Charaku - WaSabiDou

My blogs

Gender	Male
Industry	Arts
Occupation	tea importer, craft curator
Location	Seattle, Washington, United States
Introduction	Having lived in both American & Japanese cultures most of my life, it seems an unavoidable life's work to try and bring cultures together (or remove the barriers between them) through philosphy, craft, art, etc. Yanagi Soetsu's theories on Mingei have always appealed to me and the simple, natural, & honest beauty of folk craft is what moves me spiritually. I also own Charaku Fine Japanese Tea, a business devoted to introducing Japanese tea, tea ware, and tea education. We carry a wide variety of fine leaf tea from all over Japan, as well as Premium Organic Matcha. Please visit www.charaku-tea.com for more information. Living in Mashiko for a short time in 1999-2000, my wife & I became attached to country life. We enjoy the rural areas outside of Seattle with our two kids, especially picking the bounty of berries available each summer in the Pacific NW. We maintain a small in-home showroom in Seattle for tea tastings and occasional open house sales.
Interests	folk craft, tea, world music
Favorite Movies	Seven Samurai, directed by Akira Kurosawa.
Favorite Music	Current favorite is Within You Without You by Gary Stroutsos
Favorite Books	Too many to list, reading for knowledge & pleasure never ends. However, "The Unknown Craftsman" by Soetsu Yanagi is the book that I've read several times and pick up something new each time.