Hello, from Michele!

Quiet Calling is a place for people drawn to Japan not only as a destination, but as a way of seeing.

I’m Michele Laudig, an American writer and longtime resident of Japan. I live between Tokyo and a coastal town on the Izu Peninsula, where my days are shaped by small rituals – whisking tea in a 4½-mat tea room, walking to the ocean, paying attention to seasonal shifts in my garden. I studied Japanese culture at university and have practiced chanoyu (Japanese tea ceremony) for more than 20 years.

My career as a writer and editor has evolved from culture journalist and restaurant critic at Phoenix New Times to Zagat editor and brand storyteller at Google in NYC and Tokyo. Writing has always been my way of paying attention.

Here, I write about an intimate side of Japan as it is lived – through tea, ritual, food, and place.

My intention for Quiet Calling is to invite readers to slow down and savor the journey, wherever they may be.

– Michele

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