Postcards from
MIRUKASHI

72 seasons of eating

EPICUREAN IDEALS from
the HEART of JAPAN

Mirukashi is a pastoral, a gastronomic journey through the seasonal rhythms of the kitchen and the table in the heart of rural Japan.
Take a seat and read along.

Postcards

A new view

The salon began as a concept, an idea for an uncommon and intimate experience I could offer here in the countryside of Japan to connect guests to the landscape in which Japan’s flavors and food culture originate. Once the concept was fully realized, I myself realized that such an experience deserves a dedicated space, a […]

Winter

Stillness and shadows

After a warm spell that left me wondering where winter was hiding, it blew in on an icy north wind. We brought the first load of wood up to the house and built a fire in the wood stove. I pulled sheepskins out of storage, one at each bedside to caress bare feet on cold […]

Winter

The taste of fire

October, a golden season of ripe rice and goldenrod, turns to orange and red in November as the colors of autumn thicken. But we are still reveling in the season of shinmai, dining on the new crop of rice. The plump, chewy grains pair so well with other autumnal flavors like Ginko nuts, mukago, and […]

Autumn

Honeyed and sweet

The taxi turned right onto the lane that leads up to our home. Towering goldenrod pressed in from the left while light-seeking branches reached in from the right funneling the car into the center of an already narrow pass. The driver wound cautiously up, passing a thicket of bamboo, then a grove of cedar, and […]

Autumn

Labor of love

I think time just might just be the most essential ingredient in good cooking. Because cooking with care takes time. And care — for your ingredients, for your kitchen and utensils, for your guests or family — shouldn’t be rushed. Washoku, Japan’s culinary tradition, asks the cook to preserve and present the purest interpretation of […]

Autumn

Sirens of the fruit family

Though these missives come from Mirukashi, I’m in fact writing to you from Maine. Maine is another place we call home. It’s our refuge from sweltering summers in Kyushu. But Maine is more than just an escape from the heat. Early on I realized that if I were going to commit 100% to creating a […]

Summer

Enchanted evenings

Summer evenings stretch long and languorous. As the blue sky fades dusty and pink, songbirds chatter, cicadas whir, frogs chirp, and crickets chant. The air is balmy, On nights like these, summer begs us to sip something sultry. With so many herbs to muddle and flowers to garnish with, summer cocktails are the most delightful medley […]

Summer

Wild craft

On a clear April day, Miho Sasaki and I meandered around Mirukashi to see what wild plants we could find to brew into a hyper-local blend of tea. It was a highly anticipated excursion, three years in the waiting. We had started chatting on Instagram in the early months of 2020 and had only just […]

Summer

On the wilder side

I absolutely love the season of ume shigoto, plum work. It grounds me at a time when I start to feel untethered. You see, I’m a homebody with a serious case of wanderlust. So living in two places suits me. I get to take a long trip, wake up in a completely different environment, speak […]

Summer

Where it grows

June is an odd month in Mirukashi. It runs hot then cold, bright then gloomy, and my mood swings with the weather. One day I think summer is here! only to wonder a few rainy days later, will summer ever come? That’s the nature of June in Mirukashi. It’s a joyful month because it’s plum […]

Summer

Grounding into summer

Bountiful sun and rain has sent the flora into overdrive. Grain Full is the name of this season when all things flourish, including the weeds that turn my tidy hillside into a jungle. It’s all I can do to keep everything just under control. But like a diamond in the rough, plump, dense, fruity, and […]

Explore the Seasons

LIVE these SEASONAL stories at the MIRUKASHI SALON

Join an intimate gathering of extraordinary guests and together we'll explore the flavors of the season in the context of one of the world’s greatest culinary traditions. I can’t wait to welcome you.

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