The air was perfumed with the fragrance of the heavens brought down into the valley of time. Thick and golden, unmistakable. Osmanthus in bloom. From that first inhale, the rhythms of Mirukashi pulled me back in.

Spiny, armored, almost feral. These little land urchins split open to reveal the sensual heart within: a glossy nut with a caressible curve, rich as lacquer, hued like burnished mahogany and warm earth.

They say figs are the sweetest fruit, and perhaps it was the fig, not the apple, that tempted Eve. It was fig leaves, after all, she chose to cover herself. I too would be more tempted by a sultry fig.

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 […]

The body is soothed and the soul is stirred Ten months ago, after years of wise guidance by my mother-in-law, a devoted practitioner of elegant and pragmatic home cooking, I took a leap and began studying Japanese cuisine at the next level in earnest with Tsuchiya san, a family friend and former chef at Robata […]

Making onigiri is an intimate act I stood in Kuniko’s pantry and pulled a jar of umeboshi from the shelf. I removed a dozen or so from the jar and began prying the soft flesh away from the pits. I popped one in my mouth. It was mouth-puckering sour though pleasant, the saltiness pronounced but […]

Shinshoga new ginger The road out of summer took a clear turn towards fall this past week. An afternoon rain left not cool but cold air in its wake. As we rise we sleepily murmur of bringing warmer bedding out of storage. Days are quieter as the steady vibrato of crickets replaces the shrill whir […]

A shapeless season It was a restless night, storms rolling through one after another, lightning flashing bright enough to penetrate closed eyelids and wake me. Rain poured down, its low roar on the roof perforated by the slap of water pelting pebbles outside the bedroom window. It finally calmed just before dawn and I slipped […]

A harmonious table setting An August storm charges in with a battle cry. Lightening fractures a thick sky and thunder roars. I hear the sirens on the hilltop golf course behind the house shrieking for all to take cover. The wind whips the trees as a downpour begins. I stand at the door as heavy […]

It’s a fine time to make home your haven Soft clouds float by like a flock of sheep grazing in the wild blue yonder. I spot a small bamboo tray on Kuniko’s balcony that holds a few carrot peels drying in the sun. This is her admirable thrift, her equal regard for elegance and economy […]