Food
Japanese Recipe Adventures: Dry Curry Rice Omelette
In this new GaijinPot series, GP contributors test out Japanese recipes they found online with varying degrees of success. Japan may be in a state of emergency, but that doesn’t mean your kitchen needs to be. If you’ve found the last few weeks to be a constant culinary challenge, there’s nothing like being… Read
Sushi tacos now on sale in Japan
“Sushi tacos” sounds like something you’d only find far, far away from Japan. It’s the sort of thing you expect to find at a strange, independent fusion cafe run by a guy who’s never had the opportunity to eat authentic Japanese food, or that your semi-Japanophile college buddy would press together… Read
'Umeshu' plum wine jelly inspired by a sunset from classical Japanese poetry
Kano Shojuan Co Ltd 株式会社叶匠寿庵, a company in Shiga Prefecture specializing in wagashi Japanese sweets, is updating "Shimeno," 標野 their famous umeshu plum wine jelly-type wagashi which has been a best-seller for the last 46 years. Shimeno represents the quality and commitment Kano Shojuan's customers have come to expect. Every… Read
Insect enthusiast puts cricket ramen on the menu
In a steamy Tokyo kitchen, a roasted scent wafts through the air as Yuto Shinohara prepares soup stock for ramen, derived not from pork or chicken, but crickets. "In this pan, we have 10,000 crickets, making stock for 100 bowls," Shinohara explained, as he stirred a large silver pot. The… Read
Kokoro Care Packages: Premium quality washoku delivered to your door
Washoku, or traditional Japanese cuisine, is now a universal word, thanks to its registration on UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage list. With its use of natural and simple ingredients, washoku has attracted global recognition, resulting in more exports. Yet there is a gap between the image of washoku held by many… Read
Edible plates provide a delicious way to limit plastic waste
We live in a disposable world. Eager consumers lineup outside of Apple stores as the iPhone supercycle accelerates, and marine life is awash with the disposable plastics clogging the world's oceans. Just consider how much waste is generated in a week’s time by run-of-the-mill consumption. Multiplied across billions of people, the amount… Read
Become a matcha tiramisu connoisseur with Japanese green tea dessert tasting set from Kyoto
From doughnuts to bubble tea, green tea sweet treats are all the rage at the moment. But if you want to elevate your green tea tasting prowess, what you need is a way to directly compare some desserts containing various types of richly flavored Japanese tea. This chance has come along thanks… Read
'Mobile Suit Gundam' oil sardines released in Japan
It seems that "Mobile Suit Gundam" isn't lacking in collaborative partners lately. Fresh off of a surprising collaboration that saw the iconic anime series turn Hello Kitty into an adorable but battle-ready Mobile Suit, Gundam is now lending the likeness of Char Aznable to King Oscar sardines for a collaboration that… Read
Starbucks Japan serves up drinkable banana crepes
With some Starbucks locations in Japan still partially closed to curb the spread of coronavirus, Starbucks lovers are feeling the pangs of longing, desperate for a taste of the coffeehouse chain’s sweet offerings again. Here to answer the call is a new chilled cup that provides us with not just liquid refreshment,… Read
Michelin refuses to put away knife as guides rally round restaurants
The world's top gastronomic guides are split over whether to continue ranking and rating restaurants with many closed because of coronavirus lockdowns. The most prestigious of them all, the Michelin, insists that it is business as usual, with new director Gwendal Poullennec saying that great chefs "have not lost their… Read
