The Journal · Stories from Oishya
Stories from the workshops, the table, and the long way around.
Featured · From the Journal
Welches japanische Messer zuerst? Das Santoku steht für ‘drei Tugenden’ (schneiden, würfeln, hacken), plus worauf Sie bei Gewicht, Balance und Griff achten.
Santoku means ‘three virtues’: slice, dice, mince. Why it makes a sane first Japanese knife, and what to check in weight, balance and handle feel.
Okinawa has one of the world’s highest counts of centenarians, linked to a plant-rich diet and the Hara Hachi Bu habit of eating until 80% full.
Chromium in the steel is what stops a blade rusting, staining and pitting. What rust-resistant knives ask of you day to day, and what they give back.
A homemade takoyaki recipe walking through batter, octopus and toppings, with tips for shaping the octopus balls in a pan or muffin tin.
Five reasons cooking together as a family matters, from strengthening bonds and building knife skills to teaching responsibility and healthy eating habits.
Japanese knives trace back to samurai swordsmiths, including blades for the Onna Bugeisha, and their light, precise build suits women cooks well.
Honing realigns a knife’s edge between uses with a steel or ceramic rod, while sharpening on whetstones removes metal to restore a dulled blade.
Never leave them wet. How to wash, dry and sharpen a Japanese knife, with a rundown of the Gyuto, Santoku, Nakiri, Deba and Sujihiki.
21 practical low-waste tips for the kitchen and grocery shop, organised around the five R’s of zero-waste living: refuse, reduce, reuse, recycle and rot.
Why Japanese cuisine stands out: fresh seasonal ingredients, mastery of umami and the pride of the cooks behind sushi, ramen, soba and more.
The santoku, whose name means ‘three virtues’, is a short, wide all-purpose blade for slicing, dicing and mincing, and how it differs from the gyuto.
A look at Japanese green tea, from its 8th-century roots and Zen monk Eisai to the main varieties, health benefits and tips for brewing a good cup.
A dull knife needs more force and slips more easily, so it causes more injuries than a sharp one. Includes paper, tomato and fingernail tests.
A look at growing reishi, lion’s mane and blue oyster mushrooms at home, the health compounds behind them and the pros and cons of cultivating your own.
Telling a Buddhist temple from a Shinto shrine in Japan, plus the etiquette and dos and don’ts for visiting these revered sites respectfully.
The nakiri has a flat rectangular blade built for an up-and-down chopping motion, which makes it a precise, efficient knife for plant-based cooking.
Clean and brighten brass utensils in minutes with a simple paste of vinegar, flour, bicarbonate of soda and salt, then polish and rinse.
Umami, the savoury fifth taste found in meat, cheese and mushrooms, was identified by Japanese scientist Kikunae Ikeda in the early 1900s.
Linen is naturally anti-bacterial, eco-friendly and very absorbent, which is why it has become a staple fabric for kitchen towels and tableware.
The Daruma doll, a symbol of luck and perseverance, traces back to Bodhidharma, the Zen monk whose nine-year wall meditation inspired the legend.
Can pregnant women eat sushi? Cooked rolls are generally fine, but raw fish and high-mercury species like swordfish are best avoided.
A guide to safer online shopping: vet unfamiliar stores, read third-party reviews, check for contact details, and use tools like ScamAdviser.
How to joint and carve a chicken Gordon Ramsay style, separating the legs, wings and breasts by letting a sharp knife do the work.
Ten Japanese concepts for a happier life, including ikigai as a reason for being, kaizen as steady improvement, and oubaitori on not comparing.
Fish tacos with seasoned white fish and prawns on corn tortillas, topped with cabbage, avocado and a spicy lime crema sauce.
Muhammara, the roasted red pepper and walnut dip from Aleppo, blended with pomegranate molasses, cumin and lemon for a sweet, smoky spread.
The story of Japanese whisky, from Commodore Perry’s 1853 gift barrel to Masataka Taketsuru studying the craft in Scotland.
A lighter butter chicken recipe with yogurt-marinated chicken in a spiced tomato and cream sauce, served with naan. A fitting Halloween dish.
Three reasons couples who cook together build stronger relationships, from learning side by side to connecting and making memories in the kitchen.
The steel decides when it's ready. Not me. — Our Sakai blacksmith, on patience
From the workshops
Five rules for caring for a Japanese knife, covering hand washing, the right cutting board, whetstone sharpening, and proper storage.
The story of Oishya, a brand born from trips to Sakai and Seki that works with Japanese workshops to make knives for European home cooks.
Ten kitchen gifts for summer 2026 cooks, from a Sakai Kyuba santoku and brass chopsticks to walnut cutting boards and a three-knife set.
A note from Kamila
We grew Oishya through stories, not ads. The articles we wrote, the workshops we visited, the meals we cooked. This journal is where that work lives.
Some pieces teach you about steel and edges. Some are recipes. Some are just the long way around to saying that good tools, made by people we know, are worth keeping.
On the table
Five rules for caring for a Japanese knife, covering hand washing, the right cutting board, whetstone sharpening, and proper storage.
The story of Oishya, a brand born from trips to Sakai and Seki that works with Japanese workshops to make knives for European home cooks.
Ten kitchen gifts for summer 2026 cooks, from a Sakai Kyuba santoku and brass chopsticks to walnut cutting boards and a three-knife set.
Blades behind the stories
Every story here started with a blade. Find the one that matches the way you cook.
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