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Argot Murelius

@argotius

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I drink bubbles, I eat cake, I dream in technicolor.

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💔 @yayoi._.kusama Thank you for all the emotions! 🤍 taken in Benesse Art Site Naoshima　ベネッセアートサイト直島 by @argotius

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a month ago

Swank digs and sweet lunch at Cape Town’s Mount Nelson Hotel where Chef Ángel León of Aponiente fame runs the equally seafood-centric stunner Amura. Fish charcuterie, as strange as that sounds, is a mighty fine thing.
Table Mountain View’s and oysters for breakfast ain’t half bad either. taken in Belmond Mount Nelson Hotel by @argotius

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4 months ago

Back at @boschendal just in time for the first smear of autumn colors and moody jackets off-jackets on weather with sun, rain, clouds, sun, rain and…yayness…a rainbow across the majestic mountains that dwarf even this endless estate from the 1600s.

And…yayness…a sturdy He man-sized steak dinner at @arumrestaurant, signed Chef Travis Finch who forages for mushroom in a wooded area just beyond the kitchen garden that abuts the lofty dining room and terrace.

And…yayness again…wines poured by the inimitable, brilliant and jovial @hugejennifer , a “May-I-please-your-new-best-friend” type of human, because everyone deserves a friend like Jennifer.

#southafrica #boschendal #winecountry taken in Boschendal by @argotius

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4 months ago

A flawless few days around Durban, hosted by the equally flawless @chefjohannes and @johannanowrichter at @thelivingroomatsummerhill
There were beach strolls and braais, visits to a Zulu heritage museum and a singularly groovy speakeasy with live jazz.
There was an afternoon well spent at a farm with endless views, handsome pigs and a dainty lunch straight out of the earth.
There was impossibly huge bunny chow - curry served in a loaf of bread - in a hotel with an “if it ain’t broke don’t fix it-attitude” to decorating and an incongruous, highway-adjacent location.
And then there was Summerhill Guest Estates, Chef Johannes Richter’s childhood home, run by his elegant and slyly funny mother, Christine. A thatch-roofed old house surrounded by guest cottages, with a “make yourself at home-hospitality”, warm staff, sturdy breakfasts, cheeky monkeys stealing string beans from the garden, and a full-on multi-course dinner bonanza in the namesake living room.

#southafrica #Durban #wanderlust taken in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal by @argotius

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4 months ago

Fuji-San from an airplane seat.
Sayonara…😢

#byebye #japan by @argotius

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6 months ago

Ishikawa.
Snowshoeing (with old school bamboo snowshoes!) to the top of a hill, above a tiny village with one sole inhabitant, Mr. Kobo-san, who has taken it upon himself to restore the old houses, and who dug up wild wasabi at the edge of his rice paddies. Yes, that root is now growing in my backyard.
And of course visiting local artisans making mind bendingly beautiful things, carrying on ancient traditions with that pride and attention to detail one only finds in Japan.

#ishikawa #japan #nature #artisans taken in Hanamurasaki by @argotius

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6 months ago

Step behind that white noren curtain and you’re effectively teleported into a chic juxtaposition of old and new.

At Hanamurasaki onsen ryokan, the suites are minimalist, the dining areas are incased in latticed washi paper and the lobby features a contemporary crafts gallery, yet the ofuro baths have deliberately been kept intact just like they were designed at the height of the Bubble Economy. Because some things deserve to remain untouched.

@kohei_yamada_ and @konya_ga_yamada are the next gen owners of this family hot spring hotel. They’ve taken the fine art of omotenashi and added another dimension to it, immersing their guests in local culture, sharing the regions traditions and elevating its artisans.

#omotenashi #japan #ryokan #familybusiness #art taken in Hanamurasaki by @argotius

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6 months ago

We were there for dinner…but mostly we were there for the sake…and for Washu Bar Engawa’s owner, Yusuke Shimoki, and his encyclopedic knowledge, mind-bending selection of rice wine, attention to detail, clever conversation…and dapper looks.
He nails it all! Including the dinner, which was flawless!

#nihonshu #sake #ishikawa #japan #discerningdrinking taken in 和酒BAR 縁がわ Engawa 山中温泉 by @argotius

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6 months ago

Toyama, Part 3.

Cave Yunoki, a ⭐️-starred marvel in Iwase port, feeding one party per night - which made my solo supper even more special.

Chef Eijyu Yunoki’s ethereal tasting menu came with a lesson in local fish species as he whipped out a catalogue to show me what he would slice, sear, season and serve at his handsome bar counter, in a meticulously refurbed warehouse, with exposed beams and a lounge area that gives the “cave a manger” an air of debonair at-home dining.

Cave Yunoki identifies as a French restaurant, leaning on local ingredients, but it’s really its own unique thing. It was also the first eatery to move into Masuda-san’s (see previous post!) creative orbit, just off Toyama City.

#finedining #iwase #toyama #japan #teamtoyama taken in カーヴユノキ by @argotius

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6 months ago

Toyama, Part 2.
Touring Iwase, the old port area of Toyama City, with its unofficial mayor, Ryuichiro Masuda, fifth generation owner of Masuizumi sake brewery.

This man is larger than life! He’s a visionary who’s restored the neighborhood’s old warehouses and homes, filling them with life and art and quirk:
6 Michelin-rated restaurants.
A craft brewery.
A new sake bar in the making, with peacock-crazy purple walls that mimic the color in Masuda-san’s great-great-great grandmother’s home.
Private speakeasy bars - not for the general public, but “So I can drink with my friends,” as per the jester Masuda-San.

Famed artisans - a glass blower, a wood carver, a ceramist, among them.
Exquisite gardens, sundry surprises and a riotous mix of tradition and modernity.

All of it visited at break-neck speed with this superhuman whose appetite for life and beauty is unrivaled, and whose hospitality scored me a seat at the kitchen table with the brew crew at Masuizumi, sharing Michelin-starred sashimi and okan (warm sake).

#toyama #japan #iwase #culinaryadventure #nihonshu taken in Higashiiwasemachi by @argotius

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6 months ago

Toyama, part 1.

The city where people spend more per capita on sushi than anywhere else. Much thanks to the very deep Toyama Bay and its many ecosystems that are home to some 500 species of fish and seafood. (Ten local and seasonal types of sushi for lunch - unheard of in other parts of the country where they never get as many, no matter the season.)

The city that boasts the Kengo Kuma-designed Glass Art Museum, with a vast permanent collection and a mesmerizing Dale Chihuly “glass forest”.

The city where I learned to blow glass (and found a new favorite creative outlet) at the Toyama Glass Studio. Way fun and cerebral!

The city with a very cool Museum of Art and Design, where I marveled at Atsuhiko Misawa’s wondrous and quirky wooden sculpture.

Also the city where I visited the Kitokito market’s crab auction. (Kitokito means very fresh in local parlance!)

And yes, the city with a newer rendition of the 1543 Toyama Castle.

#toyama #japan #glassart #sushi #touring taken in Toyama, Japan by @argotius

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7 months ago

Kuroishi and Kizukuri, Aomori.

A wild few days with @jenonomerts and her old crew.

That bizarre blob-like figure with blinking eyes, you wonder? It’s a giant rendition of Shakoki-dogu, a Jomon-period artifact that puts on a light show when a train is approaching the Kizukuri station. Because…local art by committee…

That video in the bottle shop? A shochu dispensary and the only shop open at 9am in Kuroishi, which might or might not indicate how people deal w the cold and snow in these parts - a wonderfully untouched corner of Japan.

#roadslesstraveled #japan #aomori #winter taken in Kuroishi, Aomori by @argotius

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7 months ago