Zenbu Home - a tale of two cities

Zenbu Home has been created by Sydney couple Jane Lawson and Gerard Kambeck who met whilst living in Japan - Jane in Kyoto researching, writing and taking photos (for one of her books 'Zenbu Zen - finding food, culture and balance in Kyoto' ) and Gerard in Kobe teaching English and studying the 'architecture' of the local bars and ramen joints.

After shacking up for a while in Kyoto they moved back to Australia to start a new life in 2012.

However the lure of Japan and all she has to offer was strong and in 2013 they launched Zenbu Tours - a small-group tour business specialising in Japanese cuisine and culture. A cunning plan to spend more time in their beloved Japan by sharing her with guests !

Jane is a well-renowned food & travel writer who has travelled throughout Japan for over 30 years. She's a prolific author whose books and articles predominantly focus on Japanese food, culture, lifestyle and design  - the latest being the Tokyo Style Guide published by Murdoch Books in December 2017.  Although Gerard's background is in wine science he worked for several years in Japan, teaching English in the 'deep inaka' countryside as well as city areas. 

They refer to Kyoto as their 'second home' and with a shared eye for detail, a common passion for the Japanese aesthetic and style and an inability to refrain from purchasing almost every quality, gorgeous item they find in their travels it was only time before Zenbu Home was born.  

Zenbu Home offers a small selection of goods, hand-picked by Jane or Gerard and therefore will only be added to whenever they return from a trip to the motherland. For that reason the store will stock more sometimes than at others - and we'd be ever so grateful for your understanding.

We should probably explain that most items are 'one-offs' - either completely original, ie. the only one in existence,  or the only one of an item that our savvy selectors have come across  in their travels.  Just occasionally we buy things that we can buy more of  - and if we can, we'll let you know. We hope you'll understand that once most items have been snapped up they are gone for evermore...  

We look forward to helping you to share the Japan love in your own home.

Feel free to contact us if there is something particular you are looking for and we'll crack the whip on Jane and Gerard next trip and see what they come up with!

Email: info@zenbutours.com

Thank you, 

Zenbu Home