Cruising along on a 25-minute shuttle ride from Kameoka Station, I passed a lot of rice fields, mist, and billboards selling health products… all true signs that I was in the Kyoto countryside . The very second that the van arrived at our destination, Sumiya Kiho-an, the kimono-clad ryokan staff came bustling towards us. A woman greets us with an energetic “yokosoooo” (“welcome!”), three or four more staff following in her wake. As I step out, she quickly grabs my rugged black bag and ushers us through the thatched roof gate.   Sumiya Kiho-an is a ryokan (traditional Japanese inn) located about an hour away from Kyoto Station in the Yunohana Onsen region of Kameoka City. Yunohana Onsen is frequented by locals who are looking to soak in some natural hot springs since central Kyoto offers limited options that are mostly man-made. In fact, the area’s nickname is “Kyo no Okuzashiki” (“Kyoto’s Inner Parlor”), referring to its status as a getaway location that’s still close to the larger city. Legend says that samurai warriors would come to this area to soak in the hot springs to heal their wounds during the medieval Warring States period.

“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.

Of all the Japanese companies known throughout the world, video gaming pioneer Nintendo is one of the most beloved. Despite its technology-driven reputation, Nintendo was actually founded back in 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi to produce hanafuda, a type of card used for traditional Japanese games. From 1933 to 1959, these cards were produced in a quiet neighborhood near Kyoto Station at a building that served as the company headquarters, factory, and Yamauchi family home. Though the company expanded to larger offices, this former headquarters remained as a private Yamauchi family property. After finding international acclaim in the 1980’s with the NES system and classic video games such as Donkey Kong and Super Mario Bros., the company continued to innovate… and Nintendo enthusiasts came from all over the globe to marvel at the former headquarters building, imagining how a bunch of craftsmen painting Japanese playing cards eventually became a video gaming empire.   Over sixty years since the headquarters was shuttered, Nintendo fans who wanted to explore the inside of the building can now rejoice! In the spring of 2022, the former headquarters was transformed and given new life as a beautiful boutique hotel named Marufukuro, after the Marufuku Nintendo Co. brand used to sell the company’s playing cards in the early 1900’s. The hotel is run by Tokyo-based renovation company Plan Do See and boasts eighteen guest rooms (seven of which are suites) ranging in size from 33sqm to 79sqm. While keeping the vintage architecture that preserves an early period in Nintendo history, the hotel has also received a 21st century makeover by world-renowned designer Tadao Ando, “the king of concrete”.

The black monolith façade of the W Osaka caught my eye the instant I emerged from the nearest subway station and looked up towards the sky. Amongst the grey, Showa-era structures around it, this hotel designed by Ando Tadao stands out with a striking identity all its own. However, don’t let the sleek, monochrome appearance fool you! We shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, and the W Osaka reminded me to expect the unexpected.   My first introduction to this philosophy at the W Osaka came when I stepped into their Arrival Tunnel, an entrance inspired by the Japanese art forms of cutting and folding paper, kirigami, and origami. The tunnel was lit up pink in an ode to spring, and according to Amy, the hotel’s digital marketing specialist, the color changes every season. As I walked past a bright young couple taking selfies while I was dressed head to toe in black with a Comme des Garçons skirt and newly-colored dark hair… I couldn’t help feeling a bit like Wednesday Addams. After I passed the couple doing my best black cloud imitation, I looked around the space and saw nothing of the subdued and serene wabi-sabi culture of Kyoto I was so used to. This was Osaka— loud, vibrant and fun! And I was there to embrace and enjoy ALL of it.

“You know, my favorite time of the year is around April and May after the cherry blossom season.” I’m in the lobby of the Suiran, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Kyoto sipping sencha with Sato-san, Suiran’s PR representative, who regales me with her knowledge of the area. “The maple trees start to show off their green leaves around then. Have you ever felt a fresh maple leaf in May? I love the texture… so soft.” Sato-san also talked about which direction the birds fly into Arashiyama and how the shape of the mountain changes depending on the season. It was clear that Sato-san’s knowledge and passion for nature is something that was developed working in this environment… an environment I was ready to dive into!

Spring 2022, just like a passionate fling, the sakura (cherry blossom) came in heavy, made a scene, left us intoxicated and longing for more. Connecting with the Buddhist idea of mortality, mindfulness, living in the now, the blossoms are a timeless metaphor for human existence and is a reminder of how fragile our lives are.   As Victoria Abbott Riccardi reminds us, its not just about the 3 days of full bloom but its about the full romance- from start to finish.   “One day we strolled down the Philosopher’s Path, which proved as enchanting as I had hoped in the fragrant pink bloom of spring. Since ancient times, the Japanese have heralded the arrival of the cherry blossoms because they symbolize the ephemeral beauty of life. But it isn’t just the three or four days of open flowers that stirs the senses. It is their arrival and departure. Looking at a bud about to burst open offers the pleasurable anticipation of rebirth, while the soft scattering of petals on the ground is often considered the most beautiful stage of all because it represents the death of the flowers.” – Victoria Abbott Riccardi     See you again in 2023.   Words: Sara Aiko Photos: Sara Aiko

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.

Salarymen in their dark suits give me sympathetic smiles as I shuffle past, trying not to make eye contact with them. I don’t want to admit that I am now that girl lugging three bags in the pouring rain with my iPhone in hand, running around the financial district of Tokyo slightly lost while trying to get to my destination– Aman Tokyo.

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.

Before journeying to Toyama, I had dinner with my friends at a small restaurant in Kyoto. As we sipped the night away with warm sake at a round table occupied with mostly foodies and chefs, I mentioned my upcoming travels. Without missing a beat, the food enthusiasts exclaimed, “Toyama! Great, great food! You’ll love it.”   My trip was going to take me to a city called Takaoka in Toyama Prefecture. Takaoka is located by the sea, and is blessed with nutrient-rich fresh water and scrumptious seafood. Since I went in November, the air was already chilly and the winds were howling from all directions. Winter was upon us. For locals, this meant preparing for “buri-okoshi”, nature’s signal that yellowtail fish are approaching. When winter air pressure patterns form and roaring thunder brings snow along with it, it is believed that yellowtail will come into the harbor. I didn’t even mind every time it rained during my two-day visit, imagining a family of yellowtail dancing and skipping through the waves into Toyama Bay.   My stay in Takaoka was curated by the Toyama West Tourism Promotion Association “Mizu to Takumi” (“Water and Artisans”) . This group curates high-end experiences for visitors which focus on spirituality, cuisine, and craftsmanship. Though I went to Takaoka with seafood on my mind, I found during my time there that fresh and delicious seafood is just one small piece to the puzzle of what makes the cuisine in Takaoka so divine. The cuisine in Takaoka, in turn, is just one small element of what makes Toyama such an interesting place to visit.   According to Mizu to Takumi, Toyama is the land of artisanal crafts and is home to the largest number of people employed in Japan’s manufacturing industry. I spent one night and two days in Takaoka, and though the days were jam-packed with things to see, experience, and eat… I felt that I only scratched the surface. The good thing is, Takaoka is so accessible from Kyoto that I’m already looking forward to exploring more of the area on my next trip. Until then, check out some of the highlights from Takaoka which set fire to my creativity, soul and tastebuds!

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