ABOUT

I carry Hakko—fermentation—as a portable philosophy: the taste of time. Whether I'm in a kitchen in Los Angeles or inside a small Japanese inn, the work is the same—bringing "time," shaped by microbes, to the first table of the day. Fermentation is deeply local, yet it can speak globally when you frame it as an everyday ritual, not a niche technique.

Why are we drawn to things that change overnight?

Vegetables salted at night wake up with a different aroma in the morning. In a miso barrel, invisible life quietly reshapes the form of time. I think fermentation is a small experiment: a way of putting your hands into time itself.

The world is turning its eyes toward fermentation again. But in Japan, the lab has always been in the kitchen. Umeboshi, natto, miso—each is a teacher of "the taste of time."

How do we bring that taste to the breakfast table? I use fermentation as a time machine, designing a quiet surprise that fits the beginning of the day.

I'm Tomonori Tanaka (Kyoto-based), a creative director and food producer. I design food experiences across media—concept, product, packaging, film, and space—with one consistent question: how do we make time feel edible?

That philosophy becomes tangible through two kinds of projects: tools and places. Picklestone is a design answer that turns Japanese pickles (tsukemono) into a modern daily habit. SAUNA & CURRY URI is where "warming the body" becomes architecture—built to remove small stresses through contactless, private stays. In Kyotango, we renovated traditional homes into three independent stays, each with its own sauna and cold bath, operated in a streamlined self-check-in format. The same site also includes Giyaman Saryo, a dining space named after giyaman, an old Japanese term associated with glassware.

I collaborate with hotels, restaurants, and media teams on fermented breakfast programs, wellness-aligned menus, product development, brand storytelling, workshops, and films—turning "Hakko as time" into something that works in the real world.