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Eater
23-05-2025
- Business
- Eater
Step Down Into Georgetown's Hot New Basement Sushi Destination
D.C. isn't exactly starving for sushi — with sleek omakase counters, Michelin-starred places, and quiet hole-in-the-walls in just about every neighborhood, the city's raw fish game is strong. But, there's no such thing as too much of a good thing. Enter Sushi Gaku, the latest contender to roll into the District that hopes to slice, dice, and impress its way into your weekly dinner rotation. Occupying the subterranean Georgetown space formerly held by cocktail lounge Donahue (1338 Wisconsin Avenue NW), Sushi Gaku is the newest installment from chef Yoshi Ota — but it's not his first pass at the D.C. restaurant scene. Sushi Gakyu was a longtime favorite of Washingtonians, serving up similar rolls in a sleek spot near the White House until its closure this year. Its newest D.C. iteration, named Sushi Gaku, sits blocks away from always busy M Street, nestled along the less crowded corridor of Wisconsin Avenue NW. 'I am so honored to join this historical area in Washington,' says Ota, in a statement. 'I am planning to serve traditional sushi as well as a different style that our guests have never seen before.' Born in Hokkaido Japan, Ota's culinary career began at ANA International Tokyo restaurant in Tokyo, Japan. He took his talents across the globe, spending the last four decades perfecting his knife skills across his home country and the U.S., notably at New York's legendary Sushi Den. He is one of the only in the area to hold a preparation license for fugu, or pufferfish — the Japanese delicacy that contains a poisonous toxin. For this new-look sushi spot in the nation's capital, chef once again called on Bethany Kazaba, CEO and Managing Principal at Neighborhood Retail Group, for help. The space is modestly small, but the decor is on brand — striking a cultured balance between modern elegance and traditional Japanese artistry. Delicate orchid plants sit atop polished wooden counters, while minimalist wall panels adorned with ink-brushed calligraphy evoke a quiet sense of comfort. Bamboo accents and stone plateware add texture, all brought to life under tailored mood lighting that softens every corner and sets the tone for intimate conversations. On the menu is a mix of recognizable fare and perhaps new-to-you rolls and sashimi. One signature dish is its traditional style nigiri sushi, prepared edo style with akazu (dark vinegar), sushi rice, and fish pieces. He will also serve regular nigiri with white sushi rice, as well as maki, and other casual Japanese plates. Sashimi arrives in bulk by plates of at least 10 or smaller portions of four pieces per serving, featuring mackerel, tuna, squid, scallop, fatty tuna, and plenty more cuts. The same offerings are available for nigiri, except two pieces per platter. Starters consist of the classics: edamame, green salad, seaweed salad, and spring rolls. Cooked protein are pickings of grilled eel, shrimp tempura, fried oyster, grilled black cod, and hamachi kama. Though not coming for at least two months, given it needs ample time for preparation, diners have an omakase course to look forward to. Chef plans to serve a very fermented ancient-style sushi. The reservation-only tasting, which starts at $180 per person, features four appetizers in addition to 12 pieces of premium nigiri and dessert. To accompany the aforementioned options is a sprawling beverage program headlined by four opening cocktails. The cheeky Royal Fizz combines rum, lime juice, umeshu, saline, and prosecco while the refreshing Gaku Breeze blends tequila, almond liqueur, lime juice, cucumber syrup, and mint leaves for garnish. And it wouldn't be a proper Japanese establishment without sake by the carafe and bottle. For the simpler palates, there is plenty of wine and Sapporo beers. Over on M Street NW, Georgetown is home to another great downstairs sushi cave called Kyojin, named Eater DC's 2023 Restaurant of the Year. And more raw fish is on the horizon across the city, with all-you-can-eat Sushi Sato coming to H Street in the next month. Sign up for our newsletter.
Hindustan Times
05-05-2025
- Science
- Hindustan Times
Archaeologists unearth prehistoric tools in NCR's only primary forest
Archaeologists and environmental researchers carrying out work in the Mangar region of the Aravallis have said that they found a variety of pre-historic tools in Mangar from the Lower Palaeolithic age, which effectively could be holding clues to prehistoric ways of life. Mangar Bani is a Palaeolithic archaeological site and sacred grove hill forest perched next to the Mangar village on the Delhi-Haryana border. According to people aware of the matter, the tools provide clues to the daily lives of the hunter gatherer populations characterised by the occurrence of handaxes and cleavers belonging to the Acheulian (Lower Palaeolithic) cultural phase, which existed around 200,000 to 500,000 years ago. Close to 200 objects and artefacts have been found so far, they said. HT first reported on July 14, 2021 that archaeologists have discovered cave paintings in a rocky and forested corner of Haryana, not far from the national capital, that they believe belong to the Upper Palaeolithic age. HT reported last week that Mangar, comprising the village, and the sacred grove amid a rocky and hilly terrain, spread over 4,262 acres (of which 3,810 acres is the hill area), is among the most biodiversity rich areas of the Aravallis in the National Capital Region (NCR). The researchers have been carrying out surface exploration work in the region for a week. Within Mangar village, Mangar Bani (677.12 acres) is NCR's most sacred grove, and possibly the only patch of primary forest in the region. It is also home to around 240 species of birds and 15 species of mammals including leopards and hyenas. Two archaeologists from the Academy for Archaeological Heritage Research and Training (AAHRT), Sanchi, and environmentalists from Gurugram have been exploring the hilly areas and three caves in Mangar. 'We found a high number of such tools, providing enough evidence that the area is a significant archaeological site from a pre-historic point of view,' said SB Ota, former joint director general of Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) and the head of AAHRT. Ota was among the main archaeologists who discovered the Anangpur site in Faridabad in 1991, also a Palaeolithic site. The scoping survey was conducted by a joint team from AAHRT and Centre for Ecology Development and Research (CEDAR) in and around the Mangar Bani, Mangar, Bandhwari, Shilakhri Aravallis. The team was led by Ota, along with Niharika Shrivastava, and Chetan Agarwal, senior fellows with CEDAR and Sunil Harsana, research associate CEDAR. The team also found several cave paintings, possibly much recent compared to the tools, which depict animal and nature inspired motifs in Mangar's caves and hills. Ota said the clues that sites in Haryana Aravallis were possible prehistoric sites first emerged in the 1990s, when certain pre-historic artefacts were found in Delhi. These were possibly transported with sand from Aravallis. 'It goes back to 1991 when I was working with the government. We were exploring the Aravallis in Anangpur. There were some reports from Delhi that these prehistoric tools were found. Sand goes from Aravallis to Delhi which is called Badarpur sand. People had reported that such artefacts found but they were not from Delhi, they came with the sand. So, we decided to explore areas from where the sand was coming. Until 1991 Aravallis were not explored. That brought us to Anangpur,' recollected Ota. He said those artefacts were dislodged from original context. 'I came to Mangar and Damdama in December 2023 after Chetan Agarwal, a Gurugram based forest analyst, informed me about the Mangar site. We did a survey near Damdama lake and found some artefacts. These belong to the Pleistocene. Presently, we are in Holocene, which is 11,000 years old. Human culture had its beginning with lower Palaeolithic tools. In India, the culture of these tools goes back to nearly 1.7 million years. There are a few methods to date these artefacts but we are planning to use the thermoluminescence method for the tools from Mangar,' said Ota. Thermoluminescence dating is a method in archaeology. It measures the accumulated radiation dose of the time elapsed since the material containing crystalline minerals was heated or exposed to sunlight Ota said that metal had not been discovered during the lower Palaeolithic age. 'People were hunter gatherers. For them the hardest material was rocks. They used bones and wood also, but that may have been completely destroyed since those are organic materials. The reason we cannot find such artefacts easily near the Yamuna is because they would be buried in alluvium. One could find some in the in the Shivaliks, but the Aravallis are isolated in many ways and this area is particularly untouched,' he added. Some archaeologists said that the documentation of such material needs to be methodical. 'We must document these pre-historic remains and the cave paintings very methodically. We as archaeologists read patterns. This area needs to be conserved because of its natural and archaeological heritage,' said Shrivastava, an archaeologist focusing on pre-historic evidence in Bastar. 'These are very important sites. Mangar and the surrounding areas are precious because they show us how very early human populations lived. They may have settled there because the atmospheric condition was conducive for people to live and we can see they had decorated their rock shelters also with paintings. Near to Mangar, Anangpur is also extremely important, the site was excavated and important artefacts such as cleavers, hand axes were found. The entire Aravallis and the Delhi ridge also have huge potential that needs to be studied. There should be no destructive activities in these areas, and mining, if any, should stop immediately,' said Nandini Bhattacharya Sahu, joint director general, ASI. The Aravalli range is one of the oldest fold mountain systems in the world and predates the formation of the Himalayan ranges. Its current form is reduced to residual hill ranges. The range and its surrounding area are characterised by the occurrence of various archaeological evidence, including the Acheulean culture, Mesolithic, Rock Paintings, and Chalcolithic settlements. Besides, the historical remains of varied nature include petroglyphs and early historic and medieval settlements both on the foothill area as well as on hilltops, forts, water bodies. Though Mangar meets all criteria for a forest, it has still not been classified as one by the Haryana government. A Supreme Court verdict in the TN Godavarman Thirumulpad vs. Union of India & Others case on December 12, 1996, directed that 'forests' would not only include those understood in the dictionary sense, but also any area recorded as forest in government records irrespective of the ownership. However, the Forest (Conservation) Amendment Act, 2023, exempts 'unrecorded deemed forests' from being recognised under the modified law on forest conservation, effectively leaving areas such as Mangar Bani vulnerable. HT reported on October 3, 2023 that the 2023 forest act will benefit real estate companies that own land in what was to be declared 'deemed forest' in Haryana's Aravallis. The revenue record for Mangar village from 1963-64 shows that the area is gair mumkin pahar (uncultivable land) and recorded as panchayat deh (owned by panchayat or common land). HT's analysis of jamabandi papers (land records) in 2023 revealed that large parts of land in Mangar and Mangar Bani are owned by real estate and other companies. Around 1973-74, around 3,809.63 acres of land in Mangar was mutated from panchayat deh to shamlat deh (common land vested with propietors) and further subdivided for private sale. The mutation was sanctioned on the basis of an order of a sub-judge in Ballabhgarh dated March 14, 1973, according to Agrawal. 'We knew that the Aravalli forests of Mangar and surrounding villages are a key groundwater recharge zone and wildlife habitat and corridor Now this survey has revealed its rich Palaeolithic past. We hope that the area is notified for archaeological protection, and also protected as a forest,' said Agarwal.
Time of India
04-05-2025
- Science
- Time of India
Stone Age secrets: Ancient tool-making site discovered in Haryana's Mangar Bani
Gurgaon: Modern-day Haryana has met its prehistoric past in the forests of Mangar Bani. Hidden within the folds of the Aravali hills lies evidence of humanity's earliest toolmakers — a 500,000-year-old workshop that's possibly the oldest in north India. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The discovery — confirmed by the former joint director-general of Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) SB Ota — has taken the lid off a treasure trove of Lower Palaeolithic artifacts dating back to humanity's earliest known phase of development — the Acheulean culture. "We're peering through a window that opens half a million years into our past. Mangar Bani isn't just another prehistoric site, it's a complete workshop where our ancestors crafted their tools, lived, and thrived," said Ota, who led the survey. The survey, however, traces its roots to the early 90s, when the ASI team conducted a small-scale excavation in Anangpur. "After that, there was a gap. And now, we are starting again," he added. The weeklong exploration unveiled a collection of over 200 artefacts, including stone tools that bear testament to the presence of Homo erectus — a human species from the Pleistocene age. These ancient craftsmen worked primarily with locally sourced sandstone and quartzite, turning them into cleavers, handaxes, and various types of scrapers. What makes this discovery particularly significant is the presence of both finished tools and manufacturing debris — or "lithic debitage" — scattered across the site. "It tells us this wasn't just a place where tools were used, but where they were born," Ota said. The archaeological team conducted the surveys in Mangar Bani, the surrounding hills and nearby Bandhwari. Apart from Ota, the team included his colleague Niharika Srivastava from the Academy for Archaeological Heritage Research and Training; Chetan Agarwal, a senior fellow; and Sunil Harsana, a researcher associated with the Centre for Ecology, Development and Research. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now "The tools we discovered were likely used for a variety of tasks — from butchering animals and cutting trees to cleaning hides and polishing wood. The level of refinement in these tools suggests this site could have existed in the later part of the Acheulean period. So, its estimated age could well be around 500,000 to 200,000 years," Ota said. While Attirampakkam near Chennai is currently the oldest known Acheulian site in India at 1.7 million years old, Mangar Bani is among the most important for this cultural phase in north India, given its tool-making evidence and strategic location in the Aravali hill range. The team plans to submit a preliminary report to Haryana govt within the next month, advocating for legal and environmental protection of the site. Currently, Mangar Bani and its surrounding Aravalis are part of the Natural Conservation Zone, which restricts construction around it, but lacks formal heritage protection. The site lies near the now-defunct Mangar Nallah, a seasonal stream that may have provided water for early human settlers the year round. "The hilltops here are flat, close to raw materials, and would have supported a range of prehistoric activities. It's a textbook example of an ideal Stone Age settlement site," said Chetan Agarwal. Ota agreed that a more detailed and scientific analysis of the site was required, including sampling of sediments to ascertain the date. "This is not just a site of national importance, but of global significance. It deserves protection, study, and recognition," he added. The ASI, however, has no immediate plans to protect the site. "Right now, we haven't had any requests like that. If we do, we will act on it," said Nandini Bhattacharya Sahu, the current joint director-general of ASI. Bhattacharya, however, agreed that the Mangar Bani sites were of utmost importance. "The Lower Paleolithic tools and stone tools found here signify the earliest type of human occupation. Moreover, there are a few rock shelters with painted walls in Mangar, which are equally significant as well. We have another important site in Anangpur, where we found evidence of factories," she added.
Axios
11-04-2025
- Sport
- Axios
Seattle's World Cup poster makes waves
What do you get when an orca crashes the World Cup? Seattle's winning poster for the largest sporting event on Earth. The winner, by Camano Island-based designer Shogo Ota, is dominated by a bold, abstract orca tail against a sweeping view of Mount Rainier and the skyline in mint, chartreuse, black and gray. The tail echoes the shape of Lumen Field and incorporates a loose map of the city, Ota told the Seattle Times. The big picture: As part of the lead-up to next year's World Cup, which will be played in 16 cities across North America, each host city commissioned a local artist to design an official poster. In Seattle, a contest was held that drew 42 final submissions from across the state, according to local organizing committee SeattleFWC26. A nine-member panel then selected four finalists before naming Ota's work the winner.
Yahoo
04-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
FIFA unveils Seattle World Cup logo
On April 3, the Seattle FIFA World Cup 26 Local Organizing Committee (SeattleFWC26) announced the winner of the Official FIFA World Cup 26 Seattle Host City Poster contest during the Pioneer Square First Thursday Art Walk. The poster is one of 16 posters that will be unveiled over the next month, as each Host City for the FIFA World Cup 26 will reveal artwork to their region to celebrate the tournament. Advertisement This is the first time that a FIFA World Cup has worked with local artists specific to each host city to design each location's poster. During Seattle's unveiling, attendees heard from Shogo Ota, the winning designer. Ota, hailing originally from Japan, has called the Pacific Northwest home for more than a decade and owns and operates Tireman Studio from Camano Island, Washington. Seattle's official poster will be shared internationally as a lasting symbol of Seattle's role in the world's biggest sporting event, showcasing our city's unique identity to fans across the globe. 'The City of Seattle is proud to be one of 16 host cities in North America for the 2026 FIFA World Cup games, and even more proud to welcome the world to the Pacific Northwest region,' said Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell. 'We are hard at work preparing to ensure the region is ready to both host a once-in-a-lifetime experience for locals and visitors from across the globe and showcase the rich history, vibrant culture, and beauty of our region and our communities. This poster is a reflection of who we are and what makes our region special.'
