The Birth of Saké Is Now on Netflix

Posted on April 12, 2016 by Lynda Philippsen

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

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 →

Posted in Food, Wine & Restaurants, Japan, Travel & Culture, Reviews | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Unrelenting Beauty and Spectacle

Posted on March 26, 2016 by Lynda Philippsen

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

Traditional Craft Museum, Kanazawa

Continue reading →

Posted in Japan, Travel & Culture | Tagged | 3 Comments

Farewell to Consul General and Mrs. Okada, Vancouver

Posted on March 19, 2016 by Lynda Philippsen

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 →

Posted in Japan, Travel & Culture, This & That | Tagged | Leave a comment

Happy Terrace, Kyoto Station

Posted on March 6, 2016 by Lynda Philippsen
Happy Terrace

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 →

Posted in Japan, Travel & Culture | Tagged | Leave a comment

Champagne Boutique YUHI, Kyoto

Posted on February 28, 2016 by Lynda Philippsen

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.

Champagne Boutique YUHI, Kyoto. Photo Credit YUHI website.

Continue reading →

Posted in Food, Wine & Restaurants, Japan, Travel & Culture | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Takaaki Abe and the Granpa Dome Factory Farm System

Posted on February 18, 2016 by Lynda Philippsen

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 , , , | Leave a comment

In Memoriam: Lloyd Dykk

Posted on February 7, 2016 by Lynda Philippsen

A dark smudge of light warms the still black Coast Mountains at six. Half an hour later an intensely orange sunrise spreads slowly skyward and across the waters. Mt. Baker looks on from the northwest as the east shoots its glow laterally through the clouds and onto its once white slopes. Brilliance illuminates the room and kisses my cheeks as I write. Continue reading →

Posted in This & That | Tagged | 2 Comments

A very amusing history of Japan

Posted on February 6, 2016 by Lynda Philippsen

I’m a bit behind on posts. Complicate that with a change in the schedule of a vacation to this week rather than month’s end and the difficulty is compounded. I’m currently away from my PC and restricted to the use of a sometimes cranky tablet.  However, sweet luck (like the upgrade to a water view room and other serendipitous surprises along the way), my (wonderful, smart, and in every way delightful) nephew sent along this video which is too sassy not to share.

Ordinarily I’d embed it; however, I don’t want to distress the cranky tablet. Sometimes one has to mollify the tools which are supposed to do our bidding. It is what it is. Please, ignore the nit-picking in the comments feed, and relish the humour and cheek.

View A History of Japan.

Posted in Japan, Travel & Culture | Leave a comment

Escalator Earworm

Posted on January 23, 2016 by Lynda Philippsen

 

Ordinarily, in the insane clang, roar, jangle and bustle that pervades urban Japan I might not notice. I’d be too absorbed looking for signs, checking my direction and verifying platform numbers. Or I’d be gob-smacked by some splendid design or compelling display, and it wouldn’t register. However, this day I’m worn out by an extra-long walk. As it’s sunny and warm I choose to rest on the station platform while waiting for my train. There I enjoy cooling breezes. Much nicer than resting in a subterranean station coffee shop.

That’s when I hear the escalator earworm: an endless loop of dulcet warnings. Continue reading →

Posted in Japan, Travel & Culture | Tagged | Leave a comment

International Ikebana Class: Tokyo Sogetsu Headquarters

Posted on January 13, 2016 by Lynda Philippsen
By Wiiii (Own Work) http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0

Tokyo Sogetsu Headquarters: By Wiiii (Own Work) http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0

On a sunny, late-September morning I enter the teaching room of the Tokyo Sogetsu Headquarters. After registration for the International Ikebana Class given every Monday morning except on holidays, I am introduced to Master Instructor, Suikei Sakaguch. Then we are directed to the bank of flowers and branches from which we are to choose our materials. Continue reading →

Posted in Japan, Travel & Culture | Leave a comment