The trailer of a feature-length art documentary which presents Chef Masayo Funakoshi’s participation in a cultural event held by Nara Municipal Government in 2016. With a rich imagination, Funakoshi uses ingredients to bring beliefs, food and the local memories all together in her cuisine, bringing forth an artistic expression beyond cooking.

(Japanese voice only)

Separated by the sea, Japan still shares many things in common with the East Asia: beliefs in supernatural beings, ancestral spirits, religious, and rituals. Through this dinner banquet in Tokyo, we discover other common grounds regarding the senses.

(Japanese audio, Japanese subtitles only)

To me, Shizuoka is a place I come to go surfing or meet up with friends. But this time I wasn’t looking for waves, but delicious ingredients for a sandwich while cruising on a bicycle. And the ingredients of this sandwich? Fresh sakura shrimp and pickled wasabi! (Japanese horseradish) Can you really put that on a sandwich? What a fantastic challenge! As I ride through the Shizuoka countryside my mind [...]

A vast field of vinegar-filled clay pots with a magnificient view across the sea towards Sakurajima Island; shochu distilled tenerdly by hand the old-fashioned way in earthenware pots; free-roaming free range chickens untouched by antibiotics or pharmaceuticals- the foods we ‘discovered’ in Kagoshima all shared a deliciously natural taste. Each producer we met was passionate about creating the [...]

When you bite into one of Akinori Kimura’s apples, the delicious flavor permeates your whole body, like a sip of virgin spring water. But the most incredible thing was how many times we encountered this same sensation: when trying local vegetables and meats; when eating a simple ramen at a local eatery; and from the breath of the wind as we took in the views from the foot of Mt. Iwaki. This was a trip [...]

A renowned chef pedals through a local town, afterwards creating a sandwich inspired by the local countryside and the people and produce she encountered along the way- it’s called the Tour de Sandwich. The first Tour de Sandwich took place in the hilly seaside town of Onomichi, with views stretching across the Inland Sea of Japan.
Pushing the pedals on this tour were renowned chef, Hisae [...]

In 2012 we featured the 4th generation proprietor of KONBU DOI, Junichi Doi. During filming we also became very interested in his father, 3rd generation proprietor Shigeyoshi Doi.
What was the attraction we felt to KONBU DOI?
Whilst working on a fresh theme, the staff couldn’t help but feel there was something they missed. So, we have gotten together again to interview the father and find about [...]

The second “Inspiring People and Projects” features KONBU DOI. Established in 1903, KONBU DOI has been preserving the world class Osaka food culture for over 100 years. We introduce it’s inspiring activities through Mr. Junichi Doi, fourth generation proprietor. KONBU DOI is creating a “genuine” product without the use of any food additives or artificial flavoring, and using workshops in order to hand down to [...]

Meeting 02 “KONBU DOI”, presented through three films in collaboration with activist Konbu Shop owner Junichi Doi, was convened at the “Osaka Konbu Meeting” on 28th of October 2012. In the process of producing our films we felt synergy with our many supporters and many fun and inspiring ideas came together in the realistic setting of the workshop & dinner party. We were extremely pleased to be able to [...]

IPP crews, who were impressed by Junichi Doi’s attitude and the Konbu taste, felt during filming that the taste and significance of his work is not properly expressed by watching the film alone. In order to have people experience more than just the virtues of Konbu, but also accessible and innovative recipes, Junichi Doi together with the IPP crew, have called upon sisters Chie and Hiro, a Vegetable Food [...]

KONBU DOI is a Konbu shop that “takes action”.
From fourth generation proprietor Junichi Doi’s father’s time, as well as sounding the alarm on the present day’s forgetting of the genuine, and getting people to take real foods in their daily lives, they have, across two generations, been working on various activities.
Junichi Doi, who started helping the fishermen in Hokkaido with the Konbu harvest [...]

In the only elevated area in Osaka lies a town called Karahori. Situated in the shopping district, an area mostly spared the ravages of air raids during WWII, is Konbu Doi. In the 300 years from the Edo period, Osaka food culture has been anchored in Konbu Dashi (stock). Fourth generation KONBU DOI proprietor, Junichi Doi says, “Osaka is basically the only place to have the Konbu Dashi trade”.
The [...]

The second “Inspiring People and Projects” features KONBU DOI. Established in 1903, KONBU DOI has been preserving the world class Osaka food culture for over 100 years. We introduce it’s inspiring activities through Mr. Junichi Doi, fourth generation proprietor. KONBU DOI is creating a “genuine” product without the use of any food additives or artificial flavoring, and using workshops in order to hand down to [...]