Halfway through our Japan trip, we had such a lovely time in Kyoto. It’s quite the darling of Japanese cities, as we enjoyed plenty of its historical attractions, food, shopping, and even some nature. Anchoring it all was our stay at the Ace Hotel Kyoto. Something about this West Coast American (from Portland) property in…
From the quiet, meditative spaces of the art islands, we traveled straight into the center of the chaos when we took a shinkansen into Osaka. The trains were all nearly full, as it seems like everyone else was also going back to the big city after their New Year’s breaks. We spent only two nights…
I first heard of Japan’s art islands when my friends visited a couple years ago and declared it their favorite place in the entire world. The islands of Naoshima and Teshima are set in the Inland Sea, west of Osaka. They require at minimum a train and a ferry– half a day’s travel– to reach,…
Another year, another birthday! Every January, I throw myself a birthday party as a way of kicking off the next trip around the sun. In the past few years, I have hosted a moody dinner party, spoon carving, pottery, my 10-year business anniversary, a plant party, a Victorian-modern tea party, a gathering all about gatherings, and most recently, a shibori…
Every year, after the rush of the holidays and the countdown into a new year, I take the opportunity to celebrate my January birthday with a creative party, and I set off on my next spin around the sun with a few of my favorite people. In the past, I have hosted a moody dinner…
It’s my annual tradition to kick off the year with a creative birthday celebration. Past celebrations include the moody dinner party, spoon carving, pottery, my 10-year business anniversary, a plant party, and last year’s tea party. This year? A gathering about gatherings. I was inspired by Priya Parker’s book, The Art of Gathering, to think…
It’s time for my first monthly recap of 2019! We rewind to the first day of the year, when I met up with family for dinner at Rivoli at the end of my solo New Year’s retreat. Opening the year with a tarot workshop with Stephanie, who created the Fleurot Deck. So thankful for our…
Over the last few years, it has become a tradition for me to throw creative parties for my birthday each January. If you’ve known me for a while, you might remember past celebrations, including the moody dinner party, spoon carving, pottery, my 10-year business anniversary, and last year’s plant party. This year, my idea started…
I’ve had such a jam-packed first month of the year. With Justin’s visit, my birthday party, a weekend retreat, and lots of gatherings with friends, it’s been a wonderful start to 2018. Here’s a little look at what I’ve been up to. We start with a sneak peek from yesterday, the last day of the…
What an incredibly nourishing way to start the year. Our Lean In Circle meets once a month to discuss our personal and professional goals, learning together and supporting each other. But when someone suggested that we should expand our meeting into a weekend retreat, I think we all jumped on the idea. We picked MLK…
I love getting to kick off each new year with a little gathering of my friends as I indulge in a bit of a birthday celebration. Last year, we took a pottery class, while the year before, we threw a swanky party in the garden at my studio. This year, I riffed on the crafting theme as…
Vermont was the perfect weekend getaway to kick off the new year. We did intend to go skiing initially, but the poor snow conditions meant we skipped the slopes and stuck to the cozy cottage and all the small-town cheese and maple syrup shops. Anna Wu is a wedding and portrait photographer based in San…