Top 3 Ways To Store Your Kitchen Knives
June 12, 2022
The three main ways to store kitchen knives safely around children, comparing drawer inserts, countertop blocks and wall-mounted magnetic strips.
The Journal · Stories from Oishya
The Oishya Journal
Stories from the workshops, the table, and the long way around.
Featured · From the Journal
In this issue
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How To Look After Japanese Knives With Chef Olivia Burt
June 5, 2022
Chef Olivia Burt’s three tips for caring for Japanese knives: use a flat wooden board, store them on a magnetic rack, and never use the dishwasher.
Top 5 Reasons To Eat By The Seasons
June 5, 2022
Five reasons to eat seasonally: produce in its natural season holds more nutrients, tastes more intense, and skips artificial ripening agents.
Roasted Cod With Pea, Edamame And Asparagus Risotto
May 27, 2022
A recipe for roasted skin-on cod served over a creamy risotto of pea, edamame and asparagus, finished with Parmesan and fresh greens.
Top 5 Reasons Why Should You Cook With Wooden Spoon
May 25, 2022
Five reasons to cook with wooden spoons: they resist heat, stay non-reactive with acidic foods, and don’t harbour bacteria the way myths claim.
How to make a chilli oil
April 17, 2022
A quick chili oil recipe: simmer crushed dried peppers in neutral oil with a pinch of salt, then bottle and use within a month.
Japana Home Is Rebranding As Oishya
February 1, 2022
After five years, Japana Home is becoming Oishya, a name from the Japanese word oishii, reflecting a wider range of kitchenware beyond knives.
Western Vs. Japanese Knives With Chef Olivia Burt
January 26, 2022
Chef Olivia Burt compares Western and Japanese knives and recommends three to own: a Gyuto or Santoku, a Nakiri, and a Petty paring knife.
Techniques De Coupe Avec Chef Fulvio Pischedda
January 24, 2022
Le chef Fulvio Pischedda montre comment tenir un couteau, la prise en griffe et quatre coupes de base: julienne et brunoise, fines incluses.
Knife Techniques With Chef Fulvio Pischedda
January 24, 2022
Paris chef Fulvio Pischedda demonstrates how to hold a knife, use the claw grip, and master the julienne and brunoise cuts.
The Claw Grip With Chef Olivia Burt
January 17, 2022
Chef Olivia Burt shows how to do the claw grip, the hand position that tucks your fingertips behind the blade so you cut food, not yourself.
How To Hold A Knife – By Chef Olivia Burt
January 17, 2022
Chef Olivia Burt explains how to hold a Japanese knife, gripping the top of the handle with thumb and fingers for steadier, faster cutting.
Tzatziki
December 17, 2021
A simple tzatziki recipe using Greek yoghurt, grated cucumber, garlic, mint and dill for a fresh Greek dip you can make at home.
Easy Pancakes
December 17, 2021
An easy pancake recipe using flour, milk, egg and butter, cooked until golden and served sweet or savoury with your choice of toppings.
Baba Ganoush
December 15, 2021
A baba ganoush recipe built on roasted aubergine, tahini, garlic and lemon, blended into a smooth dip to serve with pita and raw vegetables.
Mango Coconut Chicken Curry
December 1, 2021
A creamy mango coconut chicken curry recipe pairing sweet mango with chicken, yellow curry powder, ginger and coconut milk, served over rice.
Eggs Benedict
November 26, 2021
An eggs Benedict recipe with poached eggs, parma ham and homemade hollandaise, served on from-scratch English muffins for a proper brunch at home.
Eggplant Parmigiana
November 23, 2021
A classic eggplant parmigiana recipe layering fried aubergine with tomato passata, basil, parmesan and mozzarella, baked until golden and bubbling.
Summer Rolls w/ Peanut Sauce
November 8, 2021
A fresh summer rolls recipe with rice paper, vermicelli, shrimp and crisp veg, served with a quick peanut sauce. Easily made vegetarian or with pork.
Caramelised Onion Chutney
October 8, 2021
A sweet and sticky caramelised onion chutney recipe that makes one litre, ideal alongside any cheeseboard, and keeps for six to twelve months.
What Is Oak Bog Wood?
October 5, 2021
What bog oak is and why Oishya uses it for Sakai Kyuba knife handles: oak buried in peat bogs for 2,500 years, slowly darkening and hardening over time.
Guacamole
October 4, 2021
A simple guacamole recipe using fresh avocado, lime, tomato, onion and coriander, with optional peperoncino and cumin, ready in just a few steps.
Everything You Need To Know Before Throwing A Cooking Party
September 30, 2021
How to plan and host a cooking party, covering the guest list, dietary needs and choosing an appetiser, main and dessert your guests will cook together.
Homemade Granola
September 28, 2021
A simple homemade granola recipe with rolled oats, nuts, coconut oil and honey, plus baking and storage tips for clumpy, golden clusters.
Best Father’s Day Gifts Cooking Dads
May 21, 2021
Ten Father’s Day gift ideas for dads who love to cook, from Japanese knives and a chef’s knife to cutting boards, a mortar and magnetic knife stands.
Is Fine Bone China Cruelty-Free?
May 12, 2021
What Fine Bone China is and how it differs from cruelty-free New Bone China across raw materials, firing, translucency and price. Oishya uses the latter.
Kitchen Knife Set Or Individual Knives – What’s Better To Start With?
April 19, 2021
Choosing between a kitchen knife set and individual knives, weighing the convenience of a set against buying only the few blades you actually use.
How to Kintsugi: 3 Step DIY Tutorial
April 9, 2021
A three-step DIY tutorial for Kintsugi, the Japanese art of mending broken pottery with gold, using the Minowa kit to fit, glue and join the pieces.
The Ultimate Guide to Japanese Knives: Finding Your Perfect Blade
March 15, 2021
A guide to choosing a Japanese knife, covering how to match a blade to your cooking needs and the main types, starting with the all-purpose Gyuto.
beauty: homemade masks
February 28, 2021
Homemade face masks for wrinkles and blackheads using yoghurt, honey, coconut oil, lemon, citrus and egg white with aloe, plus moisturising advice.
The steel decides when it's ready. Not me. — Our Sakai blacksmith, on patience
From the workshops
Stories from the places our knives are made.
Japanese Knife Care: 5 Essential Rules for a Lifetime of Sharp Cutting
April 4, 2026
Five rules for caring for a Japanese knife, covering hand washing, the right cutting board, whetstone sharpening, and proper storage.
The Story Behind Oishya: From Japan’s Knife Villages to Your Kitchen
April 4, 2026
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.
Best Kitchen Gifts for Summer 2026: 10 Ideas They Will Love
April 4, 2026
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
Why we write a journal at all.
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
Meals worth keeping.
Japanese Knife Care: 5 Essential Rules for a Lifetime of Sharp Cutting
April 4, 2026
Five rules for caring for a Japanese knife, covering hand washing, the right cutting board, whetstone sharpening, and proper storage.
The Story Behind Oishya: From Japan’s Knife Villages to Your Kitchen
April 4, 2026
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.
Best Kitchen Gifts for Summer 2026: 10 Ideas They Will Love
April 4, 2026
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
The knives these stories are about.
Every story here started with a blade. Find the one that matches the way you cook.
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