Behind the Shop

The teachers in Ontario have had a few strike days recently, so I’ve had Caleb at home. I feel very fortunate that I’m in a position where Caleb can “come to work” with me very easily, although of course I also feel a lot of gratitude and admiration for teachers who are in our classrooms.

I meant to post this sooner, i.e. before Christmas, but it is now actually the next year and here I am. But the new year is a time for resolutions and getting things done, so here I am, getting things done. Better late than never, says the library patron with a tab of late fines.

Once again, the fall has rolled around, the cold weather has descended, and with Naomi a bit older, we’ve made it to the pumpkin patch to pick a few gourds for Hallowe’en.

In Tokyo, Japan, there are three Traveler’s Notebook Factories. The main Traveler’s Factory is located in a back alley in Nakameguro, a small district with many independent shops, studios and boutiques. We were fortunate enough to be able to visit and also meet with Iijima-san, the creator of the Traveler’s Notebook, and you can read more about that visit here.

Welcome to Part 2 of our visit to The Superior Labor in Okayama. You can find Part 1 here. For some background information, since it’s been some time since our travel posts, this past summer, we visited Japan and Hong Kong. I had thought I was going to blog on the road, but couldn’t keep up—so here I am catching up.

Of course (of course!) it goes without saying that we could not visit Japan without trying to see if we could visit The Superior Labor in Okayama. The Superior Labor studio, factory, shop and family home are located in Okayama prefecture, about an hour’s flight outside Tokyo.

Anyone who knows anything at all about Japanese culture knows how important fish is. It’s no surprise, given that Japan is an island nation, that fish feature prominently in much of their cuisine, and sushi is, of course, both popular everywhere and incredibly delicious.