the heart of japan in coupeville

Today I visited Jan McGregor Studios on Whitbey Island. Brimming with Japanese treasures, the store specializes in tansu (wooden cabinets, boxes and chests), ceramics, kimonos and more.

Chatting with Jan, I learned that she lived in Kyoto for two years, studying ceramics under Kihei Koyama. She is an impeccable artist who works with porcelain clay.

These days Jan visits Japan and imports hand-picked antiquities and her own line of washi-covered wooden boxes.