Traditional Cuisine

Near the Asakura ruins is a modern restaurant that is very much in touch with the seasons. Ichijodani Restaurant changes its menu every time new local ingredients are at their peak. They then turn...

Although Kagurazaka is close to Tokyo’s entertainment district, Shinjuku, it has a character all of its own. As a prominent hanamachi (geisha district) that thrived from the Edo Period (1603-1868) to the Showa Period (1926-...

For Japanese people rice is the main source of energy, but it's so much more than that. It is also a source of pride and identity. And Niigata prefecture's Koshihikari rice is the best...

Imoni   Imo, or tubers in Japanese, are traditionally a staple food in Tohoku. It is dense in nutrients and an ideal source of carbohydrates. The root vegetable is often cooked with meat and served in...

I took a day trip with K-san (unnamed for privacy) to Kobe during my week-long Japan vacation. We took the direct JR line (around 50 minutes) from our Osaka accommodation to Kobe’s central station,...

No conversation about Japanese food can go without mentioning sushi, since the popularity of this particular seafood dish has made waves around the world. As mainstream as sushi is within the global vernacular, you...

New Year is often associated with countdown parties, midnight fireworks and endless drinking. But Saitama offers more than just that. Many valuable traditions passed down for hundreds of years are still being practiced here...

Roppongi’s Designer’s Flag Contest transforms Tokyo’s infamous late night entertainment district into a place of art and design Roppongi, one of the most popular entertainment and business districts in Tokyo, has an even more famous...

A thrilling escapade away from bustling Tokyo There is an island off the shore of the city of Atami in Shizuoka Prefecture with the rare virtue of combining adrenaline and relaxation. The Hatsushima island adventure...

Kiritanpo Kiritanpo, mashed, steamed rice in the shape of a cylinder, is a specialty that is welded strongly on the identity of Akita Prefecture. In the past, kiritanpo was an easy-to-carry preserved food used primarily...