It's All Japanese to Me

Rikuto Murakami
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Short episodes on one Japanese word at a time, about craft, design, and everyday life in Japan. Hosted by Rikuto Murakami, a design researcher and co-founder of No-to-Katachi (Field & Form), a research and design unit. rikutomurakami.substack.com

  1. 2d ago

    Ep. 14 — Washi: paper, and the sticky water that makes it

    Today’s word is “washi,” Japanese paper. The word itself is used in contrast to “yōshi,” Western paper. I look at “nagashizuki,” the papermaking technique that uses a sticky plant liquid called “neri,” what Yanagi Sōetsu wrote about it in “The Beauty of Washi,” and the UNESCO listing that was extended in December 2025. Sources: * Kotobank, “Washi” (Digital Daijisen, Nihon Kokugo Daijiten, Nipponica, Japanese) https://kotobank.jp/word/和紙-154040 * Kotobank, “Nagashizuki” (Nipponica, Japanese) https://kotobank.jp/word/流し漉き-587757 * Yanagi Sōetsu, “Washi no bi” (The Beauty of Washi). Aozora Bunko (Japanese) https://www.aozora.gr.jp/cards/001520/files/52191_46261.html * Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan, press release, December 11, 2025 (Japanese) https://www.mofa.go.jp/mofaj/press/release/pressit_000001_03093.html * UNESCO, “Washi, craftsmanship of traditional Japanese hand-made paper” https://ich.unesco.org/en/RL/washi-craftsmanship-of-traditional-japanese-hand-made-paper-02291 This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit rikutomurakami.substack.com

    Ep. 14 — Washi: paper, and the sticky water that makes it

  2. 5d ago

    Ep. 13 — Urushi: a lacquer that needs moist air

    Today’s word is “urushi,” the lacquer tree and the lacquer made from its sap. I look at how it hardens in warm, moist air, why Tanizaki Jun’ichirō wrote that you cannot think about the beauty of lacquerware without darkness, and how much of the urushi used in Japan today is actually made in Japan. Sources: * Kotobank, “Urushi” (Digital Daijisen, Nipponica, Mypedia, Britannica Japan, Japanese) https://kotobank.jp/word/漆-35489 * Merriam-Webster, “japan” https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/japan * Tanizaki Jun’ichirō, “In’ei raisan” (In Praise of Shadows), 1933. Aozora Bunko (Japanese) https://www.aozora.gr.jp/cards/001383/files/56642_59575.html * Forestry Agency, Annual Report on Forest and Forestry in Japan, FY2025 (Japanese) https://www.rinya.maff.go.jp/j/kikaku/hakusyo/r7hakusyo_h/all/chap2_2_2.html This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit rikutomurakami.substack.com

    Ep. 13 — Urushi: a lacquer that needs moist air

  3. Nov 5

    Ep. 12 — Mingu: the tools of everyday life

    Today’s word is “mingu,” the tools and utensils that ordinary people have used in daily life. It looks like “mingei” from the last episode, but mingu research grew as a part of folklore studies. I look at Shibusawa Keizō, who created the word, the 1936 guide for collecting and surveying mingu, and two basic ways of studying them. Sources: * Kotobank, “Mingu” (Digital Daijisen, Nipponica, Heibonsha World Encyclopedia, Japanese) * Kotobank, “Attic Museum” (Nipponica, Japanese) * Kotobank, “Shibusawa Keizō” (Nihon Kokugo Daijiten, Japanese) * Kotobank, “Mingei” (Heibonsha World Encyclopedia, Japanese) This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit rikutomurakami.substack.com

    Ep. 12 — Mingu: the tools of everyday life

  4. Nov 2

    Ep. 11 — Mingei: in Yanagi’s own words

    Today’s word is “mingei,” usually translated as folk craft. I look at how Yanagi Sōetsu himself explained it, in his 1941 book What is Mingei? and in an encyclopedia entry signed with his name, where he explains why they avoided the English word “art.” I also look at a criticism of the movement noted in the same entry. Sources: * Kotobank, “Mingei” (Digital Daijisen, Nipponica, Heibonsha World Encyclopedia, Japanese) * Yanagi Sōetsu, “Mingei towa nanika” (Aozora Bunko, Japanese) This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit rikutomurakami.substack.com

    Ep. 11 — Mingei: in Yanagi’s own words

  5. Oct 26

    Ep. 10 — Furudōgu: old tools, not quite antiques

    Today’s word is “furudōgu,” tools that have been used until they are old. I look at how it sits next to “kottō,” usually translated as antiques, and at Yanagi Sōetsu’s essay on the morning markets of Kyoto, where the dealers and Yanagi looked for different things. I also look at how Japanese law today treats all of these as “kobutsu,” secondhand goods. Sources: * Kotobank, “Furudōgu” (Nihon Kokugo Daijiten, Japanese) * Kotobank, “Kottō” (Heibonsha World Encyclopedia, Japanese) * Yanagi Sōetsu, “Kyōto no asaichi” (Aozora Bunko, Japanese) * Mie Prefectural Art Museum, “Mingei” (Japanese) * e-Gov, Kobutsu Eigyō Hō (Act No. 108 of 1949, Japanese) * e-Gov, Enforcement Regulations of the Kobutsu Eigyō Hō, Article 2 (Japanese) This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit rikutomurakami.substack.com

    Ep. 10 — Furudōgu: old tools, not quite antiques

  6. Oct 22

    Ep. 9 — Ma: space, time, and the gap between

    Today’s word is “ma.” In English, it is often translated as “negative space.” But a Japanese dictionary gives a long list of meanings that move between space and time: a gap, a room, a pause in conversation, and timing in music, dance, and theatre. I also talk about the 1978 exhibition “MA: Space-Time in Japan,” curated by the architect Isozaki Arata. Sources: * Kotobank, “Ma” (Digital Daijisen, Japanese) * Kotobank, “Manuke” (Digital Daijisen, Japanese) * Art Platform Japan, “MA: Space-Time in Japan” This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit rikutomurakami.substack.com

    Ep. 9 — Ma: space, time, and the gap between

  7. Oct 19

    Ep. 8 — Fūai: the feel of a material

    Today’s word is “fūai.” A Japanese dictionary of chemistry describes it as a term for how good a woven or knitted fabric feels to the touch and how beautiful it looks, taken together. I go through the words people use when they judge it, like hari, koshi, numeri, and shari, and how fūai has even been standardized and turned into numbers. Sources: * Kotobank, “Fūai” (Dictionary of Chemistry, 2nd ed., Morikita; Japanese) This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit rikutomurakami.substack.com

    Ep. 8 — Fūai: the feel of a material

  8. Oct 15

    Ep. 7 — Shibui: from a bitter taste to a quiet beauty

    Today’s word is “shibui.” A Japanese dictionary lists five meanings: the astringent taste of a certain kind of persimmon, a calm and quiet kind of beauty, a sour face, being stingy, and a sliding door that does not move smoothly. I also look at the oldest examples a larger dictionary gives for each meaning, including a short humorous poem from 1833. Sources: * Kotobank, “Shibui” (Digital Daijisen, Nihon Kokugo Daijiten; Japanese) This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit rikutomurakami.substack.com

    Ep. 7 — Shibui: from a bitter taste to a quiet beauty
See All (14)

About

Short episodes on one Japanese word at a time, about craft, design, and everyday life in Japan. Hosted by Rikuto Murakami, a design researcher and co-founder of No-to-Katachi (Field & Form), a research and design unit. rikutomurakami.substack.com

Information

  • Creator
    Rikuto Murakami
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    14
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Rikuto Murakami
  • Show Website
    It's All Japanese to Me