Jack Bayles, owner of Alishan Organic Center and founder of Tengu Natural Foods, has lived within a 5-km radius his entire time in Japan in the shadow of the verdant, hazy mountains of Chichibu near the Koma River in Hidaka, Saitama Prefecture.
After nearly 30 years in Japan, Bayles, 60, a lanky, friendly native of Connecticut and the Long Island Shore, believes life is all about creating space and a sense of place.
Growing up in a small community, where Sunday dinner ranked as a highlight of the week, Bayles remembers the gathering of community within just such a specific time and space. "Every Sunday, we would come in from play, and sit with relatives and neighbors. Looking around the table, there would be 10 to 15 guests gathered in the fall and winter. That was my intro. Food was always important."