About us

Rise&Zen is an initiative led by experts in Japanese culture, dedicated to bringing you the lesser-known sides of Japan, thought-provoking stories, and authentic culinary experiences.

At the moment, our newsletter is only available in Estonian, but we are actively working on an English version. Thank you for your understanding and support!

Who are behind the newsletter?

Janne, Eva, Maarja

We know how truly great Japanese food tastes, and this knowledge has driven us to take action.

Having studied and worked in Japan, developed cultural and business relationships, taught, and translated, we decided it was time to bring quality Japanese food to our homeland.

Janne has spent years helping Estonian organic producers, designers, and musicians reach Japan. She has built a trusting relationship with a Japanese partner who has a network of long-standing organic producers.

Eva primarily interacts with Japan in an academic environment. Japanese is not the only Asian language Eva speaks, but Japanese green tea is the one thing she can't go a day without.

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Finally, Maarja, whose work and family life have been connected to Japan for about ten years and who shared her story in the book “My Tokyo. Beyond the Invisible Border,

Each of us has a slightly different reason for coming together. Janne and Eva are tea gourmets, and Maarja simply needs to feed her Japanese family well.

But we all appreciate the pure quality and incredible care with which the Japanese prepare food.

Our aim is not only to spread quality Japanese food products in Estonia and Scandinavia but also to share the aspects of Japanese cuisine and culture that captivate us the most. This is what we are now starting to do step by step.

We know there are many like-minded and taste-aligned friends out there. We hope our initiative reaches the right people.

Enjoy!

Janne Funk, Eva Liias, and Maarja Yano