Bizen in the Spotlight; Lights, Camera......

One of Japan's best art programs is the somewhat comical, yet very informative program on NHK called Bi-no-Tsubo (Beautiful Jar/ Japanese only web site at:
> http://www.nhk.or.jp/tsubo/). It airs each Friday evening and focuses on some artistic apsect of Japanese culture, from an airing on tatami mats, to sushi, to Rosanjin. Late last year a producer called our gallery and requested that we open up the gallery--and an interview with Robert--to show and talk about Bizen pottery. Of course we were honored and said sure. The four-team film crew arrived on Jan. 15th and filming took all day; most likely for a fifteen second slot in the program. The next day the team headed to Okayama where they visited a great restaurant Hamuro (see previous blog photo of huge Kaneshige Toyo boat tokkuri) and then they visited Isezaki Jun--the current Living National Treasure--and not sure where else; guess I'll have to watch the program. The program will be shown on Feb. 29th--Leap Year fortune?--and we hope to have some video or DVD to offer; of course the program is in Japanese only. Some photos from the day......

Blessings Abound/Happy New Year!

It's said a dream of Mt.Fuji for one's first dream of the year is a sure sign of impending fortune and good luck. Well, to spread an 'image dream' of Mt.Fuji to bring good fortune to all who visit this blog, I share with you a photo I took of Fuji-san from Suruga Bay, Numazu on New Year's Day: Wishing all a wonderful 2008 full of days just as you like them. From today's Japan Times about Mt.Fuji:http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20080108i1.html