Most foreigners think of sushi when they think of Japanese cuisine, but noodles are an extremely popular item here. There are your standard cold soba (buckwheat) noodles, your thick wheaty udon noodles (often served with tofu or vegetables) … and then there is ramen. Nothing starts an argument faster in Japan than proclaiming one type … Continue reading »
Not long before I left for Kyoto last month, I ordered a new book entitled Kyoto Machiya Restaurant Guide by long-time Kyoto resident Judith Clancy. The book highlights cafes and restaurants that are housed in old-style wooden machiya houses. These atmospheric dining spaces make for the perfect lunch or dinner away from the crowds and … Continue reading »
Asakusa is such a well-trampled neighborhood (and deservedly so, it’s one of my favorite in Tokyo) that it’s difficult to find an eatery off the beaten track. Yet that’s exactly the description I would apply to Waentei-Kikko, my choice for lunch on one of my recent weekend trips to Tokyo.
I have nothing against noodle joints. In fact, after a few days of heavy eating, a plate of cold soba noodles is often the only thing I crave if I’m still on the road. But I don’t always go out of my way to check out a noodle restaurant. And then I heard about Omen.
If you’re up in Sapporo for the skiing or the snow festival, you won’t find a shortage of worthwhile restaurants. For a simple supper, a walk along Ramen Alley may suffice. But if you’re hankering for a heartier meal, you can’t go wrong with a multi-course crab dinner at Kani-Shogun.
If you’re ever in Kumamoto, it’s a crime not to see one of the top three castles of Japan. I’ve already been there three times but it wasn’t until recently that I discovered one of Kumamoto-jo’s coolest secrets – a hidden restaurant on the second floor of the Honmaru Gozen Palace that serves food from the Edo era … Continue reading »
I’ve never minded having to work for my dinner and Japanese cuisine can be very hands-on. There’s something rather satisfying to me about swirling my beef around the hot pot for shabu shabu or getting my vegetables grilled “just so” at a yakiniku restaurant. So imagine my excitment when I stumbled across Zauo, a restaurant … Continue reading »
Following on the heels of my last post on Mt Aso, this is my newest absolute favorite find in my new home prefecture of Kumamoto. Coming down from the Nakadake crater, my travel buddy and I were looking for something more to eat than your standard noodles or curry restaurant. A quick iphone search of … Continue reading »
Sometimes, even I get a little tired of sushi. My family was on vacation in Tokyo over the Thanksgiving break and after three straight days of restaurant meals, I was craving something a little … lighter. Cleansing even. Which is why it was the perfect coincidence that I stumbled across Sky High Juice Bar on my … Continue reading »
Despite having lived in Japan for four years, there’s not a lot of food I miss from back home. I’ve never been a hot dog and apple pie kinda gal and, being fortunate enough to have access to an American commissary grocery store, I can easily sate my appetite for peanut butter and pretzels. But … Continue reading »
