Whenever Mas and I visit Japan, our home base is my brother-in-law’s house in Nagoya. Keizo and his son Ikuhito live in a small, comfortable, “mansion” (what Americans would call a condo).
Every day, Keizo shops for the best fresh fish and vegetables and cooks delicious, nutritious meals. This breakfast from yesterday is typical: a rich red miso soup with mushrooms and tofu, some sweet, delicious local strawberries, grilled salmon, a small disch with spinach with miso, taro, grilled chicken liver, and Japanese style omelet, some “naga imo” (a kind of yam) with egg, and a bowl of excellent, perfectly cooked rice. Keizo is also a potter, and made the dish holding the strawberries and the teacup.
Yesterday Mas and Keizo and I drove to Dachi, their home town, to visit their mother and older brother (see The Art of Craft). Today, rested and refreshed by Keizo’s care, we will go to Tokyo for the night and visit the Kokufu-ten bonsai show in Ueno Park. Then tomorrow we leave for Fukuoka to explore the island of Kyushu.
Posted by Janet Roth 
Suiseki Art 