Natalie Leon is a Japanologist, freelance writer and student of Chanoyu, The Way of Tea. She has consulted for NHK, Japan's national broadcasting organization, and the Ezen Foundation, a philanthropic organization dedicated to advancing the appreciation of Japanese art. She has an academic background specializing in Japanese art history and traditional culture, including an MA in Japanese Studies from SOAS, London.
Over the past eight years, Natalie has handpicked yuzu in Kochi, slept in a Buddhist monastery on Koyasan, celebrated countless hanami's, attended a fox wedding in Kyoto, hunted the autumn leaves in Osaka, foraged for sansai in Yamagata and experienced an earthquake in Kumamoto.
Natalie is Sakura Sister on Instagram, where she shares her seasonal adventures both in Japan and at home.