Miyabi newsletter and current events

NEWSLETTER MIYABI - 31.3.2026

NEWS, EVENTS AND INSPIRATION FROM THE WORLD OF MIYABI!

DEAR GUESTS, DEAR FRIENDS!

Do you ever think about the aesthetic concept of wabi-sabi? About what it means to you personally? I do — and much more so in spring than in autumn, when the sadness that nothing lasts and that everything around us is imperfect and transient grows stronger. Yes, through the melancholy of imperfection and transience, one can grasp what wabi-sabi is — but it is always important to remember that the most essential aspect of wabi-sabi is the discovery of a deep beauty that passes through ourselves, through our own experience of life. Somewhere, something meets — and we see. We see beauty, and through it we are strengthened in the hope that beauty will always support us, because it is given to us as grace. We feel reconciled and, for a moment, we sense our own truth. But why is spring the time when I notice wabi-sabi the most? When I allow myself to be touched by it — whether in Japan or here? Perhaps it is because when I see the fallen autumn leaves, softened by winter, I do not feel sadness — because the old serves what is new, what is just beginning to emerge. Yes, something that once felt sad becomes brighter and promissing, and I love that relationship, that tension, that dynamic. Like when you repair a broken tea bowl with gold using the kintsugi technique — because the bowl can become even more beautiful than before. It is enriched by the story of its destruction and its renewal. Yesterday, we were talking about wabi-sabi with friends, and one thought resonated to me: that wabi-sabi can also be found in something as simple as going into the forest, picking newly sprouted ferns, and preparing them in the evening — perhaps as tempura or as ohitashi with a lightly sweet white miso. My mouth started watering immediately — and yes, I thought to myself: this too is wabi-sabi. That inner connection with nature, with the passage of time, and with the desire to live — and to live well.

WABI-SABI IN THE OMAKASE EVENING

I would like to express wabi-sabi and reflect it in our upcoming Omakase evening. We have chosen April 22 for it. How successfully I manage to bring up wabi-sabi will be a surprise even for me. Perhaps I will reach you through wabi-sabi-inspired floral arrangements ikebana, but the main emphasis will, of course, be on the selected dishes. I already know that I will use wasabi blossoms from a Czech farm. In the European context, it is quite remarkable that we have a successful wasabi production here in the Czech Republic, and it will be my pleasure to tell you more about this project and about wasabi during the evening. The root, stems, and flowers are all edible. Wasabi blooms only for a short time — and that time is April. Wasabi is familiar to you as an ingredient, as it belongs to sushi — and sushi is, of course, very popular. But wasabi is much more than just a condiment for sushi. The more you know about wasabi, the more it becomes your wasabi. Just like wabi-sabi — it must also become your own. It must not be merely following a trend. It must not be a simplification without the beauty of simplicity. Wabi-sabi — wasabi. It is quite a fitting connection, game with words, because simply following the crowd because something is trendy is not enough. So… discover more! The Omakase evening at Miyabi can be your encounter with both wabi-sabi and wasabi. Omakase is always a surprise — you do not know what you will be served, and that is where its beauty lies. You place your full trust in us to prepare your menu. The menu consists of nine courses, and you can make your reservation with a deposit payment HERE. The price is 2,500 CZK per person, and we begin at 6:00 PM. As always, I will guide you through the evening.

RAMEN DAYS AND THE WABI-SABI OF MRS. YOSHIE

A year has passed, and soon it will be April 15 — the date when Kyoto and Prague became sister cities. This year marks the 30th anniversary. At Miyabi, we will celebrate this occasion and the lasting relationship with our Ramen Days, taking place on April 15, 16, and 17. Mrs. Yoshie Oshima’s ramen restaurant Kaho in Kyoto has long since closed, but her recipe lives on here with us. Perhaps this too is wabi-sabi. Already two weeks ago, Mrs. Yoshie asked me via Line whether we would be preparing her ramen again this year at Miyabi. “We will, dear Yoshie — and it is our honor.” Will you come? Please make a reservation, as it is usually fully booked during Ramen Days — even in the afternoon.

RAMEN DAYS AND THE WABI-SABI OF MRS. YOSHIE

AFTERNOON TIME WITH WAGASHI

When you come to Miyabi for ramen, you can also enjoy a lovely moment with our wagashi, traditional Japanese sweets. From Tuesday to Friday, between 3:00 PM and 5:00 PM, every week, we offer wagashi together with matcha tea, and I am sure you will agree that the price is very appealing — 190 CZK in total. In any case, it is a pleasant opportunity to sit and relax in the quiet atmosphere of Miyabi, whether on tatami or at a table. You can also take wagashi home with you in gift packaging.

APRIL WAGASHI WORKSHOP

Since November, we have been holding a monthly workshop where, together in the zen tea house, we create beautiful seasonal sweets from nerikiri dough. The April session is scheduled for Sunday, April 19, from 5:00 PM. With tea, we will serve yuzu yokan, made in Miyabi. Please make your reservation HERE. We have even had children among the participants, and I was delighted to see how much they enjoyed it. This time, we will be creating a sakura blossom (Ouka) and a bird called Miyakodori. I look forward to seeing you — and your wagashi creations!

It is a gentle pleasure to see the trees around us coming into bloom. I did not know how beautiful almond blossoms are — I had to travel all the way to Hustopeče in Moravia to see for myself that they truly are beautiful. They resemble sakura blossoms, which we will soon be able to admire here in Prague and its surroundings as well.

The Czech-Japanese Society is once again organizing Hanami in Hanspaulka this year. It will take place on April 25, and perhaps it is there that you will experience an intense sense of wabi-sabi. The Japanese love blossoming sakura, and sakura in full bloom — but most of all they love the moment when the petals begin to fall in the wind and pink carpets of blossoms form beneath the trees. That melancholy is beautiful! Miyabi will have a stand at Hanami, so please come and visit us — perhaps something from our offer will appeal to your taste.

I ask myself whether life would not be more beautiful if we admired silence more, the beauty in small things, the fact that things change, that they are imperfect, that nothing lasts forever, and that others are good — and if we wished happiness to everyone. It would.

So let us awaken a little more — and more often — to the beauty of wabi-sabi. Wasabi.

Live well! Yours, Miyabi Darja