Have you ever lost yourself in a project, so much so that you completely lost track of time? Being consumed by a task like that, while it can be rare for most people, is a state of being called Flow. And flow leads to happiness at work. From endless hours spent completing assignments at the […]
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Macrobiotics: A Japanese Concept for Balance In Your Diet
Macrobiotics is all about eating in balance. Japanese philosopher George Ohsawa developed this increasingly popular diet. He believed in a holistic approach to health that incorporates many aspects of one’s lifestyle: diet, exercise, meditation and ‘yin and yang’ energy of particular foods. He suggested that health was directly linked and guided by nature. Thereby, eating […]
Wabi-Sabi: How To Embrace This Ancient Japanese Philosophy At Home And Life?
Does your to-do list look like a never-ending chore? Do you feel the constant need to keep refreshing your wardrobe and improving your home to be “within trends”? Are you always buying new things, only for the shine to eventually wear off? Then you need to learn from the ancient Japanese philosophy of Wabi-sabi and […]
10 Tips On How To Decorate Home With Cushions
Once reserved for the royal and wealthy, cushions are now an item of accessible luxury that completes spaces ranging from living rooms, bedrooms, outdoor seating areas or fancy co-working spaces. Deceptively named ‘throw cushions’ or ‘scatter cushions,’ mixing and matching these decorative pillows actually requires a little bit of know-how to get that timeless, yet […]
Less (Stuff) Is More (Happiness): The Rise Of Minimalism Over Materialism
As a lifestyle ethos, minimalism encourages people eschew materialistic tendencies by spending their money on experiences rather than possessions. Popularised by nomads and driven by social media influencers, it has its strong grounds in science. A 20 year study conducted by Dr. Thomas Gilovich, a psychology professor at Cornell University, reached a powerful and straightforward […]
This Japanese Method Releases Stress In 5 Minutes
Stress is a natural part of life. While a certain amount of stress in our lives is normal and even necessary to keep us going, excessive stress can interfere with daily activities and take a toll on our personal lives and health. If you’re looking for a quick remedy to ease some of the overwhelming […]
Secrets Of Japanese Business Etiquette: Avoid Insulting A Japanese
If you are from Europe or America, most of the things you will experience when visiting Japan may come as a shock to you. What’s considered normal for Japanese people for us may be a deviation. And vice-versa. Doing business in Japan or with Japanese is no different. Some industries are more ‘relaxed’ and westernised […]
The Art Of The Japanese Tea Ceremony
Traditional Japanese tea ceremonies use matcha (stone-ground powdered green tea). According to 8th century Zen Buddhist Eisai, matcha is the ultimate mental and medical remedy which has the ability to make ones life more full and complete. The tea ceremony is the ultimate in Japanese hospitality. There’s so much more to it than simply stirring […]
How To Clean A Rusty Kitchen Knife?
Whether you’ve found a knife in one of your old toolboxes or accidentally left your favourite non stainless kitchen knife in the dishwasher (or your forgetting family member did it despite you telling them 100 times not to do so…) chances are you have encountered a nasty case of rust. Ps. Actually, stainless knives do rust […]
Japan’s Female Samurai Who Feared Nothing: Onna-Bugeisha
Although the depiction of samurai warriors is traditionally male-oriented, the Onna-bugeisha, female samurai existed and were just as strong and fearsome. Long before the Western world began to view Samurai warriors as inherently male, there existed an impressive group of Female Samurai, every bit as powerful, smart and deadly as their male counterparts. They were known as the […]
How To Ikebana – The Japanese Art Of Flower Arranging
A single stem never dies – goes the message from the Japanese floral philosophy of Ikebana. This isn’t a new concept. Far from it. In fact, Japanese Shinto priests – Japan’s indigenous religion – offered evergreen branches to the spirits for centuries to try to capture natural beauty. Then when buddhism came along in the […]
What Japanese Knife To Buy?
Selecting the best Japanese kitchen knife for your needs Is it your first every proper knife? If yes, then go for a gyuto, it’s a multi-purpose knife. Once you feel more confident, you can compliment your set with nakiri (ideal for fruit, veggies) and petty (utility knife, a small knife for all the rest of […]
Knife History – Forging Methods
A bit of a knife history… The city of Sakai is situated by the Osaka bay at the Japanese main island. It is said that the foundations for knife making were laid down as early as the fifth century AD. That is when the great mounds, the Kofun, were built. This required excellent tools, which […]
5 Best Kitchen Tools Of All Time (2024 Update)
Greetings from Oishya, your culinary companion on the quest for kitchen excellence. In this comprehensive guide, we explore the intrinsic value of the “5 Kitchen Tools for Every Home,” handpicked to elevate your cooking experience. Let’s delve into the practical reasons behind the use of each tool and why they deserve a place in your […]
6 Magnetic Products That Will Make Your Life In The Kitchen Easier
Magnets are an overlooked and under-appreciated ally in a kitchen storage and its organisation. This is especially true in small kitchens with few cabinets and paltry counter space. In this article we’re selected top 6 – in our opinion – most clever products that use magnets to help keep what you need at hand, giving […]
Kumihimo – The Japanese Art Of Silk Braiding
Kumihimo roughly translates into English as ‘braided cord’. The word represents, in a larger sense, one of the least known of the traditional arts and crafts of Japan. Due to a cord’s small, inconspicuous presence, it is often overlooked, even in discussions related to a kimono dress. Yet, you can find professionals in Tokyo who […]
Japanese Gift Giving – Customs
Gift giving in Japan is deeply rooted in tradition with gifts giving. Japanese people do not limit it to social occasions, but put emphasis on social obligations – gifts are given when indebted to others, both family and business. Japan is unique in a sense of putting a big emphasis is on the act of […]
Ikigai – Japanese Secret To A Long And A Happy Life
The Japanese island of Okinawa nicknamed the Village of Longevity has residents with the highest life expectancy in the world. They also largely share a devotion to a Japanese philosophy known as ikigai (pronounced Ick-ee-guy), translated in a simple meaning as the happiness derived from being busy at some activity that holds meaning and purpose for […]
Which Whetstone Grit To Choose For Sharpening Japanese Knives
Japanese whetstones (also called water stones) – both natural and synthetic – are known for their quick-working qualities, not only for Japanese blades, but also for their Western equivalents. The small particles that do the cutting are loosely bound together in the stone, and so during sharpening with the whetstone, the surface particles are quickly […]
Santoku Vs. Gyuto – What’s The Difference?
If you don’t own yet any Japanese kitchen knife, the exotic sounding names – gyuto, santoku, nakiri, sujihiki, deba etc. probably don’t ring any bell. Even if you’re a knife expert, familiar with all the different types of steel and different edge grinds, you might not know about the unique names that the Japanese use for their […]
How To Use Chopsticks Like A Pro
Learning to eat with chopsticks is inevitable if you’re planning to travel to Japan, North, or Southeast Asia. You don’t even need to look that far. With the trendy sushi restaurants all over Europe and America, you’ve probably seen people comfortably eating with the sticks, at least to the level of food landing in their […]
How To Use Magnetic Knife Racks?
Although the way to store knives on magnetic rack should seem like a no-brainer, it may actually create a lot of confusion to some people. In a wall-mounted knife rack, do the knives go blade pointing up or down? At first it looks like it doesn’t really matter, but does it? There are only so […]
Differences Between End Grain Vs. Edge Grain x Cutting Board
We’ve covered essentials on cutting boards in our last article, but as with everything in life, you can always keep digging and learning more and more specifics which can help you to find the perfect product. Same with such a simple product – one could think – as a chopping board.Some people value good price over quality […]
How To Choose The Best Cutting Board?
If you are investing in the kitchen equipment – such as finer knives, then it’s wise to be looking after them by investing in a good chopping board. The cutting board is perhaps the most essential (after knives) tool in your kitchen for meal prep. Picking a chopping board is actually easy once you learn […]
Is It A Bad Luck To Give A Knife As A Gift?
You found the perfect knife to gift a friend or family member. But then you remember an old superstition in which it is bad luck to give a knife as a gift and don’t know what to do. Don’t worry! We have the perfect way to overcome the negative connotations associated with giving a knife […]
Guide: Best Kitchen Knives At Any Price Range
You should know by now that having a good kitchen knife is crucial to making cooking a pleasure, not a chore. Quality of food affects our moods and by cooking your own you know what’s put inside. The best knife for you is the one feels great when you hold it in your hand. A […]
7 Tips For Keeping Your Kitchen Knives Sharp And Safe
Living in a fast-paced environment makes us look at the cooking almost as a chore. And it shouldn’t be this way. Cooking should be a pleasure. Sharing a meal with your friends and loved ones is quality time we unfortunately less and less prioritise. Once you find the time, the least you want to experience […]
Danshari – Decluttering For A Happier Life
There’s a new movement raising around the world. Perhaps you’ve heard of it: Danshari. Its three kanji characters signify, respectively, refusal, disposal and separation. You can simply translate it as cleaning or tidying up, but there are psychological and even religious dimensions, deriving in part from buddhism and yoga, which suggest the disposal of mental, along with […]
10 Best Places to Hang A Magnetic Knife Rack
Previously we’ve discussed how to best store your sharp knives and other metal objects. We looked at knife drawers, knife blocks and magnetic knife racks. Our verdict was inevitably 100% for the racks. Today, we will discuss on where to hang these amazingly useful kitchen accessories – and there are quite a few ways to utilise them. […]