Three elderly women in a tiny mountain village continue their tradition of collecting and transforming chestnuts into sweets with the help of volunteers.
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Making washi in the mountains
Kurotani in rural Kyoto is one of the oldest paper-making villages in Japan. For more than eight centuries, the villagers have transformed the mulberry plant into elegant washi (Japanese paper) products.
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Clarissa Goenawan: Rainbirds
Review: An evocative mystery set in Japan, Rainbirds is the impressive debut novel from Clarissa Goenawan, an Indonesian-born Singaporean. Part thriller, part coming-of-age tale, Rainbirds takes the reader on a mesmerising journey of self-discovery and love in its different forms.
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Pulling strings to keep alive Myanmar’s puppetry tradition
In Yangon, one artist and his family are helping to save the country’s marionette heritage through education and staging puppet shows in their living room.
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The best camera…
Is the one that you have with you, be it in your hands, around your neck, or in your pocket. I firmly believe that tools do not make a craftsman. A camera is a tool, a means to an end – to capture an image or present an idea envisioned by the person behind the…
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Vignettes of Japan #15: At one with nature
During our brief sojourn in Higashi-Yoshino, we took leisurely walks by the river, passed a waterfall and ancient shrines, climbed over many moss-covered stones, weaved amongst skinny tall trees, and listened to riotous symphonies by unknown insects.
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Vignettes of Japan #14: Countryside living
Once in a blue moon, I would select my next travel destination because of an unusual or exceptional lodging in the area. This has brought me to places that I had not heard of before; the mountainous village of Higashi-Yoshino 東吉野村 in Japan’s Nara Prefecture is one example. I was looking for a place to stay…
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When I grow up…
Lush greenery, lots of natural light, and uncluttered space with clean lines are some of the features that I’d like to have for my future home. What about you?
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Granta 111: Going Back
Review: Granta’s “Going Back” (issue 111) revolves around memories – of one’s hometown, a former home, an ex-lover or friend, an idea once closely held. Some of the works are fictional while others are autobiographical. In this issue, there are several gems that I could go back time and again to read and not get tired of.
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