freelance journalist/author based in India writing on travel, food, culture, identity, women, art, and luxury.
It is sunset in Gion, the geisha district in Kyoto. Red lanterns sway in the breeze. Beautifully dressed geisha hurry to their appointments. We are sitting in a Japanese restaurant so exclusive it doesn’t even have a name. A slew of dishes, each more esoteric than the last, appear. There is young tofu; rice balls specked with black sesame seeds; translucent soups with unidentified floating objects; and wobbly substances containing ingredients that we can only speculate on.
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Mint Lounge’s New Year issue is based on a great premise: new experiences. Lots of great stories: adopting a stray, rainwater harvesting, grieving your parents, being a mentor, taking trips, finding yourself. Read it here. My contribution below and here. Thanks, Seiichi Chadha and Michi Travel for arranging this trip. New Year Ideas | Immerse…
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What woman can’t use some lessons in feminine allure? Shoba Narayan travels to Kyoto to pick up some tips from the mastersthe city’s renowned geishas. Trust usthere’s much more to Japan’s most enduring icons than white face-paint and a bee-stung pout
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