Monthly Archives: June 2020

Transitional interiors have the best of both worlds: traditional and contemporary.Staying within the familiar realm of tradition but making it perky with fresh new ideas. Traditional architecture and designs carry a beautiful appeal and when freshened up they stand out as even more classic. An updated historic home carries its character yet the contemporary furnishings […]

A netsuke (net-skeh) is a miniature sculpture developed in Japan over a period of more than three hundred years. The kimono, the traditional form of Japanese dress, had no pockets. Men suspended pouches (inro) on a silk cord from their sash (obi). To stop the cord from slipping through the “obi”, a small toggle is […]

Vanilla is on the list of powerful ingredients that all of us use on a regular basis. However, most of us just take it for granted. In fact, it’s so popular that it’s an important part of all types of recipes. Although vanilla is ubiquitous, we don’t know about the origin of it for sure. […]

Japanese tattoos are cool. But if a personal translator is out of your league how can you avoid becoming a kanji fashion victim and get stuck with a tattoo you will really regret? 1. Know the difference – hiragana, katakana and kanji Before you talk to your tattoo artist, make sure you know what you […]

Are you considering making a living (or at least a little money on the side) doing body painting? Is it even possible to make a living doing body painting? Yes, you can make good money as a ‘pro’ body painter, and even kids as young as twelve have made good money (like $500-$400 in an […]

I read this book sitting in a Thai food restaurant on the Oregon coast. The food was outstanding and what was very interesting was the fact that at the cash register there was a book and DVD set talking about going to college for free. The author was a young guy who graduated from Harvard. […]

Sometimes, choosing and buying Halloween masks would give us perplexity in choosing a scary and eye-catching Halloween costume. If you are not done yet, maybe online stores can help you find that. Remember, Halloween masks have played major part in the costume business world. What makes Halloween exciting is the Halloween celebration and wearing masks […]

When planning a trip to Alaska the top activities always involve the outdoors. This is entirely natural, as the outdoors very much define Alaska. However, there is a cultural heartbeat to the land as well, and many native Alaskans who were born here or moved here after falling in love with the place, try to […]

Martial arts training shoes are not generally worn by practitioners, especially those who train the various Japanese martial arts. It is much more common to see people training barefoot in the dojo while doing karate or judo. There are two main reasons. Firstly, removing outside or training shoes shows respect for the art and its […]

As someone who has been fascinated by all forms of body art my entire life, I’ve been drawn into the world of body art’s history. I’m fascinated by the cultural and spiritual impact body art can have, and I can honestly say that belly button piercing is something that really intrigues me more than most […]