Sébastien Duval

13 Sept

Replying to @sebastienplus.bsky.social

The only live craft demo at Maison & Objet #Paris (daily at stand N120/P119): master Yoshimasa Shibata's Magewappa #曲げわっぱ traditional #JapaneseCraft from #Akita. Watch cedar softened at 80℃ bent by hand; hear it creak at 32s 🪵 On site, win his demoed bento boxes 🍱 Father & son work with pure joy 🙂

11 Sept

At Maison & Objet #Paris to connect EU traders & journalists with #Japan wood pros for the Japanese Forestry Agency until Monday 🌳 DM me for press invites to film bent-woodware demos, touch 40+ artworks from Akita/Hakone/… and interview 1 of only 16 master craftsmen worldwide in English/French 🎤

8 Aug

🧵1/ In #Tokyo now & tomorrow: Matsuri Japan festival inside Takanawa Gateway Convention Centre. Organised yearly by Happo-en. Kudos to the performers of the dragon dance from Nagasaki Prefecture; 10 intense minutes 🐉 matsuri-japan.happo-en.com/2026/ #祭 #龍踊り

8 Aug

🧵2/ Nagai city (Yamagata) festival's mythical black lion roamed our hall, snapping its jaws over kids to ward off evil 🦁 Easily the longest "shishi" I've seen; its black & white tail fit 10+ kids from the audience underneath 🖤 Matsuri #Japan surprised even Japanese parents. #祭 #ながい黒獅子まつり #長井市

8 Aug

🧵3/ Most impressive at Matsuri Japan: Iwami Kagura! Kids went wild when the 8-headed serpent spilled into their ranks 🐍 Props reminded me of #Shinto mythical sites I explored in Shimane Prefecture in June. I enjoyed watching Susanoo overwhelmed then victorious, handing the heads to kids 🤩 #祭 #石見神楽

1 Aug

End of my work at Japan Travel KK, 8 years meaningful beyond expectations, with farewell drinks hosted by leadership 🥂 From overcoming the covid crisis to launching/managing unique projects, I proudly contributed to economic inflows, rural revitalisation, local pride, and unforgettable memories ⛩️

1 Aug

I explore impactful jobs in #Tokyo #Yokohama: chambers of commerce, consulting, DX, GX… with AI, US trade, Hormuz, and climate crises in the background 🔮 A strong lead via my pro network is brewing to support #Japan via my PhD, cross-cultural skills, and 21 years here 🗾 DMs open & LinkedIn updated 💼

23 July

🧵1/ I just touched 1,000s-year-old Antarctic ice 🧊 while exploring the interactive #Antarctica exhibition at #Tokyo Miraikan with a VR researcher friend and his family! Organized with #Japan National Institute of Polar Research, it covers 70 years of polar history in English & Japanese 👍🏻

23 July

🧵2/ The blizzard tunnel was so immersive that I got (safely) dizzy 🌀 A great reminder of why I moved to #Japan in 2003: #VR research. This perfect cool escape from Tokyo's scorching summer for all ages runs until 27 September. Stop by the nearby giant Gundam robot afterwards! dainankyokuten.jp #未来館

22 July

🍜 Back to life thanks to cold vegan #ramen inside Tokyo station at T's Tantan: Mexican spices whiff, salsa, crunchy tortilla chip, avocado, and veggie rainbow on bamboo-charcoal rice-based noodles. Squeeze the lemon over then taste 🍋 1,480 yen. #VeganJapan #VeganTokyo

11 July

Great lunch with Japanese partners in Tokyo yesterday! I shared cross-cultural tips for their upcoming business trip to Paris and highly recommended Riuzen in Fukui (best sauce-based #vegan soba I ate in Japan in 21 years) 🥢 It felt good to be useful while discussing my next steps: job hunting…

🧵1/ I almost gave up! After 8 busy years, I unlocked an old dream & reached #SanIn to explore #Japanese creation myths (8-day holiday): Izanami's death, Orochi's beheading, Susanoo's sake & sword, Okuninushi's nation-building… ⛩️ Visit after Awaji (first island) but before Kashihara (first emperor) 🗾

🧵26/ Finally, Amaterasu's grandson Ninigi ruled and planted earth's first rice field using Amaterasu's heavenly seeds 🌾 His great-grandson Jimmu became #Japan first emperor, far from Shimane 👑 Enjoy #Kashihara city like me: Jimmu's enthronement site (Kashihara Shrine), Jimmu's tomb (just beside)…

google.comShinto origin myths - Google My MapsAll spots visited in June 2026.

8 July

🧵27/ I mapped these #Shinto places plus difficult-to-find #vegan restaurants… ⛩️ Bookmark, share and use to plan your #JapanTravel and to drive in #Shimane #Tottori without going to the wrong places (⚠️ many local homonyms) 🗺️ www.google.com/maps/d/viewe...

Sébastien Duval reposted

7 July

I'm on holiday all July except 3 days including farewells 🏖️ Upcoming: vegan summer foods, Japan star festival, fun beach party by business partners (no heatwave, 29℃ = 84℉), exciting immersive exhibition with a VR researcher in Tokyo (feel a blizzard, touch Antarctica ice, see auroras)…

🧵24/ During negotiations, Okuninushi's son Ebisu (sea safety & business god) was enshrined at Cape Jizozaki (🧵2/17/22). Head of 3,000+ Ebisu shrines worldwide, Miho Shrine welcomes you daily (08:30 & 15:30) with free #kagura dances 🤩 Bad timing for me but I saw the blue-during-rain paving 🌧

🧵25/ Okuninushi exchanged his earthly realm for a bedrock-rooted heaven-reaching palace: Izumo-taisha ⛩️ Every 10th lunar month, Japan's 8 million gods gather here to decide fate 🌙 #Shimane Prefecture celebrates this Month With Gods 🥂 Meanwhile, the rest of #Japan cautiously spends a Godless Month ⚠️

🧵22/ Fleeing his 80 brothers, Okuninushi met and fell in love with one of Susanoo's daughters ❤️ After deadly trials, Susanoo allowed their wedding but ordered Okuninushi to build a nation & palace 👑 He began his quest by partnering with a tiny son of Kamimusubi met at Cape Jizozaki (🧵2 & 17) 🌊

🧵23/ As Okuninushi completed nation-building, Amaterasu decreed her lineage should rule. After consecutive envoys failed to acquire his land, the final negotiators met Okuninushi at Inasa Beach 🏖️ When you visit, join its famous sand-exchange ritual and watch where 8 million gods arrive annually!

🧵20/ Okuninushi's mother secured help from Kamimusubi "Sacred Generative Force" primordial god, who dispatched two clam goddesses. Dissolving shell powder in water, they healed Okuninushi's burns and resurrected him as a handsome youth 🐚 The residents use Shimizu-i pure-water well in everyday life💧

🧵21/ Beside, Shimizu-gawa Shrine uniquely houses 3 deities of regeneration (Okuninushi's mother and the clam goddesses) famed for illness recovery and #MindReset 🙏🏻 As my 8-year job at Japan Travel KK ends in 5 weeks, praying here felt profoundly timely, reflecting on my life, career, and next step 🔮

🧵18/ Crossing the sea from Oki Islands, a hare was skinned by sharks 🦈 Ame-no-Fuyukinu's cruel sons incited it to wash in harsh seawater 🌊 Arriving last, youngest Okuninushi cured the hare with a freshwater bath then rest on reeds! See the healing pond & reeds (+ sand sculpture) at Hakuto Shrine 🐇

🧵19/ The grateful hare prophesied Okuninushi would marry a local goddess. Jealous, his brothers tricked him into catching a "red boar", actually a rolling-down red-hot boulder that burnt him to death 🐗 That boulder is deeply buried & sealed at Akaiiwa Shrine so that it doesn't defile the land 🪨

🧵16/ Furthermore, Susanoo created #Japan first fire where Matsue's Kumano-taisha stands ⛩️ This Shrine Of First Fire houses a dedicated thatched hall and holds every 15 October the major Sanka-sai Fire #Festival, during which fire is revered as Susanoo's living spirit 🔥 I'd love to join; you?

🧵17/ Susanoo's great-great-grandson (also Ame-no-Fuyukinu's father) Omizunu wanted to enlarge Izumo so he pulled & sewed lands from afar: Matsue from Oki Islands, Cape Jizozaki (🧵2) from Noto Peninsula… 🗾 #PrincessMononoke fans: Omizunu's deer-and-tree aspect inspired the Forest Spirit 🦌

🧵14/ Clouds arising as his palace was completed, storm god Susanoo composed the first ever waka poem, naming the area #Izumo (= emerging clouds): The many-fenced palace of Izumo Of the many clouds rising— To dwell there with my spouse Do I build a many-fenced palace: Ah, that many-fenced palace!

🧵15/ Don't confuse Suga & Susa shrines. Susanoo made Susa Shrine his final/true home ⛩️ Walk around to find the seawater well he used to purify the land, shadowless cherry tree (east of Amaterasu's #Shinto shrine), mountain with white light (star!) predicting good/bad harvests, 1,300 y.o. holy cedar…

🧵12/ Susanoo offered the Heavenly Sword Of Gathering Clouds to Amaterasu via Ame-no-Fuyukinu ☁️ A sword-offering ritual remains celebrated on New Year's Eve at Hinomisaki Shrine ⛩️ Protecting #Japan at night, it's in a sense a Top 2 #Shinto shrine (distant #Ise Shrine guards Japan by daytime) 🌌

🧵13/ Yamata-no-Orochi defeated, Susanoo found a spot so suga-suga-shii (= refreshing) that he built a palace there to live with Kushinada-hime. First ever #Shinto shrine, it's Suga Shrine ⛩️ Buying charms at this must-visit cradle of gods for me, home & friends felt extra-ordinary. #Japan fan? Go!

🧵10/ Susanoo beheaded the drunk-asleep Yamata-no-Orochi, buried its 8 heads in a circle, and planted 8 cedars above to prevent resurrection 🌲 Sadly no go-shuin/charms at the underwhelming Hii shrine 170m east. Go & drop a donation to help enhance this unassuming mythical #Shinto power spot ⛩️

🧵11/ From the valley-spanning Yamata-no-Orochi's tail, far off on Mount Sentsu, Susanoo pulled a sword that's now 1 of 3 imperial treasures. Rainy season clouds hid the panorama… Perfect fit while I hiked and for the summit monument dedicated to the storm god's Heavenly #Sword Of Gathering Clouds ☁️

🧵8/ Susanoo brewed potent sake in a cauldron where the Kama-ishi rock remains. This myth revealing humans inherited sake-making from Shinto gods cements Shimane as the birthplace of #sake and its cultural importance. I tasted local ones at an izakaya in Izumo city… incredibly fine & flavourful 🍶

🧵9/ Susanoo used 8 sake jars to get the 8-headed Yamata-no-Orochi drunk 🏺 One remains at Inze-no-tsubogami, buried under stones after a mortal caused terrifying omens by touching it! The 8 neighbouring exorcizing gohei wands are a sight I've never encountered elsewhere during my 20+ years in Japan.

1 July

🧵6/ Izanagi's needed purification birthed gods: Amaterasu, Tsukuyomi, Susanoo (fans of #Naruto know the name!). Banished from heaven for upsetting his father & sister, Susanoo descended to Torikami on Mount Sentsu 🏞️ I hiked to its falls, roaring in a quiet forest due to the rainy season 🥾

🧵7/ There, Susanoo started an epic quest, vowing to save Kushinada-hime from the unimaginably huge 8-headed 8-tailed serpent Yamata-no-Orochi (fans of #Naruto know the name!) 🐍 Its lair Ama-ga-fuchi sits along the Hii River, fed by Torikami Falls. In Japan, the sacred number 8 symbolizes a myriad ♾️

🧵4/ Arriving at Izanami's tomb (Kume Shrine Oku-no-miya) was dramatic. The forest opened to a broken torii #Shinto gate, something I had not seen in 20+ years in #Japan! It felt apocalyptic, like stepping into a dark manga; I was stunned… After catching my breath, I walked to pay my respects.

🧵5/ In the world of the dead to rescue Izanami, Izanagi was so horrified by her decay that he fled, sealing the path behind him with a boulder at Yomotsu Hirasaka 🪨 I stood at that border today in heavy rain, praying for my dog 🐕 There's even a mailbox to message the dead 📮

🧵2/ Heaven & seas first came into existence then primordial gods. The last primordial gods Izanagi & Izanami wed then birthed islands: Awaji → Shikoku → Oki. Luckily, I caught a glimpse of the Oki Islands today from Cape Jizozaki! Sadly, the rainy season haze made them too faint for photos.

🧵3/ Burnt to death birthing a fire god, Izanami was buried at the summit of Mount Hiba (Kojiki's first named peak). My hike there today was quest-like: misty forest, spiderwebs, eerie birdsong, climbing chain, overgrown paths… Chilly yet sweaty 🌫️ It felt exactly like in some movies 🕷️

Uncertainty settling in: a job switch, Hormuz affecting Tokyo groceries, and health issues around me. My 36 days of paid leave help me reset, reorganize online & offline, enjoy family touring Japan, and tick off dream goals. Would you guess I feel level, with renewed expectation & freedom?

sebastien-duval.comOvgo Baker - Sébastien DuvalI’ve eaten once at an Ovgo Baker bakery, while scouting for vegan tours. I’d recommend it for a short break or takeaway 🍪 Check this 100% vegan B Corp out! Ovgo Baker Edo Street Near Ningyocho mechani...

I discovered Ovgo Baker, a creative B Corp #VeganBakery, in Tokyo. Yuki Mizobuchi founded & named it with "Organic, Vegan, and Gluten-free as Options" in mind. Her team focused on sustainability and inclusion from the start 👍🏻 sebastien-duval.com/ovgo-baker/

Ovgo Baker has 4 locations in Tokyo. You can also find its never-seen-before cookies across Japan, from Hokkaido shops to Oita guesthouses (or order online) 🗾 This company is dedicated to doing good; it even donates food to the Japan Association For Refugees 🫶🏻 #VeganJapan

I popped into Tokyo Edo Street for a flabbergasting carrot cake gooey cookie 🥕 and yuzu jasmine cookie 🍋 The staff were smiley. Fine for breaks or takeaways, the shop is luminous, quiet, and cashless. I'll be back for a sakura-mochi cookie, piña colada scokie (scone/cookie hybrid)… 🍪 #VeganTokyo

I savoured a flabbergasting vegan carrot cake gooey cookie at Ovgo Baker Edo Street in Tokyo, just after fasting for my free annual health check 🥕 This big 3D dessert with crinkled exterior was delicately crisp and surprisingly spicy 🍪 Go test if you can identify its hidden ingredients! #VeganTokyo

I just savoured a seasonal gluten-free vegan "yuzu jasmine cookie" takeaway from Ovgo Baker Edo Street in Tokyo 🍋 This large golden snack blending yuzu peels and jasmine tea leaves has a botanical whiff and is delicately crispy 🍪 Wholesome & unique! #VeganJapan #VeganTokyo

Never eaten before: vegan mentaiko (明太子)! Komeda Is Higashi-Ginza's rare plant-based mentaiko cream pasta was delicious 🍝 Go taste this Japanese savoury spicy red dish with a unique popping texture (originally fish eggs)… 🌶️ Creative & surprising #VeganTokyo #VeganJapan 👍

sebastien-duval.comKomeda Is Higashi-Ginza - Sébastien DuvalI’ve eaten at Komeda Is Higashi-Ginza restaurant many times while guiding vegan friends/journalists/influencers/…, while waiting for nearby meetings, while spending the night at a hotel to catch an ea...

Looking for a 100% vegan spot in Tokyo? Komeda Is Higashi-Ginza is open from 07:00 to 22:00 near the Kabuki-za theatre 🎭 It's super convenient for any meal, from breakfast to dinner 🌿 Check it out! #VeganRestaurant sebastien-duval.com/komeda-is-hi...

The menu at Komeda Is Higashi-Ginza is creative, featuring delicious plant-based mentaiko (🤯) cream pasta 🍝 burgers (miso, teriyaki…) 🍔 pancakes… Even the seasonings are traditionally brewed & aged for deep flavour. #VeganJapan