Spring in a small town
Two drawings of scenes from Mu Fei's Spring in a Small Town, a Chinese film from 1948, and some background about this film.
Yokohama kaidashi kikou
Some thoughts on this manga, why I think more people should read it now.
The age of bloom
Two drawings of scenes from Wong Kar-Wai's In the Mood for Love, and some notes on a song an a novel used in this movie.
The small mystery of the Chinese inkstick
The fascinating background behind a present from long ago.
Midnight in Tokyo Story
A drawing of a key scene in Yasujirō Ozu's movie Tokyo Story.
Tokyo Story
A watercolour of a made-up poster for the movie Tokyo Story.
The Blue Dragon of Kiyomizu-dera
A watercolour of the Blue Dragon of Kiyomizu-dera during the Seiryu-e procession.
Kitchen
Why Kitchen is my favourite novel.
Summer night in Shinbashi dōri
A watercolour of a Kyōto night scene.
Quiet crystallisation
On Japanese cultural references in Yoko Ogawa's novel The Memory Police.
The mystery of the giant Kannon statues
Of the fifty tallest statues in the world, eighteen are of a being called Kannon. So who is this Kannon, and why are some many of the tall statues of it?
Four portraits
The story behind a series of four portraits from a scene in the movie 'Our Little Sister'.
Per Tiziana
Eidon wrote a beautiful short piece with two different arrangements. I wondered if I could make a third arrangement.
Ukifune
The classical tale behind a Japanese pop song.
The Beautiful Japan of the Mind
Some observations on the Nobel lecture of Yasunari Kawabata
Daffodils
The short story of a whimsical music collaboration.
The True Pure Land
On the origin and meaning of a Shinshū Buddhist hymn which I encountered in Yu Miri's Tokyo Ueno Station.
The four wisdoms
On the origin and meaning of this chant, common in Japanese Buddhism.
About reading Murakami as a way to learn Japanese
After spending nearly six years reading Murakami's 1Q84 in Japanese, I finally finished it. What did I learn?
Cold or not: a riddle in Murakami's 1Q84
In one of the final chapters in 1Q84, a character tells an intriguing story about Carl Gustav Jung. I went looking for the story behind the story.
The Winds of Kyoto
A very short story for the Fifth Annual Kyoto Writing Competition.
On puppets and being human
On the symbolism of puppets in Ghost in the Shell anime series.
Drawing the Naginata Hoko
Some years ago I photographed musicians in a festival float in Kyoto on the eve of the Gion Matsuri. I finally turned it into a drawing.
Ghost in the Shell and the Manyoshi
The many layers behind the theme song of the Ghost in the Shell anime 'Innocence'.
A shop, the planets and the days of the week
A tale of a shop with a strange name, the planets, and the days of the week.
Reading Murakami in Japanese
Some observations on reading Japanese: reading aloud and reading without subvocalising.
Getting started with vegan cooking
A few tips to get off to a good start with vegan cooking.
Why the 'Little People' say 'Ho ho'
A look at why the 'Little People' in Haruki Murakami's 1Q84 say 'Ho ho'
Repetition in Murakami's 1Q84
Why do Tengo and Fuka-eri repeat one another so frequently?
Why does Japanese have kanji for very large numbers?
A story of counting systems, a mathematics treatise and buddhist scriptures, with a supercomputer and a samurai.
Drawing the dancer of Ranryōō
Some years ago I saw a a traditional dance performance in Kyoto on the eve of the Gion Matsuri. I finally turned it into a drawing.
Move over onion, here's ginger
Quick and Tasty recipes don't use onion. There is no special reason, I just prefer ginger. So let's make the case for ginger.
Some observations from a slow learner of Japanese
Why even 5 minutes per day is enough to get you there.
Should you eat 10-a-day, and how much is that anyway?
Some thoughts on a recent study saying that we need to eat ten portions of fruit and vegetables per day.
Celebrations! One year of Quick & Tasty!
Quick an Tasty Cooking is one year old!
My favourite types of rice
There are many, many varieties of rice. Here are five types that I like.
Some tips for reading Japanese as a learner
Why it is hard, and what you can do to make it easier.
Three of my favourite Japanese kitchen tools
Simple and effective design.
Murakami meals
Peer into the fridge, see what you can make.
My journey of learning Japanese
Discovering Murakami in Japanese, and a Zen cookbook.
The most underrated kitchen appliance
Cooking food in the microwave has many advantages.
The Zen way of cooking
What we can learn from a Zen Buddhist cookbook.
The 3 great virtues of a cook: laziness, impatience and hubris
Some of the qualities of a geek boffin are transferable to cooking.
7 tips for making quick & tasty meals
With these tips, making tasty meals will be a breeze.
Why quick and tasty cooking
Recipes for healthy, tasty meals in no time.