KINOSAKI     Amidst the rising popularity of infrared saunas and ice baths for wellness and relaxation, in Japan, the timeless tradition of the ‘Onsen’ firmly holds its ground. Oh and we are not here to argue, instead, we bow to its merits—beneficial for the skin, invigorating for the body, a remedy for hangovers and aging joints.   With over 3,000 onsen towns sprinkled across Japan, each offering a small haven of scattered hot springs, the allure lies in the ease of hopping from one rejuvenating soak to another, while starting the day with a wholesome Japanese breakfast and ending with a hearty feast.   While these towns certainly possess their own unique quaint “charm”, they often differ from the lavish luxury spa resorts commonly found in the West. With aging tatami mats, decor reminiscent of the 1970s, and walls that might show signs of wear, they don’t always exude a strong design focus. For years, we embraced this and even turned a blind eye or two, attributing it to the ‘onsen’ experience. However, a small onsen town called Kinosaki is breaking this mold.

“It’s all about the mind-body-soul connection,” says Chuuma-san, the head therapist at Kyoto’s newest spa, KOKYU. Dressed in a muted red linen dress with lustrous hair and dewy skin, I found myself in awe of her cheerful-yet-calm demeanor. As I listened to her talk enthusiastically about KOKYU, a spa/gallery space off Nijo Teramachi, I couldn’t help thinking… “I’ll have what she’s having.”   Chuuma san sums up the spa’s philosophy quite simply: “We can sometimes trick our minds not to feel stress, but our bodies… our bodies will give us cues. We wanted KOKYU to be a place where people learn to listen to those cues by becoming more in-tune with themselves.

Back in 1977, a small-framed but fierce Kyoto woman traveled to Paris. Her name was Yuri, and as an art and culture enthusiast, the City of Lights pulled at her heart strings until she found romance. The fateful encounter came at a small neighborhood restaurant, but it didn’t involve a dashing French gentleman by the name of Claude or Jean. What Yuri fell for was a classic French dessert called tarte Tatin. Before she ventured to France, Yuri was already running a French restaurant in Kyoto during a time when it was still rare to see a French restaurant in Japan’s old capital.

Walking down the narrow stone paths of Gion, Kyoto’s famous entertainment district, you will find the streets are lined with traditional machiya townhouse, hidden kaiseki restaurants, and exclusive teahouses where every so often you see a geiko step outside, take a deep bow towards her sisters, and then disappear into the night. They call Gion the “heart” of Kyoto, a historic area preserving tradition and classic Kyoto culture. It’s not somewhere you’d necessarily expect an up-and-coming global fashion designer to open a shop… but Taiga Takahashi did just that.

With works like ‘Sea of Buddha’ and ‘Opticks’ artist Hiroshi Sugimoto’s  often explored the world of  religion, this year he collaborated with Ryosoku-in temple to again express spirituality and human connection through his artistic creations .   From November 1st-14th Ryosuku-in held a special exhibition “Hiroshi Sugimoto:  Every day is a stormy day” in Gion Kyoto.   Sugimoto’s photos of lightening and rain, explores the idea that we can not foresee the future but what’s important is to have inner peace, so one is not rocked by external factors. A message perfect for this day and age. The Fusuma collaboration is Sugimoto’s  first ever collaboration. Sugimoto’s  photos are printed on high quality washi paper, a technique according to Ryosoku-in’s deputy head priest Toryo Ito wasn’t possible 7 years ago, ‘It’s not that the technique wasn’t available, it’s that it wouldn’t have been up to Sugimoto’s  standards’. The washi paper was sent to a technician who works in a printing studio in New York, according to Toryo, he’s the only person in this world who’s capable to execute this complex printing technique- even then it took them many trial and errors to get it the the standard Sugimoto was satisfied with.   Sugimoto and Toryo who have a close relationship have been talking for many years about collaborating and it was because of the pandemic that they were able to make the exhibition into a realty, ‘Its very rare that Sugimoto  stays in Japan for such a long time, we were lucky to make this exhibition into a reality. Its all about fate and timing’, says Toryo.   The 2 weeks exhibition has come to a close but Toryo mentions there will be opportunities again next year where people will be able to view the extraordinary work. Toryo also hopes people who are living outside of Japan can visit to view the work in the near future.

Iwakura, Kyoto – a suburb surrounded by mountains perhaps twenty-five minutes by car outside of central Kyoto. A place not quite inconvenient, but not too convenient, either. Despite this, Iwakura has recently become an area frequented by young hip Kyotonians (a term coined by Gils Peterson) and out-of-towners who make the train or bus trip for one mission: to visit AA Sekizuka, a gallery and workshop headed by hakimono footwear craftsman Shinji Sekizuka. (You can find out more about Shinji here!)   Shinji, who designs and sells his own hakimono creations, wanted to build a gallery attached to his work space so that people would be more motivated to stop by. “You know, it’s a little intimidating for customers to visit the hakimonoworkshop just to look at my footwear. I wanted to give them variety, some other reasons to visit.”  His work space is divided into two sides, the glass room where you can watch Shinji create the hakimono by hand and the open space where you can see, touch, or order a custom-made pair.   Attached to the workshop is the gallery, where he sells everything from apparel and photography to shoes and interior pieces. Shinji didn’t want to call the gallery a “store”, since he selects and curates the products personally with various artists and designers, and wanted the space to help showcase their work. The gallery usually has ten different exhibitions throughout the year.   In order to realize his design, Shinji worked directly with the architect to create AA Sekizuka. Having a big, comfortable space was Shinji’s priority, which is why he decided to open his gallery/workshop in Iwakura.  Out of the city, his focus is sharper… and he can concentrate on bringing his hakimono creations to life and finding them new homes with people who will appreciate them as a part of their everyday lives.   AA IWAKURA: https://hakimonosekizuka.com/collections/岩倉aa WORDS: Sara Aiko PHOTOS: KINGY  

The sunlight shined through the generous sized window, casting shadows in every corner of the beautiful rustic space, chef Masayo came up to me and gave me a warm COVID-approved hug. She passionately told me about her culinary tales, about visiting the countryside, and how her mother sometimes teaches tea ceremony upstairs. I had no intention of writing about the restaurant prior to this visit (just a casual visit), but here I was, once again captivated by the magic of Farmoon.   As soon as you push through the heavy glass door, you enter into chef Masayo’s world; aging textured walls, a sole wooden chandelier made from an Indian artifact, a collection of plates and bowls which look like they each trotted over from a different corner of the globe, everything reflects Masayo’s taste and life journey.   As a former artist, chef Masayo studied in New York. The big apple was where she really began getting interested in cooking and delved deep into the culinary world. From there her passion for cooking took her all around the world, as both a student, and as a teacher. And not long after Masayo took over the space, the former 10 year old machiya house was converted into a restaurant where guests would soon be made to feel like they are in a different realm, one that knows no borders.   To bring her vision to life, Masayo hired Teruhiro Yangihara, a renowned interior designer and a long time friend. He is best known for his cross designs and craftsmanship, through which he creates intimate spaces which are both timeless, and borderless. With Farmoon, it was mentioned that he took on Masayo’s request to create a space which she herself felt comfortable in, but also one where guest chefs from all around the world could come and enjoy cooking for pop-up events.   It’s not only the interior that makes you feel like you’re in a different world, Masayo, who has travelled the globe, brings the whole world to you through her culinary creations. By day, Farmoon is a tea salon serving teas and homemade cocontions, as well as some sweet delights which are a reflection of the season and the chef’s own creativity. But by night, things become much more exclusive; the restaurant turns into an ‘ichigen-san okotowari’ restaurant – where guests must be introduced in order to secure a seat. This ‘members only’ style restaurant is common in Japan, it ensures that their regular guests are well taken care of and that they are happy and content. It’s a trust system that builds a relationship between the restaurant and its guests.   As of 2020 (otherwise known as the year of COVID), non-members have been able to enjoy Masayo’s culinary creations as well, through a less restricted affair – pop up lunches and events. If you’re visiting Kyoto, it’s a good idea to keep an eye on the restaurant’s Instagram account. Past events have included a Mexican themed brunch, a collaboration event with renowned Tokyo chefs, and even a piano concert.   In a world where traveling has become an absolute luxury, Farmoon has become a place for locals where they can escape from reality for a little while and be transported into a realm of good food, good vibes and good design.   Farmoon Kyoto: Farmoon (@farmoon_kyoto) • Instagram photos and videos   Words: Sara Aiko Photos: Sara Aiko

Usually if one was to travel to Arashiyama, an area thirty minutes away from the city centre, it would be for the bamboo forest or the mountain scenery. For food? Maybe. For pizza? Definitely not. However, a new restaurant on the block called MAMA  is set to change all that.   Why journey all the way out there for pizza, especially in Kyoto where you can find authentic and delicious Japanese food in every corner of the city? Because MAMA isn’t just about the pizza. It’s about the vibe, it’s about the design of the restaurant that’s bound to catch your eye.

This wee new restaurant in Nanzenji, Kyoto popped up on my radar earlier this year, ”oooooo pretty”, I thought. Alas, COVID happened and dining at a restaurant became an afterthought. 6 months later, the restaurant popped back on to my radar so I decided to pay it a visit for some work research. To be honest, I didn’t know what to expect since their Instagram page has no photos, their website has limited information, and none of my friends had ever visited the place. On top of that, even just to book a reservation I had to ask a trusted contact because their phone line was no longer in use, but this only made me more curious about the place. This, and also looking at their few  photos on their website, the restaurant looked very pretty. My gut trusted that it’s “immaculate and sensitive design” translated to ”good food”.   So 6 months later, here I was at Harada-san’s small and mysterious restaurant that sits between two major temples in Kyoto – Nanzenji and Ginkakuji. Harada-san greeted us at the front door, a gentleman with a bow-tie, very friendly. Harada-san had been a chef for over 20 years, trained in French and Vietnamese cooking, and had just recently moved to Kyoto from Shizuoka to open his restaurant. At this point, I still didn’t know what kind of food I was going to be eating.   I went in with a very empty stomach just in case this lunch was going to be a feast. ”Please don’t think of this place as a restaurant, please think of it as some sort of experimental dining”, he said. ”Oh great”, I thought, ”I’m not even going to get to eat”. Luckily what he meant by ”experiment” was that he had created a dining experience that takes everything “back to basics” – creating dishes only using dashi (stock made from kelp and bonito).   No soy sauce, salt, pepper, mirin – nothing. I was happy that we were going to be dining on actual food but skeptical that a course meal created only with dashi was really going to hit the spot. But that’s exactly what he did – he hit the spot many times with nearly 20 dishes made only from dashi.   From seasonal vegetables to the Oyakodon finale, everything was beautifully cultivated and surprisingly full of taste. Kyoto people are known to favour lightly flavoured food, so having Kyoto blood running through me, I was very used to enjoying my food in its natural state. For those who like a little bit more kick or spice, Harada-san also provides salt and sansho pepper on the side.   I intentionally didn’t include any food photos because just like Harada-san, I wanted to remain a little mysterious so you can be surprised when you dine at his restaurant. Instead, I wanted to show you the beautiful space that initially drew me in which was designed by the architectural firm, Drawers.   This is a restaurant I recommend if you like to taste the goodness and delicacy of natural ingredients. People who like going back to basics. If you like copious amounts of flavour (no judgement at all), this is not the place for you. I’ll make sure to add a ramen restaurant next time for my friends who love a whole lot of flavour and kick.   Words: Sara Aiko Photos: Sara Aiko   Nanzenji Harada: https://nanzenji-harada.com/index.html

“That light hanging from the ceiling was given to my grandfather by Noguchi Isamu.” That’s Mitsuaki-san, casually name-dropping as he pointed at the beautiful round light hanging from the ceiling. As we sat seiza position in an old Edo period house in the middle of a Kyoto summer, it felt like the room was 100 degrees and a waterfall of sweat was forming underneath my face mask… However, I was happy to be in that gorgeous tatami mat-floored room surrounded by legacy and creativity.