In this episode, Simone and Maki catch up with Hannah Kirshner and see what's been happening since they visited her in Yamanaka Onsen in September 2022.

Hannah Kirshner is author and illustrator of the beautiful book titled Water, Wood, and Wild Things: Learning Craft and Cultivation in a Japanese Mountain Town. Her reporting has appeared in publications including The New York Times and Food & Wine, and on the Proof podcast from America’s Test Kitchen. She’s a Solutions Journalism Network Climate Initiative fellow, and winner of an International Gourmand “Best In The World” award for writing on Japan. Kirshner grew up on a small farm outside Seattle, studied painting at the Rhode Island School of Design.

Hannah was introduced to the TWTT community during the second season of TWTT - The Project, for session #33. The feature brewery for that session was Matsuura Shuzo, where Hannah currently works as a part-time seasonal kurabito.

Hannah also featured on TWTT's sister project, Meet the Artisan, where she introduced the audience to local Yamanaka woodturner, Takehito Nakajima.

Hannah spends her time between Yamanaka Onsen, where she is currently renovating two houses, and New York, where her husband's business is situated.

Through her process of writing Water, Wood and Wild Things, (where she got to know many of the local artisans and craftspeople), working at the local sake brewery, and tackling the process of renovating not only one, but two houses in the town, Hannah has made Yamanaka more of a home, rather than a home away from home, and has become a member of the community in this small rural town.

We hope you enjoy listening to our chat with Hannah as much as we enjoyed having it.

You can follow Hannah on Instagram @sweetsnbitters or find her website in our links list below.

A huge thank you to our subscribers at ⁠⁠⁠Patreon⁠⁠⁠

More information about Taste with the Toji - The Project can be found on our website: https://tastewiththetoji.com/

Music by: Kazuyoshi Sato (Koikawa Shuzo)

Useful links:

https://hannahkirshner.com/

https://shishinosato.com/en/

https://www.americastestkitchen.com/podcasts/proof

https://www.ishikawatravel.jp/en/spots/yamanaka-onsen/

https://www.instagram.com/washubar_engawa_yamanakaonsen/

http://takehitowoodworks.com/

https://kyotofoodie.com/how-to-make-hoshigaki-japanese-dried-persimmons/