KAZ

Kutani ware has been a treasured Japanese craft since 1655, when the first kilns fired up in the Kaga region of what is now Ishikawa Prefecture. At our restaurant, we have served tea and sushi on hand-painted Kutani ware for years, so when I set out to find the best Kutani ware dishes available today, … Read more

I still remember the first time I held a piece of real Imari porcelain at a friend’s estate sale in Kyoto. The dense weight, the cobalt blue underglaze that looked almost black in shadow, and that signature rust-red enamel with gold detail – it felt completely different from the mass-produced stuff I had seen back … Read more

I’ve spent the last three months living with black Japanese dinnerware in my own kitchen, serving everything from weeknight ramen to weekend sushi spreads. What started as a curiosity after a trip to Tokyo turned into a full-blown obsession with how the right black plate can make a dish look like restaurant food. In this … Read more

Modern Japanese dinnerware has a quiet way of changing how a meal feels. The clean lines, the earthy glazes, the way a heavy stoneware plate sits solid under a bowl of ramen or a slice of sashimi. I have spent the last three months eating off five different sets at home, in my restaurant test … Read more

There is something quietly powerful about taking a shattered bowl and turning it into a piece of art. That is the heart of kintsugi, the centuries-old Japanese craft of repairing broken ceramics with lacquer and gold. I have spent the last 60 days repairing a chipped teacup, a cracked vase, and a chipped ramen bowl … Read more

When I started serving sushi at home more often, I realized my generic bamboo takeout chopsticks were doing me no favors. Tofu slid off the tips and nigiri fell apart. I kept fumbling with chopstick length and grip. So I spent the past three months testing eight pairs of Japanese chopsticks at our bistro, comparing … Read more

I switched to reusable chopsticks three years ago after calculating how many pairs I had thrown away from takeout orders. The number shocked me: more than 800 pairs in a single year, just from my household. That moment sent me on a hunt for the best reusable chopsticks I could find, and what started as … Read more

At KAZ Sushi Bistro, we set hundreds of chopsticks on the bar every single service. I have watched our chefs place their chopsticks on the counter between cuts, on the pass during plating, and on diners’ tables between bites. Every time, a small ceramic piece catches the eye and gives the table a moment of … Read more

Chopsticks have quietly become one of the most thoughtful gifts you can give. They’re practical, beautiful, and carry cultural meaning that goes back thousands of years. In Japan, China, and Korea, gifting a quality pair of chopsticks represents bonds, longevity, and well-wishes for the recipient. I’ve been collecting and gifting chopstick sets for years, and … Read more

I’ve spent the last two months testing chopstick rests across sushi nights, ramen marathons, and weeknight dinners at home to find the best Japanese chopstick holders worth your money. A proper hashioki (that’s the Japanese word for chopstick rest) does more than decorate your table. It keeps your chopsticks off the plate, prevents sauce from … Read more