Salt and Pepper at Kennin-ji

If you asked me barely a month ago, I would have told you that I was feeling down because I hadn’t been able to return to Japan in two years. And then, thanks to a tip by Eric during a press tour in Dubai I was involved with, I got an invitation to attend the launch of the SUI Collection at the Kyōto Geihinkan (京都迎賓館). Known in English by the unexceptional name ‘Kyoto State Guest House’, it’s actually a big deal. Located within the Kyoto Imperial Park, the Cabinet Office of Japan uses it to host foreign dignitaries.

The invitation was confirmed on a Wednesday and I flew out on a Thursday morning to make it in time for the event 48 hours later. (I’ll write more about that exhibition in the The Craftsman Newsletter).

This is me in November 2025 at another special place, Kennin-ji, a Rinzai Zen temple in Kyoto founded in 1202 CE. The sky was clear, the grounds busy with visitors but also peaceful. I sat in the engawa for 10 or 100 minutes. I felt just right, everything was as it should be, and I was filled with a sense of gratefulness to the Universe for making this unexpected trip to happen.

(Later I noticed my beard has really turned salt and pepper in the last few years and it was unintentionally matching with my scarf).