Do What You Love

Craig Anczelowitz is a New Yorker who has been living in Thailand for the past 8 years. I met Craig when I was taking a fantastic course in papermaking at the Awagami papermill, which is owned by his wife’s lovely family. Craig is an artisan with an insatiable curiosity about the world. He works asread more >>

‘Working’ in the grounds of Honpoji Temple, Kyoto [image: Takeshi Kohari]  I have recently got back from a six month ‘sabbatical’ in Japan. When I headed out there I was determined to get a change of pace in my work and home life. There were many business-related reasons to go, but in order to make it happenread more >>

We are back in our house at last. After six months away, nearly a month on other people’s sofas, and a lot of packing and unpacking, we are in. While we were away we had horrible tenants in our beautiful home who treated it like a student house, so we are repairing, redecorating, reorganising.

Since leaving Japan three weeks ago I have been a nomad, living out of my suitcase and sleeping in about 12 different beds. I am hugely grateful to friends and family for putting me up while tenants remained in our house, but tonight I am excited to be able to sleep in my own bed again. Bliss!

Image: Kohari As we approach our second birthday here at Do What You Love HQ, we need your help! We are undergoing a BIG overhaul of our website and online presence, and we want to hear from you. What do YOU want from us? How can we serve you better?

My workspace in Miura-san’s beautiful studio As promised in yesterday’s ‘Behind the curtain’, this is the first in a series of posts sharing how to make a traditional noren curtain – something I learnt under the watchful eye of talented kimono designer Miura-san.

People say it is hard to get under the skin of Japan as a foreigner, and this is even more the case in Kyoto, a proud city which highly values tradition and ancestry. Even though we were there for six months, and I can speak the language, it was not until the fifth month that somethingread more >>

  Behind the door of a quaint traditional Kyoto wooden house lies Sukeroku, a guest house and noodle café where you can slurp fat tasty udon whilst sat on tatami mats looking out over a tiny central garden.

  Arashiyama was one of my favourite places in Kyoto. It’s name means ‘Storm Mountain’ and almost every time I went there it poured with rain, but this only added to the atmosphere as a thick mist settled over the hills.

Just a little reminder…

Over dinner a friend told us of an extraordinary place, deep in the mountains of Tottori Prefecture. When a long-time Kyoto resident says their favourite temple is one NOT in Kyoto, you know must be worth a visit. Without giving us any details, they piqued our interest enough to make us get in the car andread more >>

There could be no better welcome home present than a new baby nephew. I am totally in love… Here he is at one day old.

Tottori, Japan A lot of people ask me for tips on planning adventures, and going on big trips. I have been fortunate enough to live, work and travel in more than 50 countries across the world, on every continent (including Antarctica!) so I know a thing or two about packing and preparing. People ask whetherread more >>

  Mrs Tanaka with a bowl of azuki kake-gori (shaved ice with azuki beans) It never ceases to amaze me what an important role strangers can play in our lives. Many years ago, when I first went to Kyoto at the tender age of 19 to study, this particular lady made a huge difference toread more >>

   For me ‘Toraya’ – House of the Dragon – is the quintessential contemporary Japanese café.

I love boats. I love water. And I love the countryside. So when I heard about Ine ‘the Floating Village’ I knew I had to visit.

Close your eyes and imagine yourself in a long dark wooden hall, standing in front of an army of more than 1000 many-armed kannon statues. They are about the same height as you and are staring directly at you. They stand proud, several rows deep. How do you feel?

Tucked away down a side street near the Eastern Mountains of Kyoto is this lovely garden, in the grounds of Murinan Villa. Simple, peaceful, and more than often yours all to yourself…

Traci Penrod Today’s *Shared Story* is from US-based Traci Penrod who took a leap of faith when she quit her day job and started a scrapbooking business.