Japan Trip 2011

Over the last few weeks, Sara and I have been planning this year’s Japan trip. This year, we will be spending two weeks meeting with the craftsmen we work with. I will also be spending a significant amount of time training with these guys… sharpening, blade polishing, handle replacement and repair, etc. During the time we are in Japan, our store in Venice, CA will be closed and we will not be shipping out any orders. However, you can still place orders online. All orders placed within the two weeks we are gone will ship on the Monday after we return.

This year, we will be leaving Los Angeles on September 17, 2011 and returning on October 2, 2011. Our store will close from September 16, 2011 and will reopen on October 3, 2011. All orders received on September 15, 2011 before 2pm PDT will ship before we leave. All orders placed on September 15, 2011 after 2pm PDT until October 3, 2011 will ship on October 3, 2011.

While in Japan, we do our best to still make ourselves available to our customers. We will have internet access for the majority of the trip and will be answering e-mails while we are there. We also have Skype if you feel more comfortable with that. We may not always pick up phone calls, but we will do our best to call back if we can. Here is our contact information while we are gone:

Jonathan Broida
E-Mail: Jon@JapaneseKnifeImports.com
Skype: 310-594-7802

Sara Motomura-Broida
E-mail: Sara@JapaneseKnifeImports.com

Last year, we did our best to take lots of pictures and update our blog as much as we could. This year, we intend to do the same. However, I will also try to shoot much more video this year… hopefully covering some cool sharpening techniques and knife skills.

Over the course of the two weeks we are there, we will be traveling to Tokyo, Sanjo (Nigata), and Sakai (Osaka). We will be spending time with craftsmen in various fields- blacksmithing, sharpening, handle making, etc.- as well as some chefs and other non-knife-related artists.

We thank you in advance for your understanding. If you have any questions or if there is anything we can do for you, please don’t hesitate to ask.

Sincerely,

Jonathan Broida and Sara Motomura-Broida

Two of Us in the Store

The opening of our store in Venice has been both exciting and all-consuming – leaving little time to work on our English blog. Finally, we are coming up for air and want to give you an update on us and our new storefront!

A few days back on Labor Day, I was more appreciative than usual about our great – and happy – connection to our shokunin-san (craftsman), business partners, customers, friends, and family. We all contribute in one way or another to our respective societies, and I thought how fortunate we all are to have such special relationships.

It’s September already, and I suddenly realized that it will be a relatively quick run from here to the end of the year - dashing through Halloween, Thanksgiving, Hanukah, Christmas, and New Years.

Our holidays offer the perfect opportunities for families and friends to gather, cook and share great food and stories around the table. We hope to make these times with loved ones even more joyful by providing knives and other kitchen tools of exceptional quality and craftsmanship. These special occasions remind us that our business is really based on the respectful and happy relationships we have with others, including you as you read this blog post. Thank you again for your support and encouragement!

Since opening our store – just a couple of months ago, we have had walk-ins and new customers from the local area, other parts of California, other states and nations who through word-of-mouth (the best kind of advertising!) found out about us. They have walked, biked, driven and even flown in to visit our store. They are excited about our expansion, bringing positive vibes and good wishes with them. We love, truly love our customers/friends. While it has always been our hope to create a community-like environment where people can come to talk, learn and get to know each other – we have been surprised how quickly it is happening!

More and more professional chefs are stopping by and reconnecting Jonathan to the restaurant world that he will always love. For me, this world is entirely new – most of the chefs are adrenalin junkies (and I used think that it was just Jonathan!) and yes, it’s all very fascinating. One of our greatest joys is to meet and get to know our customers personally. There is something very extraordinary about this experience. I have observed that chefs have an intense, emotional connection to knives. They need knives – not just as tools of their trade but as symbols of their status, prestige, skill and art. Many are truly addicted to knives! We are proud that our knives really do make cooking easier and enjoyable. But we are even more thrilled to see the immense satisfaction they bring to their owners. (Of course, we love all the amazing gastronomical creations of our chefs – I think Jonathan may be one of their greatest fans!)

In addition to our phenomenal customers, the fact that we are located in crazy, eccentric and free-spirited Venice makes the store experience even more complete and enriching. We are surrounded by walkers, joggers, bicyclists, artists and sometimes even the Transformer guy in his custom outfit! Main Street (we are located on Main at Windward) and Abbot Kinney are filled with incredible restaurants, galleries, and boutiques. The entire neighborhood is bohemian - always inspiring and unique. We look forward to the day when our JKI store is considered a landmark of Venice - a place where everyone is welcomed and gains an appreciation of the beauty and artistry of Japanese knives, pottery and culture.