Sharing favorite finds from across the archipelago
I'm currently in Kochi Prefecture for a few days, a place I visited several years ago but not to any great extent. On that visit, we of course enjoyed an obligatory castle stop - Kochi-jo is one of the twelve original castles remaining in Japan - and ate some excellent tataki (seared bonito). Aside from... Continue Reading →
Don't laugh, but I adore tofu. I didn't until I moved to Japan and learned that those large strained blocks of mush could actually be turned into something delectable. Since then, however, I detour for good tofu, which is how I found myself at Sasanoyuki in Tokyo's Uguisudani neighborhood, a short walk from Ueno. Sasanoyuki has... Continue Reading →
Alright, I'll admit it, I am a sucker for good food photography. If you can style your food and photograph it in such a manner that it makes me start drooling all over the page/screen, you've done your job VERY well. It does also help to have a "gimmick". Not in the way that you're... Continue Reading →
As of today, I think it's safe to say that we're wrapping up sakura season 2016. Whew! I have to say I'm a bit relieved. I've been running around like a madwoman this past week (hence the lack of blogging!), attempting to capture the fleeting beauty both for my own personal collection and for one... Continue Reading →
If you’ve visited Japan, you have more than likely run into Japanese mayonnaise. More specifically, Kewpie mayonnaise, as they have 70% of the market and is THE brand most people think of when looking for Japanese mayo. Kewpie is easily recognizable by the plain bottle with the red lid and packaging that includes a (slightly... Continue Reading →
Oh. my. goodness. What an insane week. If you've been following me on facebook, you'll know that I just wrapped up a nearly week-long trip to Kyoto to see the fall foliage. Normally, Kyoto is one of my absolute favorite places to see the changing leaves but this year ... man, this year was something... Continue Reading →
Ah, here we are again, at another long weekend. Autumn is just replete with them though this one I never seem to get to celebrate. While my daughter has attended Japanese nursery school in the previous years, we never managed to be in town for the annual Sports Day festival. This year, she actually attended... Continue Reading →
I have long had a fascination with wagashi, Japan's traditional confectionary, though it took me several years to actually get the acquired taste for them. I never had more than a passing desire to make them, however, until I saw that Ayuko of Buddha Bellies Cooking School Tokyo was offering a hands-on tutorial of the sweets... Continue Reading →
A bit of a monetary snafu this past summer while traveling is prompting me to write this post. Many of you may already know that Japan's banking system is quite unique, but the details aren't terribly important. What's important is knowing how to withdraw money while traveling in Japan and I hope the following tips... Continue Reading →
For the first time in a while, picking this month's photo was a challenge. It's really due to the fact that we spent most of this month back in the US for a family wedding and a visit with our relatives. We only returned in the past few days and jet lag - as well... Continue Reading →
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