#6 Happy New Year
The joyful season has come and gone once again. What can feel almost frantic in the lead-up to the festive season suddenly pops like a Christmas cracker when it arrives, and a surreal sense of calm rains over us. The real joy begins to settle in as we enter the new year.
A tradition from my culture is the celebration of the New Year.
Oshōgatsu (pronounced oh-shoh-ga-tsu) is a time when children come home and families take a day or two to simply be together-to pause, reflect, and look ahead with optimism and a fresh perspective on what lies before us. I’m deeply grateful to my parents, who still carry this tradition on for me and my children through a special celebratory meal, served in our original family ojūbako-a traditional lacquered bento box with gold detailing that only comes out once a year. It’s laid on the dining table with a table runner that was once my great-grandmother’s silk obi, a wide sash worn around a kimono.
This is a time when I reflect on many things and feel grateful for where I am-an abundance of love, a depth of culture, and a deeper understanding of family. The true purpose of life becomes more pronounced, more obvious. Stability is one thing, but allowing nature to run its course and letting love sit at the centre of all choices, suddenly makes nurturing my values feel simple.
My passion for coffee remains quietly and subtly yet strong,
Understanding the possibilities within a single coffee, and the flavours that emerge simply through the handling of heat, has always been an endlessly fascinating journey for me throughout my career. Coffee is simple, yet incredibly diverse, and often misunderstood. Too much coffee is roasted poorly, which leads to hesitation in trying it in its simplest formshaped by the bad experiences many have had.
My goal for this year as it has always been since the establishment in 2012 is to continue roasting consistently, using my eyes and my nose with every batch. It sounds ridiculously straightforward and perhaps obvious, yet it is often not practised these days, as advancing technology turns craft into convenient systems. Consistency requires continuous observation, because every coffee, every crop, every heat, every drum is never the same. That is what makes coffee truly meaningful and beautiful in every sip. This is the heart of ARK. Every batch I roast is guided by conscious purpose, bringing a better coffee experience into the comfort of home. It’s what ARK is here for-nothing more, nothing less.
