An early morning local train takes me to
the quiet residential area of Ikoma for my
meeting with Hiroyuki Nagatomi, of New
Light Pottery. Nagatomi is quick to apologise
that his gallery is almost empty, but explains
that he is in the process of moving to a new
location just outside the site of the old
imperial palace. He started his lighting design
business while working on the lighting
layout for a small bar in Shinsaibashi, Osaka,
and strugled to ind the perfect ixture to
suspend above the long wooden counter. He
thought maybe he should just make his own.
Three years on, Nagatomi now boasts
a catalogue of more than 20 pendants and a
dozen bracket, clip and table lamps – the
brand does not produce pottery, rather its
name sugests an ambition to infuse the
highly industrial production of lighting
ixtures with the hands-on, craft-oriented
approach of a ceramicist. Most of the lights
are made with a combination of glass andbrass, the latter with various inishes, such
as hammering and colouring with burnt
Japanese lacquer to create a mesmerising
black surface. Nagatomi is a rare breed in
Japan, where a couple of large lighting
manufactures have dominated the market.
‘I was recently in New York to visit some of
the many lighting studios to get inspiration
for my own new space. There are so many
interesting new lighting companies there,
and I wonder why Japan is falling so far
behind,’ he says. Judging by the swift
success of New Light Pottery, he might be
starting a trend in his home country.
Before leaving the city, I have booked
lunch at Akordu, a restaurant set just on the
edge of Nara Park, close to the perfectly
manicured Yoshikien and Isuien gardens.
The spacious open dining room ofers a
soothing view out across a large lawn, with
parts of the park in the background. I had
heard great things about chef HiroshiKawashima’s innovative cooking and
strong focus on local ingredients, and am
not disappointed. Each of the beautifully
presented dishes is not just cooked to
perfection, but also ofers a subtle twist that
becomes apparent either when you take your
irst bite or via the explanations ofered by
the attentive staf. Local thin miwa somen
noodles are presented as a cold pasta dish
with a refreshing sauce of mint and green
peppers. Perfect strawberries are marinated
with local green tea and elderlowers,
something that for me brings back memories
of summers in Denmark. Kawashima has
spent some time at Mugaritz in the Basque
Country and named his establishment
after the Basque word for memory.
Just like my meal at Akordu, Nara is
a trove of small delights. Behind its timeless
façades is a constantly evolving city
that teems with creative energy as new
entrepreneurs move in and set up shop. ∂HIROYUKI MAETA
Wood carver
Specialising in the local craft of ittobori,
Maeta uses 40 diferent types of chisels to
produce both traditional dolls and more
contemporary sculptures, such as Nue, the
baboon-tiger-snake chimera pictured here.
eonet.ne.jp/~ittobori-m
Above right, a dish of cold miwa somen noodles
with mint and green pepper at chef Hiroshi
Kawashima’s Akordu restaurant, akordu.com254 ∑
The Trip