Good Find: Anomaly Structure
Strolling the lanes of Kyoto’s Arashiyama neighborhood, one passes a number of souvenir stores selling incense, pottery and the like. Then, there is one store that looks different from the rest, with a wooden and leather studded sign that reads “Anomaly Structure” and a bicycle parked in front. This is the atelier and shop for fashion and accessory designer Koichiro Aikawa. Actually the building interior, marked by whitewashed walls, raw wooden beams, and handmade racks is also the designer’s work as well. Like his showroom, all the items featured inside are …»
The Timeless Gardens of Mirei Shigemori
It’s hard to find a spot in Kyoto that feels all your own. The city is dotted with famous temples and their gorgeous grounds, but it’s impossible to find one that isn’t crowded year round. What’s more, while each boasts historic sculptures of Buddha or painted screens, when you go for a look you find them roped off and placed in musty chambers dark enough to blur their venerable outlines.
Last fall, I followed a page in my guidebook to a place near Toufukuji Temple and discovered a cozy corner of the old capital that had previously eluded me. …»
Writer, Traveler, Global Soul: Pico Iyer
Diplomats travel the globe representing their countries to the world. Pico Iyer travels to represent the world to his many readers. Whether from North Korea or Katmandu, Iyer’s writing describes the collision of cultures occurring in a world set into perpetual motion. Iyer too is in perpetual motion, so much that he “only has an official home where he never actually spends any time.” For the past nine years, however, Iyer’s return tickets have led him to his Japanese partner and a two-room apartment in Nara. Paper Sky stole a moment with Iyer to ask what the rest for the world looks like- and how to get there. …»
KASHIMAX: Fixed on a World Class Saddle
Keirin Bicycling has captured the attention of both the bicycle and street scenes over the past several years. Many enthusiasts know of the legendary Keirin bicycle frame make, Nagasawa Racing and just as many know of the humanly impossible feats of 10 time World Track Bike Champion Nakano Koichi. What perhaps no one in the western hemisphere has yet to discover is that Kashima Tetsuo, the second heir to Kashima Saddle Manufacturing has quietly been part of this history all along. He was …»
