HACO = A box in Japanese.

      H u m a n

      A  r  t

      C o r e 

      O d y s s e y

Seeking for crews to sail out TOGETHER to the unknown ; new dimension, time, place where we have never been.

upcoming

The Art of Fermentation

-Hands On Workshop to Learn, Eat, make Fermented delights-

Workshop details

Discover the transformative power of fermentation with Tanaka-san, a certified Fasting & Orthomolecular specialist who has guided over 30,000 people in Japan. This hands-on event will introduce you to the fascinating world of fermentation and teach you how to create your own unique marinade sauce to take home!

At this event, you'll:

• Introduction to Gut Health & Hakko Cleanse: Learn why gut health is crucial to your overall well-being and how fermented foods can play a key role in supporting digestion, immunity, and vitality. Tanaka-san will guide you through the concept of a Hakko Cleanse, offering insights on how to incorporate fermentation into your daily life.

• Taste Koji Fermented Food: Experience the rich, umami flavors of Koji by tasting pre-fermented Koji chicken. You'll discover the deep, savory taste that fermentation imparts to food and understand why Koji is a cornerstone of Japanese cuisine.

• Make Your Own Koji Starter: Hands-on experience! Together, we’ll create a Koji starter from scratch, learning the essential steps to ferment your own foods at home.

• Taste Fermented Delights: Indulge in a variety of fermented foods like miso, soy sauce, yogurt, and cheese, paired with a refreshing glass of sake. As you sample these foods, you’ll explore the diverse flavors and health benefits of fermented products.

Whether you're a beginner or already familiar with fermentation, this event offers a fun and educational experience for everyone. Plus, you’ll leave with your own homemade marinade to elevate your cooking at home!

The Art of Fermentation Workshop At HACO

-Making Fermented sauce accompanied with Fermented delights & sip of sake-

SCHEDULE

12/12 Thus. 18:30-20:00

12/15 Sun.  15:00-17:00

Duration of workshop : 2 Hrs

Fee : $45.00/ person

Limited seats available to maintain the nature of this special workshop, intimate & hands-on

Don’t miss out on this special occasion

Matcha Making

-Come sip, Learn, and experience Matcha like never before-

Matcha Ceremony & learning How to Make Matcha by The Tea Master

Join us for a unique tea experience with Naomi Shirao, the tea master and owner of a 4th-generation, family-owned, 100% non-pesticide organic farm. Coming to New York for the first time, Shirao-san will guide you through the art and tradition of Matcha, offering both a ceremonial and casual approach to enjoying this exquisite green tea.

This exclusive event will focus on:

• Traditional & Ceremonial Matcha Experience: Learn the ritual and mindfulness behind preparing and savoring Matcha in its most authentic form led by Master Shirao-san accompanied with traditional Tea ceremony sweets from Japan.

• Matcha in Everyday Life: Shirao-san will show how you can incorporate the health benefits and joy of Matcha into your daily routine, from casual sipping to creative culinary uses.

  Hands-on making Matcha from whisking to all the details you wonder.

• Organic, Non-Pesticide Matcha: Taste the difference with tea grown on a sustainable, pesticide-free farm dedicated to purity and quality.

Whether you’re a tea enthusiast or a curious newcomer, this event will deepen your appreciation of Matcha while connecting you with its rich cultural heritage.

SCHEDULE

12/14 Sat. 13:00-14:30

12/15 Sun. 12:00-13:30

Duration of workshop : 1.5 Hrs

Fee : $45.00/ person

Limited seats available | We like to care authenticity & Intimacy

100% Non pesticide Organic Farm in Miyazaki, Japan

where our “HACO Organic Selection MASTERPIECE” is cultivated by a dedicated family of 4 generation

The Soil their field is edible

The current head farmer, Kawano-san, a proud 4th generation steward of the farm, shares his passion for the land with every cup of tea produced.

“The soil of our field is edible,”he says, highlighting the care and dedication that go into cultivating tea leaves of the highest quality.

This commitment has earned their tea a prestigious place at the G7 Hiroshima, Japan Summit in 2023, where it was served to world leaders.

In addition to their exceptional Matcha, the farm offers limited selection of unique Tea blends, including Sencha, Houjicya, Genmaicya, Yuzu green, Mint Green, Ginger Green. These artisanal teas are also exclusively available throughHACO organic Selection at HACO in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.

OPENING RECEPTION : DECEMBER 14th Saturday 3:00- 6:00

3rd Annual Exhibition - featuring Matcha Bowls-

Aizuhongouyaki, the oldest kiln existing in the Tohoku region in Fukushima Japan, has been striving their craftsmanship since the Azuchi-momoyama  period (1568 AD.)  This unique land, well known for its unusual soil containing the minerals to create both porcelain and ceramic kept expanding their creation over 400 years. 

At this 3rd Annual exhibition at HACO, Matcha bowl is featured as Matcha popularity has been gaining world wide attention and becoming the most talked about “Tea.”

The history of Matcha goes back long time and its ceremony is inevitable part of culture has grown in Japan.

The 4 fundamental philosophy for Tea, peace, respect, silence, wabi were given birth by the great tea master, Sen no Nikryu in Azuchi-Momoyama period, around the same time when Aizuhongouyaki started their creation.

At this exhibition, HACO will be the designated place to experience the Matcha bowls created by masterful traditional craftsman, but also a place to taste the Japanese tea culture and the philosophy within.

At the opening reception, the premium organic Matcha will be served to sip and the virtual meeting with kiln owners in Aizuhongouyaki Headquarter is scheduled. Please join us for this special occasion!

HACO ORGANIC SELECTION

WILL BE PARTICIPATING

HACO ORGANIC SELECTION

-debut-

One of our acronym, and the four parts of philosophy, “HACO,” Human is expanding its own purpose this year. We are thrilled to announce to bring the wellness from Japan into our “Box,” HACO.

As a starter, we will be participating at the 2024 Summer Fancy food show at the Javits Center.

*Our booth will be located at Level 3, Hall 3E, Japan Pavilion 615. Come find us!

PESTICIDE FREE TEA STRAIGHT from the farm

by

HACO ORGANIC SELESCTION

100% Organic Japanese tea produced in Miyazaki, Kushyu, located in the southern part of Japan. This FDA approved most genuine tea extracted from the fields located at the altitude of 700 to 800 meters begins its farming from the root, its soil preparation. Kawano-san, who has been cultivating the highest quality tea for three generations, without using any chemical fertilizers and researching high-quality soil and reproduction, confidently says, “I could even eat the soil from my field.” The quality of the tea he produced is also very fine that it was served to the leaders of each country at the G7 Hiroshima summit in 2023.

Purchase only available at HACO in Williamsburg, NY in North America

HAKKO CLEANSE by Yuki Tanaka / Natural Lab

“Sincere wellness” -produced in Myoko-kogen, Niigata JAPAN -

HAKKO CLEANSE -Herbal Supplement Drink-

This fermented extract beverage, “HAKKO CLEANSE” is made only possible by using fermentation techniques unique to Japanese climate. “HAKKO” means fermentation, and HAKKO CLENSE is a Japanese fermented drink made from 32 types of wild herbs, 19 types of vegetables, 2 types of mushrooms, and 9 types of fruites (62 spieces in total.) These ingredients are fermented and matured with over 50 kinds of bacteria for more than one year and three months for the purpose of targeting the core wellness, gut health, detoxification, and immune enhancement. Naturally, the best pair for your fasting as well.

With over 70 years of inherited fermentation technology, FDA approved HAKKO CLENSE promiss to support your ultimate everyday health, the gut maintenance, the detoxification, and thus the beauty wellness.

It is the debut of the Natural Lab from Japan in New York by HACO ORGANIC SELECTION

Inside the Box | 箱の中

By Palén Obesa

May 4th - june 2nd 2024

Opening reception : May 4th, Saturday 3:00-6:00pm

this exhibition delves into the intricate layers of personhood by challenging the conventional notions around human identity—herein referred to as the “box”.

Dominican-born and New York-based visual artist, Palén Obesa, uses nature to redeem the unpleasant phenomena of her existence through visual storytelling. In this series of intimate prints, Obesa analyzes the mechanisms of religion, culture, history, politics, and the media in order to evaluate how these factors can blur the dividing line between Self and the world. In doing so, she questions whether her perceptions, virtues, and flaws are no more than the overlapping circumstances of her environment and whether a core of her essence would prevail if those external influences were to vary.

Throughout this philosophical quest, Obesa delineates who “she” is by questioning what is “hers”, inviting the viewer to consider if there is anything inherent within her.

Hako No Naka/Inside the Box promises to be a captivating exploration of identity, offering viewers a unique opportunity to engage with profound themes of self-discovery and introspection.

Hair As A Medium

by Miwako

February 3 rd - February 17th

Opening Reception February 3rd Saturday : 3:00- 6:00

 My name is Miwako Urasugi - I am a hairstylist by trade.    

I’ve always dreamt of sharing Japanese culture as conceptual art with the medium I feel most connected to, “The Hair.” From the inception of my career in Japan through current work as an international stylist on set in New York, I’ve been always influenced by my creative peers and clients. They have been my inspiration and pushed me to make this project, “Hair : A medium by Miwako,” incorporating hair and Japanese culture come true. 

Traditionally, the type of food served, the patterns of your Kimono, and the choices of the ornament, its placement have inevitable meanings at each occasion in Japan. So, I chose three elements which have been symbolically used for celebration in Japanese culture; Shimekazari (new year ornament,) Wagara(ancient patterns) and Tabemono (food) for this project and turned them into my own version of art with my medium, the hair.

Besides how important to share my heritage through my point of view, using Hair to create this form of conceptual art, it was also as important for me to celebrate all the inspiration I've been enchanted by.

Tea + Sake Sets

-Featuring Aizuhongouyaki from Fukushima JAPAN-

December 1st - December 24th

Opening reception : December 2nd Saturday 3:00-6:00 pm

The Aizuhongouyaki, the oldest kiln existing in the Tohoku region in Fukushima Japan, has been striving their craftsmanship since the Azuchi-momoyama  period (1568 AD.)  This particular land is well known for its unusual soil which contains the minerals to create both  porcelain and ceramic.  Such uniqueness only helped Aizuhongouyaki to continuously expand their creations.

During these 400 plus years of their legacy, they’ve not only been keeping their traditional craftsmanship alive, but innovated varieties of products fearlessly to adopt and elevate their tradition to the current period.   One of their famous innovations is creating the tea strainer with ceramic within the Teapot in the late 1800’s.  In addition, their region is also well known for superb sake,  the land is surrounded by the mountains, and could provide rich spring water and delicious rice.  Therefore, the need for sake sets has always been high in demand, they have produced numerous types of sake sets to enhance the culture of sipping sake visually.  

In this exhibition at HACo, those two significant innovations of Aizuhongouyaki, Teapot and Sake sets created by 10 different kiln owners from Aizuhongouyaki will be featured,   Certainly, those unique items could enchant your favorite tea time or sake drinking nights especially in the cold New York winter.

FEATURED KILN OWNERS FROM AIZUHONGOUYAKI UNION

Houzangama

Kanzangama

Kinootokoubou

Munakatagama

Ryumonyaki　

Sousyungama　　  

Suigetugama

Tobouirori　

Tomizougama　　　

Tougatouraku

October 3rd through 8th

Opening Reception : October 3rd Tuesday 4:00-6:00 pm

A journey in search of "Beautiful Materials from Japan." 

Matsuyoi, a precious jewelry brand based in Shikoku Japan, begins their creation with the journey of exploration.  Nature is profoundly revered in Japanese culture, precious gemstones have always been considered as divine gifts from nature as God, not only were they worn as jewelry but hundreds of myths and folklore based on those sacred jewels were born and passed on for thousands of years.  

For this exhibition, “a journey to the roots, “ at HACO, the mission for Matusyoi was to embark on a journey across Japan to visit those places with ancient legacy, and rediscover the origins of Jade, Coral, and Akoya Pearls.  The captivating beauty in those gemstones and stories behind them were crystalized and transformed into Matsuyoi’s new line.  Matsuyoi truly hopes to take you on a journey to the world of precious nature originated in Japan and the beautiful ancient tales within through their jewelry in this upcoming exhibition in New York.

Made to Order with Matsuyoi Designer, Yukiko Harada

 THROUGH OUT THE EXHIBITION PERIOD

October 4th through October 8th : 12:00-6:00 pm

Please come join us for the Matsuyoi’s very special made to order session. 

Yukiko Harada, the designer of Matsuyoi will be present at HACO throughout the exhibition period, and customly assemble jewelry in front of you with mystic gems by your choices from Jade, Coral, or Akoya pearls that will be brought directly from Japan for this occasion.  First comes, first served, but please note that high quality gemstones are limitedly available.   Don’t miss out on this chance!

LET’S BUILD YOUR ONE & ONLY CERAMIC

And

Exhibit your pieces at HACO!

In this workshop (3 CLASSES), participants will explore the pinch pot and coil hand building techniques to create 1 to 2 pieces. Additionally,  decorative techniques such as carving, stamping, perforation, and modeling textures will be introduced to make the work even more original and unique !  Lastly, basic glazing will be learned to complete the works, and make them shine.

Dates & Time:

• April 15th, 22nd, May 6th / Saturday

• 10:00 am - 1:00 pm

Eligibility:

• Adults : 10 years and older.  all skill levels, beginners are welcome.

• Children under 10 years, with an adult participant.
  

Class Description 　＊Don’t forget to bring your imagination…

• First class : Participants will learn basic facts about clay, and its building stages by modeling with both pinching and coiling, and proper attachment techniques.

• Second class : We will focus on refining the works that were built on the First class, and adding textures by using  stamps and perforations.

• Third class: Glazing.  The class will focus on basic brush glazing techniques, and glaze combinations, and complete pieces by adding one or 2 glazes.

Workshop Fees : *Materials + Firing fee included

• 10 years & up         $250.00

• Family pack #1       $375.00 / 1 child under 10 with 1 adult

• Family pack #2      $560.00 / 2 children under 10 with 1 adult, or 1 child with 2 adults

  EXHIBITION : All the participants are invited to exhibit their pieces at HACO

ongoing

A message from the Mountain

-Aizu, Fukushima Japan-

Since as long as 400 years ago, ARTISANAL CRAFTSMANSHIP has been passed on respectfully from generation to generation in harmony with nature in Aizu, Fukushima, Japan. This particular region, Aizu, is surrounded by grand, ancient mountains, sculpted by inevitable hot summers and heavy snow-burdened winters, which has undoubtedly influenced the lives and ways of these craftsmen.

How do we know this? Their historical craftsmanship show how they have been in tune with what nature offers them and how they keenly correspond with those natural properties for such a long time.

Every resource for their artisanal crafts; lacquers, ceramics and fabrics, is found in the forests of the great mountains where they live.   No artificial chemicals are used, nor needed, to complete the process to create their traditional crafts - all organic materials - the soil, stone, trees, and plants.

HACO is honored and proud to showcase, and host a fair for these natural products, true forms of sustainability,  which are directly flown in from the mountain, and to introduce the artisans themselves who seamlessly have dedicated their craftsmanship so as to coexist with nature and their offerings.  

Featuring Brands & Items

Aizu Momen / Cotton

Of all the Japanese cotton textiles, has the strongest durability and regional colors and characteristics of Aizu in Fukushima,  – a very unique area.

Aizu Momen keeps the wearer cool with high ventilation during the summer and helps them stay warm during the winter by almost immediately becoming body temperature when it’s worn. In fact, unlike cotton lawn, it can be worn literally throughout the year.

Aizu Momen would be characterized as strong and durable.  It can be cleaned in an ordinary washing machine and is a stress-free material that gets softer with use, making it fun to increase comfort through the years.

Featured Brands: Harappa  https://harappaaizu.com/ 

IIE Lab.    http://iie-aizu.jp/shop/

Yamma    https://yamma.jp/

Aizu Lacquer

Typically made of Japanese horse chestnut, Zerkova, or Linden trees grow in Aizu, coated with resin corrected from lacquer trees also from Aizu.  The trees shaped into multiple homeware coated with lacquer resin become naturally antibacterial, lightweight, easy to dry, highly durable products which you could easily pass to the next three generations.

Brand : Kitami-Hachiro-bei-syouten http://hachiro-bei.com/index.html

Aizu Hongoyaki Association

A 400-year-old traditional craft originating from Aizu, in Fukushima, Japan. Aizu is blessed with natural resources, where the earth is uncommonly filled with both clay and stone. This unique abundance of materials,  unlike most kiln sites in Japan, potters in Aizu are able to produce both ceramic (clay)  and porcelain (stone) creations.

Brand : Aizuhongoyaki Association www.aizuhongouyaki.jp