Tsuge

Tsuge's flagship Ikebana workshop has continued to grow over the past few years. The addition of Asami Kikuchi, for example, in November of 2013, marked a new stage for the world-renowned brand. ... Read More

Formal occasions call for formal dress. Whether it's a slim tuxedo or just a simple nice shirt and tie, there's a variety of options for such gatherings. While choosing your attire can be a daunting task on its own, I struggled with another decision this past weekend when I prepared to attend a friend's wedding. The question, simply, was this: "Which pipe do I bring?" ... Read More

Ladies, this is for YOU! Now Gentlemen, do not let that previous sentence deter you. This information could be just as useful to you as well. As a woman, I have been part of what I have dubbed "the pipe struggle." When I first came to smokingpipes.com a few months ago, I loved every pipe at first sight. ... Read More

"Is there still a place for a staunchly traditional Master/student relationship?" Given the amazing debut pipes of Asami Kikuchi, I believe the answer is 'yes'. ... Read More

As a woman in her late 20s, Asami Kikuchi is something of a rarity in pipe making. Indeed, she's even more of a rarity in Japanese pipe making. There are just a handful of female high-grade pipe makers in the world and all of them ... Read More

Well, folks, it isn't Friday. No, your mind isn't playing tricks on you, this is our weekly update blog post, only it's been moved to Tuesday. Since today's post constitutes three updates, rather than the usual two, we have a lot to show you. ... Read More

These are all photos from my first day in Japan. Kei Gotoh and Takeo Arita picked me up at my hotel in the morning and we visited (I had no idea this was planned) a small museum of work by the celebrated painter Gyokudo Kawai, known for his naturalistic melding of traditional Japanese artistic themes with western modernist influences. ... Read More