Algis Tamosaitis

📍Upstate, New York | Copywriter and Travel Writer

📝 Editor’s Note | Rob Belk - Connect with me

A lot days, mornings in particular, I want to be able to hit the fast forward button.

Fast forward through the temper tantrums about wanting pancakes instead of cereal. Watching ‘just one show’ that can never be turned off once its on. Or not wanting to put on shoes and a shirt for school. And last, but not least, which seat to sit in on the car ride to school.

Very quickly, I know that I’ll want that fast forward button to turn into a rewind.

I recently heard a song that encapsulated it. For my parents of young kids, give it a listen, the lyrics and melody hits perfectly — The Sways, Someday We Will Dream About Today

Someday, we will dream about today
Look back, wonder how it slipped away

We had it all along
We had it all

---

Without further ado…

Why Algis?

I enjoy featuring other substack writers. They tend to take the profile assignment thoughtfully and its a great chance to co-promote. I love Algis’ niche writing on Japan.

Self-Description

Obsessed with Japan, reading, coffee, food, drinks, and enjoying the company of real people; at a Japanese izakaya if possible.

Algis’ 6 Recommendations

Written in his own words…

1. A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles

I’ve read this book twice and I still can’t believe how good it is.

It’s not something that would normally be in my wheelhouse. I love fiction, but I prefer Hemingway-style writing; sparse, direct, propulsive. Amor Towles is far more expansive as he paints a richly detailed picture of what’s going on. I’m impressed by his ability to write so beautifully without making the descriptions feel overdone or self-indulgent.

The story takes place in 1922, after the Bolshevick Revolution and centers on Count Rostov, an ex-aristocrat who has been sentenced to a lifelong house arrest in the Hotel Metropol, a grand Moscow hotel which acts as a character in the story as well. This confinement and the constraints it creates becomes a perfect setting to experience how Count Rostov is forced to reimagine and reinvent his life within the walls of the hotel. You watch him build relationships and rely on his charm, creativity, and resourcefulness to deal with the limits imposed by his captors.

Since the entire story develops gradually, it can be savored for some time. It’s simply one of the best books I’ve read in my lifetime.

I live with a chronic illness that has forced me to come up with new ways to be productive and effective. I find A Gentleman in Moscow to be both entertaining and inspirational.

2. Lail Ceramic Coffee Cups

I discovered these ceramic coffee mugs in a small coffee house in Upstate NY. They have a particular weight, texture, and level of warmth transference that translates to a feeling of grounded-ness, joy, and being in the moment. That’s a lot to say about a coffee cup, but I think I might even be underselling it.

Hand crafted in Catskill NY, by master thrower, Brad Lail, these coffee mugs don’t come cheap, but they are incredible. I think this would be a great gift for a coffee lover, who might be hesitant to spend so much on a cup for themselves.

I feel absolutely spoiled when I drink my cappuccino out of one of these pieces of art. I recommend the Cappuccino cup or the Latte cup.

3. Midnight Diner

Midnight Diner combines humor and an unexpected emotional depth that encapsulates one of the aspects of Japan that I love; how small izakayas are the places where real connections between Japanese people often take place.

It's set in a cozy izakaya (Japanese pub/diner) in a back alley of Shinjuku, Tokyo, that opens from midnight to 7 am. It’s a charming, slice of life show about how a chef and his small izakaya become a welcoming third place for his varied regulars, serving as an almost adoptive family for some of them. Easily one of my favorite Japanese TV series.

4. The Paper Plane Cocktail

I love a well-made cocktail. But, I like them a lot less when I have to pay $20 for one at a bar, especially since I know I can make some of my favorites at home for a fraction of the price.

It can be a fun way to entertain guests or spend an evening with friends learning to make a few cocktails and experimenting with what kind of flavor palate works for each person.

I recommend people start with learning to make a Paper Plane. It’s sweet/tart, lemony, complex, with a nice kick, but smooth enough for just about anyone.

Here’s the recipe:
3/4 oz. Bourbon (I prefer Rye)
3/4 oz Aperol
3/4 ox Amaro Nonino Quintessentia
3/4 oz fresh squeezed lemon juice

Add them all to a shaker with a lot of ice. Most beginners use far too little ice. The shaker needs to be about two-thirds full of ice and will look like you’re using too much ice. Give it a hard 15 second shake and pour into a chilled coupe or Nick & Nora glass. Add a citrus garnish if you like.

The Amaro Nonino may be a bit hard to find, although I’m seeing it in a lot more places now.

A few other great cocktails that are also fun and easy to make: Negroni, Aviation, and Division Bell.

5. Onitsuka Tiger Mexico 66 Shoes

Among the most comfortable shoes I’ve ever worn. I have large, wide feet, which makes finding shoes that fit a challenge. Tigers have a sleek profile, so I wrongly assumed they wouldn’t fit me. Thankfully I tried them on a lark. They come in tons of color combinations so you can definitely find something that works with your style. You can even get them in the Kill Bill colorway that Uma Thurman made famous!!

6. Tell people what you like about them

I only learned that my father was proud of me after he passed, when a few of his friends told me how he used to brag to them about some of my accomplishments. This was news to me as this was not something he ever expressed to me.

I’ve thought about this a lot and strongly believe that the people you think well of should hear it from you directly. So, I started building the habit of telling friends and family things I really like about them.

People don’t always recognize or appreciate things they are good at. I just observe, and when I notice something done well, even a small thing, I tell that person. It’s been a very nice experience so far.

Plug | Japan or Die

My newsletter Japan or Die is a weekly dispatch where I share parts of Japan many people miss: hidden neighborhoods, local izakaya culture, b-class gourmet, the restaurants Japanese people actually eat at, language tips, and much more, including the kinds of insights that don’t usually make it into guidebooks but probably should. People seem to like it. It has over 5,000 readers. Check it out if you’re interested in Japan.

I also do Japan travel consults if you need more personalized advice. Information is on my newsletter website.

Want to get in touch with Algis? algis4000@gmail.com

---

P.S. from Rambull — h/t to Emory Smith for recommending Blackberry, the movie, to me. I can remember my dad getting one and then eventually having one myself. However, the movie was less about nostalgia but more about the crazy behind the scenes story of how the iconic phone came to live (and ultimately faded). Not surprised it was a 97 on rotten tomatoes. Right now you can stream it on netflix.