Kazari founders and directors, Robert and Jo, are back in Japan on a long awaited buying trip, the first in person for over two years. Here's a glimpse behind the scenes as they hand select items to include in our next shipment along with the delicious food and restaurant recommendations for anyone traveling there soon.

 

Trips to the two famous temple markets are always a must - Toji and Kitanao shrines. At Toji this time they found hardly any gaijin  ( non Japanese ) because of the Covid restrictions but surprisingly bumped into Wayne Carruthers, Japanese art curator from the NGV.

 

Today they spent six hours, with help, packing the container they recently bought, fortuitously missing the rain after a night of heavy rainfall, then waved it on its way to the port of Osaka and on to Melbourne.

 

Jo and Robert have been eating at Omen since the 1980's, it’s a famous noodle restaurant in Kyoto, near Ginkakuji , the famous silver temple. Omen has had a sister restaurant in New York for 40 years and the signature dish, also called Omen, is a thick udon noodle dish served with hot or cold broth and an assortment of local seasonal vegetables is a must, a healthy and unique taste and style.