Kintsugi - The Beauty of Brokenness Even before I traveled to Japan, I was intrigued by the ceramic art form known as Kintsugi, which literally translates to “golden joinery.”   On the face of it, the concept doesn’t make sense: If you break something, you’d just throw it out, right? It will never look the same again; why not just replace it, or at the very least hide it from others? If it’s not “whole” and perfect, it’s not worth using.Legend has it that trying a different approach to ... VIEW POST

Twelve Things You'll Want to Know About Sake Part Two of My Dive into Japanese Culture I love a tasty cocktail from time to time and a cold beer on a hot day, but sake? I think I sampled it once and never went back.  But after my recent trip to Japan, I’ve realized my knowledge is sorely lacking about this unusual alcoholic beverage.  So here are a dozen questions I set out to answer: 1. Why is Sake Japan's Signature drink? Around 300 BCE, when the two cultures were ... VIEW POST

Sumo, Sake and Kintsugi: A Triple Dip into Japanese Culture - Part One Sumo: More than Big Guys in Little Pants Let’s be honest: to most Westerners, sumo wrestlers  are larger-than-life cartoons: gargantuan men wearing something resembling thong bikinis who do nothing but swagger and push each other around. But a recent trip to Japan has taught me that there’s much more to this iconic Japanese sport. It is a highly competitive, full-contact wrestling match in which a rikishi attempts to force ... VIEW POST

Get it Together: A Short History of How We Stay Fastened (Part Two) Last month I gave a brief history of the ways we humans kept our clothing together until roughly the end of the nineteenth century. Today's foray will cover those innovations that my characters (who lived during the early part of the twentieth century) likely wouldn't have used - in some cases, because they hadn't been invented yet! Snaps.  Those little interlocking disks (originally called "spring button ... VIEW POST