We’re back from Japan. During our stay this summer, I had the chance to meet so many people I hadn’t seen in years. A crafter I met when I had a pop-up at Hanshin Department Store in 2018. A friend of my dad’s from college, who took me out for dinner several times when I was living in Florence in 2003. We visited Nagoya, where he lives, and my dad contacted him. He kindly showed us around the city. A friend from my college music circle who lives in Gifu and came to Osaka to s

Exploring Kurashiki, Okayama on a day trip from Osaka, discovering traditional architecture, crafts, denim, and Japanese beauty through fresh eyes after living abroad.

How familiarity can make us stop seeing things—and how someone else's perspective lets us rediscover them.