NEWSLETTER MIYABI - JUNE 3, 2026

DEAR GUESTS, DEAR FRIENDS!

Today is the last day I have the chance to write to you from Tokyo, and how should I begin? With the weather, of course. Typhoon is coming, and with it heavy rain and wind, and on the news they recommend staying indoors if possible. So yes, we will listen. After all, we have already experienced a lot — and done quite a bit of shopping too. Yesterday for instance we visited a historical park from the 17th century, surrounded by skyscrapers and the enormous Dome baseball hall. It looks like an object from outer space, and yet the garden itself is so beautifully calming. The station is Suidobashi, and the park is called Koishikawa Korakuen, and when you are in Tokyo, you should definitely go there. Right now the Japanese irises, shobu, are in bloom, but there are also fields of water lilies, an orchard of old plum trees, rows of wisteria, azaleas, old pine trees and sakura, so views of beauty will delight you in every season of the year. We spent the whole day there, because me and my friend, calligrapher, whom you also know, we sat down on every bench and every stone where it was possible, and talked. His name is Izan Ogawa, and since February he has had an exhibition at Miyabi. I am bringing back from him a new large calligraphy, on which is written Shoshin Wasuru Bekarazu. Shoshin is the beginner’s heart, and Wasuru Bekarazu means that we should never forget that we are always, in some way, beginners. We should be open to the new, preferably with the enthusiasm of a beginner. And what should we not do? We should not be conceited about what we already know how to do. Izan gave this calligraphy to Miyabi as a present so that we, too, at Miyabi do not stay in one place, but remain, for you, our guests, always new and interesting. And sincere.

WAGASHI JUNE WORKSHOP — JUNE 18

I am also bringing back from Japan tools that will be useful for making nerikiri. And also colours that we had not managed to create quite as Miss Mei and I had imagined. In the end, we made the purple for the May iris with the help of purple satsumaimo sweet potato, but this purple from a special wagashi shop will certainly be better. For June, Mei has prepared the little figure Teru Teru Bozu and Ajisai. Ajisai is hydrangea, which I love so much. Here in Japan, I have been lucky that the hydrangeas are in bloom right now. The chado master Soju Nakazawa invited me to Kita-Kamakura, where one ancient temple stands next to another, and one of them is known precisely for its hydrangeas. The temple is called Meigetsu-in, and yes, it was sooo beautiful there. On the way to the station, as an added bonus, I discovered a museum whose garden had dozens of varieties of hydrangeas. I took photos and more photos, and suddenly my phone went black and… well, some of those beautiful blossoms I can now only remember. I have hydrangeas in my own garden too, and if they are already in bloom, I will certainly arrange them in the tokonoma, so that during our workshop at the zen house we are directly surrounded by hydrangeas. And I will share my photographs too. I hear that the wagashi workshop is already sold out, so I apologize to those who did not manage to sign up in time. Miss Mei will fly to Japan for a short holiday just three days after the workshop, so she will not manage a second June workshop. But if I learn both nerikiri well enough, we may meet at the end of June for a workshop just with me. Well, we shall see.

GUIDED OMAKASE EVENING — JUNE 25

I feel the commitment of the Beginner’s Heart, and for our next June Omakase evening I am bringing back from Japan several ingredients that you may perhaps encounter for the very first time. For instance yuba. In addition, I have been carefully taking photographs of dishes that spoke to me deeply, and I will try to prepare them for you. The next guided Omakase evening will therefore be an adventure for me as well as for you. I am looking forward to it, Mr. Saito is too — and surely you are as well. Do not forget — it is necessary to make a reservation HERE for June 25 from 6:00 p.m. See you at Miyabi!

SUMMER KAISEKI FROM MIYABI

The hydrangeas are blooming, the peonies too, and summer is here. I hope you will also like our summer kaiseki menu. I prepared it before leaving for Japan, and so it is already on offer. When you start missing Japan, come to Miyabi. The menu is served in beautiful boxes and beautiful little bowls, and the dishes placed inside them are meant to benefit not only your health and your good mood, but will surely also please your eye. We will have the summer kaiseki on our menu in June and then throughout the whole summer holiday, and I believe that if you enjoy it, you will come more than once. Enjoy your meal!

JAPANESE DAYS AT THE TROJA GARDEN

They also have hydrangeas in the Troja Garden, and perhaps many of you will be heading there soon, because from June 5th a large Bonsai exhibition will start, which now only happens once every three years. For two weekends, the garden paths will be lined with stands offering Japanese things and, of course, Japanese food as well. Miyabi will also be there. We will offer you Miyabi futomaki, onigiri, donburi, grilled wagyu, Miyabi manju, kanten, Kirin draft beer and much more. See you soon — and may the weather be kind to us!

When I return, I would like to organize some kind of gathering in the Zen House, so that we can talk about the new scroll Shoshin Wasuru Bekarazu and meditate together. I will let you know.

Shoshin Wasuru Bekarazu. Take the beginner’s heart to your heart, and be kind to yourself and to others.

All beautiful things, Your Miyabi Darja

Všechna práva vyhrazena © 1995-2025, Miyabi
Design by Roman Cestr.