Photographer, Mutsumi Ishibashi has been fascinated by the natural environment of Tōhoku, northern Honshū, since the 1970s. He strives to express the rich colours and beauty of Japan’s natural environment in all his work, and to create a photographic record of Japan’s existing forests. From the late 1980s, he focused on the beech forests of northern Honshū, before continuing his journey into the forest areas of the rest of Japan. Major photograph collections include Nihon no Mori (The Forests of Japan) (Shinchōsha pub.); Bunabayashi kara no Okurimono (Gifts of the Beech Forest) (Sekaibunka pub.) and many others.

Yūji Fujinuma works as a freelance editor and journalist. His main subject matter is plants and animals, nature, history and culture.

A graduate in Fine Arts from Tokyo Zōkei University, Makoto Murata worked in the editorial department at the magazine, Pia, before setting out as a freelance art writer. He lectures part-time at Tokyo Zōkei University and is the principal of the BankART School (post-graduate school of art) in Yokohama. He has authored a number of books on art in Japanese.

Editor

Chiho Kuriyama is a freelance writer and editor. Her articles cover a range of fields, from country living to the outdoors and snow sports.

Writer and editor, Akiko Mizumoto, moved from production editing to freelance writing in 1998. She writes in a range of genres for magazines and digital media, predominately in the fields of sports, health and medicine. Originally from Hyōgo Prefecture, she now lives in Shizuoka Prefecture.

Takashi Sasaki represents the editing office, Studio F. He is a writer and editor whose work includes ‘mook’ series in Japanese such as Scenic Drives (Gakken Plus Publishing) and Motorcycle Tours for Adults (Yaesu Publishing). He has authored several books, including ‘Touring Japan’s Kaidō’ (Gakken Publishing) and ‘Understanding Mongolia in Two Hours’ (Rippu Shobō Publishing).

Michihiro Suzuki was born in Fukushima Prefecture, in 1962. He works for the Hydrographic and Oceanic Department of the Japan Coast Guard. Currently in the Ocean Information Division responsible for almanacs and tsunami disaster prevention information and mapping, he previously served in a number of posts including the Shimosato Hydrographic Observatory. In his book Kurashi ni Ikasu Kyūreki Nōto (Kawade Shobo Shinsha, pub.), Suzuki explores how aspects of Japan’s ancient calendar can enhance people’s modern-day lives. Since 2000 he has administered Koyomi no Pēji, a website dedicated to calendars, past, present and future. (http://koyomi8.com/).

llustrator and graphic designer, Yuriko Asō, studied painting at Tokyo University of the Arts. Her illustrations have appeared in a wide range of books, magazines and other publications, including public relations journals for Japan’s Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (2009-2013) and Yucari magazine (Magazine House Mook) 2013 – 2016. More of her work can be seen at https://y-aso.amebaownd.com

Takashi Yamaguchi began working as a freelance photographer in 1974, after working as assistant to renowned Japanese photographer, the late Taikichi Irie. Yamaguchi’s main subject matter currently is Japan’s natural scenery and national parks. His photographs have been featured in a wide range of publications in Japan, and he has also authored a number of books in Japanese.

The late Maruyama Gaku’s corporate life took a sudden turn when he was struck down by a life-threatening heart condition in 2003. He survived against all odds after a series of operations and credited his recovery in part to the sense of hope he gained from looking at images of Mount Fuji. He in turn began photographing Japan’s sacred mountain as part of his post-operative rehabilitation therapy. From 2007 he used those images to help ease the hearts of gravely ill patients in hospitals. Sadly, Maruyama Gaku was again taken ill and passed away in February 2020.

Kaku Hirashima gradutated from Nihon University College of Art with a degree in photography. After working in magazine production, he became a freelance photographer. He works in various media, mainly specialist motorcycle and automobile magazines. He travels all over Japan capturing images of magnificent scenery, onsen and local food culture.

Megumi Maehara is a graduate of the Tokyo University of the Arts Faculty of Music and has partially completed a doctoral degree in Musicology. A recipient of the Sei’ei Kai Encouragement Prize for Research, she is currently the lead researcher into intangible cultural heritage at the Tokyo National Research Institute for Cultural Properties.

Katsuyasu Nakata specialises in garden photography and Japanese garden research. He currently exhibits and lectures all over Japan on the artistry of Japanese garden design. He is a passionate advocate for the registration of the Mirei Shigemori Garden in Kyōto as a national monument. His photography can be viewed at the gallery in his historical family home, itself an important cultural property, in Matsumoto City, Nagano Prefecture.

Photographer, Teiji Morii, was born in Sanda City, Hyōgo Prefecture, in 1941. He began taking photos as a hobby in around 1964 and has won 362 photography prizes. He turned professional in 1990 and devotes his life work the photography of Japan’s festivals. He has published a significant number of photo-books on the subject. He is actively involved with several professional bodies, including the Japan Professional Photographers Society, is the Chairman of the Nikakai Association of Photographers, and Chief Advisor to the Hyōgo Prefecture Association of Photographers.

Photographer Kenji Aoyagi specialises in photographing the landscapes of Japan and other Asian countries. Currently he is travelling throughout Japan capturing images of landscapes that have been created by people in partnership with nature. He has authored a number of books, including English language publications, Mekong, the Last River (Cadence Books and Kindle) and Asian Rice Terraces (Kindle). More of his photography can be viewed at http://www.asia-photo.net

Photographer

Yonematsu Shiono was born in 1947 in Akita Prefecture. He graduated with a degree in applied chemistry from Tokyo University of Science. He travels Japan collecting oral histories from outdoor workers and craftspeople. He is a prolific literary author and has been nominated four times for the Akutagawa Prize. He also writes children’s picture books, and won the Japan Picture Book Award for <em>Natsu no Ike. </em>He was in charge of the structure of the 2009 film, <em>Knut. </em>One of his current projects is recording and compiling oral histories relating to disappearing traditional culture and crafts.

Award-winning designer, Hideji Takemasa, lectures in Industrial Design at Tama Art University in Tōkyō, specialising in the field of production design. He is a member of the Japan Industrial Designers’ Association (JIDA) and serves on the judging panels of a number of design competitions, including the G-Mark Good Design Awards and the Jewelry Design Concours. Takemasa has authored several books and articles in Japanese on the subject of design.

Writer and Editor

Photographer

Judy Evans is a high school teacher of English and Japanese, and a Japanese-English translator. She has a Bachelor of Arts in Japanese and Art History and has studied production horticulture and landscape design. Judy has a keen interest in the internet environment and has administered websites for a number of organisations. She lives on a small farm in rural New Zealand and is a frequent visitor to Japan.

Editor/Writer

Drone pilot

Photographer

Photographer

Pianist and novelist

Michihiro Suzuki was born in Fukushima Prefecture, in 1962. He works for the Hydrographic and Oceanic Department of the Japan Coast Guard. Currently in the Ocean Information Division responsible for almanacs and tsunami disaster prevention information and mapping, he previously served in a number of posts including the Shimosato Hydrographic Observatory. In his book Kurashi ni Ikasu Kyūreki Nōto (Kawade Shobo Shinsha, pub.), Suzuki explores how aspects of Japan’s ancient calendar can enhance people’s modern-day lives. Since 2000 he has administered Koyomi no Pēji, a website dedicated to calendars, past, present and future. (http://koyomi8.com/).

Maruyama Gaku’s life took a sudden turn when he was struck down by a life-threatening heart condition in 2003. He survived against all odds after a series of operations and credits his recovery in part to a sense of hope he gained from looking at images of Mount Fuji. He in turn began photographing Japan’s sacred mountain as part of his post-operative rehabilitation therapy, and now uses those images to help ease the hearts of gravely ill patients in hospitals.

Chiho Kuriyama is a freelance writer and editor. Her articles cover a range of fields, from country living to the outdoors and snow sports.

Photographer Yūji Kaneko specialises in photographing outdoor sports – mountain and trail running in the summer, and skiing and snowboarding in the winter. He also photographs the occasional tea ceremony.

Akio Takenaka, Ph.D., is a senior principal researcher at Japan’s National Institute for Environmental Studies. He heads the Biodiversity Assessment and Projection Section of the Center for Environmental Biology and Ecosystem Studies. His research topics include the relationships between plant form and function, and the mechanisms behind distribution patterns among forest tree species.

http://takenaka-akio.org/

llustrator and graphic designer, Yuriko Asō, studied painting at Tokyo University of the Arts. Her illustrations have appeared in a wide range of books, magazines and other publications, including public relations journals for Japan’s Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (2009-2013) and Yucari magazine (Magazine House Mook) 2013 – 2016. More of her work can be seen at http://y-aso.petit.cc

Akio Takenaka, Ph.D., is a senior principal researcher at Japan’s National Institute for Environmental Studies. He heads the Biodiversity Assessment and Projection Section of the Center for Environmental Biology and Ecosystem Studies. His research topics include the relationships between plant form and function, and the mechanisms behind distribution patterns among forest tree species.

http://takenaka-akio.org/

Keishōsai Ogasawara is the 33rd hereditary head of the Ogasawara-ryu Reihou school of etiquette, having succeeded to the position following the death of the 32nd head of the school, Tadamune Ogasawara, who passed away in 1996. Born in Tokyo, after graduating from Sacred Heart Professional Training College, Ogasawara studied abroad in the United Kingdom. She was the deputy head of Ogasawara-ryu Reihou until becoming the head of the school in 1996. She writes and lectures widely on the subject of Japanese etiquette and provides guidance to a number of Japan’s leading corporations and important public figures.

https://ogasawararyu-reihou.com/

Official weblog
http://ogasawararyu-reihou.com/blog/

Tatsuya Kuroki studied economics at Keiō University before working in the publishing section of a major newspaper company. He now works as a freelance journalist, covering travel and finance. Railway journeys are his great passion.

Yuka Okubo is an ikebana artist and a teacher in the Sogetsu school of ikebana. She was born into a family of Sogetsu ikebana artists. Ms Okubo provides consultation on ikebana at Ikebana Atrium in Takanawa, Tokyo, where she also exhibits her work. In addition, Ms Okubo works in production and planning for floral art events, writes and gives lectures and talks, and is involved in a wide range of activities to promote ikebana and Japan-grown flowers, including lesson programmes in public elementary schools, as well as cultural exchanges in Japan and abroad. She serves on the board of directors of JAFLAC (Japan Flower and Communications), an organisation she established to strengthen links between the floriculture industry and the culture of floral art through cultural exchange and education, both in Japan and internationally.

Tatsuya Kuroki studied economics at Keiō University before working in the publishing section of a major newspaper company. He now works as a freelance journalist, covering travel and finance. Railway journeys are his great passion.

Freelance writer Ichiko Minatoya writes and interviews well-known people across a wide range of fields, including entertainment, business and crafts. She has made a study of the daily habits and lifestyles of common people of the Edo Period, and writes extensively on this topic. In addition to journalism, Ms Minato is a kimono stylist, as well as being an author of stories for rakugo theatre.

Theatrical director and actor. Manages Tokyo’s Canaria Theatre. Studied performing arts at Osaka University of Arts. Has appeared as an actor, or assisted in the production of a number of, works under Bandō Tamasaburō, including the Izumi Kyōka dramas “Shirasagi”, “Yasha-ga-ike/Demon Pond” and “Tenshu Monogatari/The Castle Tower”; Euripides’ “Medea”; Mishima Yukio’s “Kuro-tokage/The Black Lizard”.

Energy commentator Reiichirō Fujimori graduated from Chuo Law School and has worked at the Denki Shimbun in a number of capacities including editor-in-chief, chief editorial writer and special editorial committee member. He also provides commentary on energy issues for television and magazines. Published books include “Denryoku Keitō o Yasashiku Kagaku-suru” (Electric Power Systems: Simple Scientific Study), “Shitte Nattoku Genshiryoku” (Understanding Nuclear Power), “Dētā Tsūshin o Yasashiku Kagaku-suru” (Data Communications: Simple Scientific Study) and several others, all published by Denki Shimbun.

Manabi JAPAN Chief Editor

Owner of the sake shop, Sake no Kobayashi. Deals with Japan’s top shōchū distilleries. Well-known to all in the industry for his passion for shōchū. Author of “Kodawari Tenshū ga Zubari Eranda Honkaku Shōchū 55”. (Published by Nihon Keizai Shimbun、Inc.)

Owner of the sake shop, Sake no Kobayashi. Deals with Japan’s top shōchū distilleries. Well-known to all in the industry for his passion for shōchū. Author of “Kodawari Tenshū ga Zubari Eranda Honkaku Shōchū 55”. (Published by Nihon Keizai Shimbun、Inc.)

Manabi JAPAN Chief Editor

Photographer

Yumoto Kōichi is one of Japan’s foremost yōkai scholars. During the course of his research, he has built up a collection of over 5,000 yōkai objects and pieces of art. Former curatorial director of the Kawasaki City Museum, Yumoto Sensei lectures at universities on topics related to yōkai, and engages in the supervision of special exhibitions. He has authored numerous books on yōkai. These include the richly illustrated bilingual (Japanese and English) Yokai Museum: The Art of Japanese Supernatural Beings from the YUMOTO Koichi Collection; Yokai Wonderland – More from the YUMOTO Koichi Collection: Supernatural Beings in Japanese Art, and Yokai Storyland: Illustrated Books from the YUMOTO Koichi Collection (all published by PIE International), as well as many books in Japanese.

Photographer

Theatrical director and actor. Manages Tokyo’s Canaria Theatre. Studied performing arts at Osaka University of Arts. Has appeared as an actor, or assisted in the production of a number of, works under Bandō Tamasaburō, including the Izumi Kyōka dramas “Shirasagi”, “Yasha-ga-ike/Demon Pond” and “Tenshu Monogatari/The Castle Tower”; Euripides’ “Medea”; Mishima Yukio’s “Kuro-tokage/The Black Lizard”.

Photographer

Yuka Okubo is an ikebana artist and a teacher in the Sogetsu school of ikebana. She was born into a family of Sogetsu ikebana artists. Ms Okubo provides consultation on ikebana at Ikebana Atrium in Takanawa, Tokyo, where she also exhibits her work. In addition, Ms Okubo works in production and planning for floral art events, writes and gives lectures and talks, and is involved in a wide range of activities to promote ikebana and Japan-grown flowers, including lesson programmes in public elementary schools, as well as cultural exchanges in Japan and abroad. She serves on the board of directors of JAFLAC (Japan Flower and Communications), an organisation she established to strengthen links between the floriculture industry and the culture of floral art through cultural exchange and education, both in Japan and internationally.

Editor and writer. Production editor, Able-Fool Corporation.

Food stylist. Studied cooking in Florence, Italy. Working as a food stylist for magazines, advertising and film since 2006. Creates recipes and is sought after as a guest speaker. Holds the “Rum Concierge” qualification.

Manabi Japan Director

Photographer

Born in Kōchi Prefecture, wild bird photographer Gōichi Wada travels the length and breadth of Japan capturing the lives of Japan’s wild birds on film. He has authored a number of photography books in Japanese, including Wing – Yachō Seikatsu-ki (Wild Bird Lifestyles) and Sing – Yachō Dōsei-ki (Wild Birds Living Together), published by Kogakukan; Sing! Sing! Birds! (Sankaidō Publishing), and Yachō Satsuei no Baiburu (The Wild Bird Photography Bible), published by Gengkōsha.

After graduating from the University of West Virginia, Shun worked in freelance translation/interpreting and voiceover for NHK Sports and CNN World Sports, covering major live sports such Major League baseball, American Football, and NBA basketball. He then worked as the interpreter for Bobby Valentine, manager of the Chiba Lotte Marines baseball team, and later as the interpreter for World Baseball Classic championship interviews, as well as official interpreter for the Nippon Professional Baseball All-Star series, and much more.

“Len” is a carefully curated collection of cafes and boutiques housed in the main residence and associated out-buildings of a relocated and renovated 100-year-old yashiki (traditional mansion) in the Karahori shopping district of central Ōsaka. Mixing western influences with traditional Japanese aesthetics, the old with the new, the buildings of Karahori Oyashiki, “Len”, were registered as a Tangible Cultural Property in December, 2012.
Address: 6-17-43 Tanimachi, Chuō-ku, Ōsaka City
■ Cafe Bar Raku, “Len” Shopping Complex

Born in Kōchi Prefecture, wild bird photographer Gōichi Wada travels the length and breadth of Japan capturing the lives of Japan’s wild birds on film. He has authored a number of photography books in Japanese, including Wing – Yachō Seikatsu-ki (Wild Bird Lifestyles) and Sing – Yachō Dōsei-ki (Wild Birds Living Together), published by Kogakukan; Sing! Sing! Birds! (Sankaidō Publishing), and Yachō Satsuei no Baiburu (The Wild Bird Photography Bible), published by Gengkōsha.

After graduating from the University of West Virginia, Shun worked in freelance translation/interpreting and voiceover for NHK Sports and CNN World Sports, covering major live sports such Major League baseball, American Football, and NBA basketball. He then worked as the interpreter for Bobby Valentine, manager of the Chiba Lotte Marines baseball team, and later as the interpreter for World Baseball Classic championship interviews, as well as official interpreter for the Nippon Professional Baseball All-Star series, and much more.

“Len” is a carefully curated collection of cafes and boutiques housed in the main residence and associated out-buildings of a relocated and renovated 100-year-old yashiki (traditional mansion) in the Karahori shopping district of central Ōsaka. Mixing western influences with traditional Japanese aesthetics, the old with the new, the buildings of Karahori Oyashiki, “Len”, were registered as a Tangible Cultural Property in December, 2012.
Address: 6-17-43 Tanimachi, Chuō-ku, Ōsaka City
■ Cafe Bar Raku, “Len” Shopping Complex

Editor and writer. Production editor, Able-Fool Corporation.

Food stylist. Studied cooking in Florence, Italy. Working as a food stylist for magazines, advertising and film since 2006. Creates recipes and is sought after as a guest speaker. Holds the “Rum Concierge” qualification.

Emeritus Professor at Kōnan University, Kōbe. Born in Kyōto, 1947. Studied in the Faculty of Agriculture, Kyōto University, where he earned his doctorate. Post-doctorate activities include a doctoral research fellowship at the Smithsonian Institution (United States), before becoming a lecturer in the Faculty of Science and Engineering at Kōnan University in Kōbe. A prolific author, Dr Tanaka has written many, many books, including Fushigi no Shokubutsugaku (The Wonders of Botany), Shokubutsu wa Sugoi (Plants are Amazing!), Shokubutsu no Himitsu (Plant Secrets), and Zassō no Hanashi (Speaking of Weeds), published by Chūōkōron-shinsha; Nyūmon Tanoshii Shokubutsugaku (Fun Introductory Botany) and Furūtsu Hitotsu-banashi (Tales of Fruit), pub. Kōdansha; Arigatai Shokubutsu (Plants to be Grateful for), pub. Gentōsha; Shokubutsu no Kashikoi Ikikata (Clever Plant Behaviour), pub. SB Shinsho; Shokubutsu no Ikiru Shikumi ni Matsuwaru 66-dai (66 Topics Related to Plant Life Systems), pub. Science Eye Shinsho; and Shokubutsu wa Oishii (Plants are Delicious), pub. Chikuma Shinsho.
Please note: The book title translations in parentheses are literal translations of the Japanese titles, provided for the benefit of our English-speaking readers. These translations are not actual published book titles.