I spent around 9 years in Japan. The first three months travelling Japan to chose a place to live, Kyoto being the obvious choice, I wanted to check out other places. Kanazawa was a close second but in the end Kyoto was, hands down themost interesting place to live. I then spent three months in Kyoto exploring areas to live and checking out language schools. I rented a apartment in Higashiyama (East Mountains) near Sanjyo Dori, Japan’s old Tokaido Highway, ‘Japan’s main road’.
I studied Japanese language, shodo (calligraphy), suibokuga (ink painting), mokuhanga (woodblock printing) and pottery for two years. During this time i had the opportunity to explore Japan extensively from end to end.
I had visited the small village of Tokoname in my travels and was very taken with it. It was the oldest of the five pottery villages in Japan and although not mentioned in any guide books (at that time) really is one of the rare hidden gems of Japan. I signed up for a one year pottery course and moved to Tokoname. April 2007- April 2008.
I bought Koke-an the day I left Kyoto and went back on weekends to renovate it. I enjoyed the pottery course and learned a lot about making and appreciating Japanese ceramics and have very fond memories of my time there.
It was in Tokoname where i met Sayaka who was to become my wife. In 2008 we, Sayaka, Miyu, Taiga and myself moved back to Kyoto
While we were in Kyoto we rented Koke-an out as a guest house and bought three other houses, Iho-an, Shirakawa Cottage and Jizo-an to also run as guest houses. We also started Gallery Coeur our cafe, pottery workshop, occasional bar, jewellery workshop and pottery and jewellery gallery.
We sold the houses in 2012 and in June 2013 when we moved to Brunswick Heads NSW Australia.