2015 Tribeca Film Festival where its director Erik Shirai took the Best New Documentary Director Award. Other awards followed worldwide. Now it’s available on Netflix and other platforms.
The Birth of Saké depicts the labour intensive, hands-on tradition of sake brewing as it takes place at Tedorigawa Yoshida–one of very few places in Japan still using the centuries-old methods. Continue reading
Unrelenting Beauty and Spectacle
Much like the awe of looking into the Milky Way on a black night, Japan’s infinite bombardment of the senses wrenches the mind.
Traditional Craft Museum, Kanazawa
Farewell to Consul General and Mrs. Okada, Vancouver
On March 15, 2016, a large number of Japanese, Japanese Canadians, and businesses or groups affiliated with that community bid farewell to Vancouver’s Consul General Seiji and Mrs. Yasuko Okada in Burnaby’s Nikkei Place. As their three-year appointment has ended, the Okadas will return to Tokyo to new duties. Continue reading
Happy Terrace, Kyoto Station
Happy Terrace
I’ve been to Happy Terrace on the 15th floor of Kyoto Station many times before. It’s never the same. Sometimes the still frigid March wind has nearly blown my coat off. Other times the fresh night air is a welcome relief from steamy over-heated rooms. That said, I’ve not been here when the hot and humid nights of summer turn the city into a sauna. (I’ll pass, thank you.)
If the weather is fine the city spreads out toward the mountains, sparkling like a jewel against the night or glints like mica in the setting sun. The view of the atrium as I look down into the station from this height is splendid, too. I never tire of it. I make time to admire it every occasion I have to stop in this city. Continue reading
Champagne Boutique YUHI, Kyoto
My miraculous luck never fails. First night nosing about Kyoto I find a scotch bar. The next evening a champagne boutique. I kid you not. I don’t know how I find them; perhaps they find me. I only know its irresistible golden glow beckoned across the dark gray street.
Champagne Boutique YUHI, Kyoto. Photo Credit YUHI website.
Takaaki Abe and the Granpa Dome Factory Farm System
In addition to the rich culture of Japan, one of my favourite subjects is Japanese ingenuity and innovation. Recently I was delighted to offer a story “From Tank to Table: Granpa Dome Revolutionizes the Factory Farm” to Modern Agriculture, a quarterly magazine published in Abbotsford, B.C. The story appears in the February 2016 issue. Continue reading
Posted in Japan, Travel & Culture
Tagged Abe Takaaki, Granpa Co, Granpa Dome Factory Farm, Takaaki Abe
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