We interviewed Osamu Hayashi, whose family farm produces some of Japan’s finest organic tea. Read his account of the farm’s humble beginnings and the importance of traditional farming in a modern world.
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Enjoy a glimpse inside the decisions and philosophy of one of Japan's premier designers in our interview with the man himself.
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We talked with Takashi Shinto, owner of Shinto Towel, about the company his great-great-grandfather started more than a century ago. Learn a bit about one of our most popular brands straight from the scion of its founding family.
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Learn to gauge a towel’s absorbency and drying speed at a glance with this helpful overview of Japanese towel design.
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Learn how Yamachiku’s decades-long struggle to preserve Japan’s bamboo chopstick industry led to the revitalization of an age-old custom.
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As throwback looks find new popularity across Japan, dyeing company Takeno Senko Ltd. leverages a one-of-a-kind manufacturing process to create eye-catching textiles that pay homage to retro styles in entirely modern ways. Find out what sets the company’s distinctive Hirali towels, scarves, and tenugui (a type of all-purpose cloth popular in Japan) apart from all the rest.
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Sharon the Shiba, Perry the Porcupine, Cassius the Capybara… our T-Lab friends are always on the lookout for a great adventure. We’ve compiled all our favorite stories so you can join in the action.
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In the making of our city guide, we sat with some of our like-minded friends and collaborators and talked shop. Here, we take a break from tea and catch up with April Nett and Elysa DiMauro, co-owners of coffee shop and community meeting place Menagerie Coffee.
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For designers and creative minds alike, Jun'ichirō Tanizaki's "In Praise of Shadows" inspired a new way of looking at the brutal and hopeful world that surrounds us. Here we explore the life-changing essay that inspired so many of our favorite designers.
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The role of design and the designer is intrinsic to the culture of consumerism in the world today. So why are so many of them designing irresponsibly?
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Sommeliers are thoughtful, analytical types with the ability to discern the exceptional from the ordinary. In the seaside mills of Imabari, a towel sommelier can make the difference between a good towel and a Japanese towel.
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Of all the Japanese fashion designers working today, there are none who have achieved the legendary aura that pursues Rei Kawakubo. As her Met retrospective winds to a close, we look back at the impact made by the revolutionary designer behind Comme des Garcons.
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With Halloween just around the corner, we called on our friend and Philadelphia Asian American Film Festival director Rob Buscher to decode his favorite Japanese horror movies.
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“Summer Soul.” “Pacific Ocean.” “Bay City.” These are not tracks from a long-lost Beach Boys album, but rather hits from a little-known Japanese sound, born from the breezy, top-down lifestyle of the 1980s.
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For those who are in the business of conquering mountains, the thrill of the climb is never free of danger. In observation of Mountain Day, we present four Japanese mountaineers who braved the elements, gender and age expectations, and near-certain death to achieve their dreams.
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As an island nation with a culinary affinity for fish, it’s no surprise that Japan has a close relationship with the sea. But more than almost any other element, water extends deeply into the cultural backbone of the country, going beyond geography and permeating its way into art, medicine, literature, philosophy and even martial arts.
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To celebrate the launch of our Morihata Organic Matcha Collection, we are highlighting a different application for each of our three unique ceremonial grades. In this inaugural post, we share some musings on the lost beauty of the green tea ceremony.
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In anticipation of Mother’s Day, we’ve put together some words from the Rikumo team about the most important women in our lives. Warning: extremely heart-warming stories ahead.
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