Goya champuru, unlike its name, is extremely simple. The dish consists of only a few main ingredients: goya (bitter melon), tofu, egg and spam. It’s a homey comfort food from Okinawa, Japan that highlights the island prefecture’s long history with the United States. Susan Hamaker, writer and editor over at JapanCulture•NYC, an online resource for “all things Japanese in New York City,” let us know about a wonderful booth they ran at Japan Block Fair showcasing this down home dish. Let’s take a look!
Beautiful new Final Fantasy T-shirt collection on the way from Uniqlo【Photos】
Randomly running into a great sushi lunch like this is one of the best things about eating in Tokyo
Disney princesses get official manga makeovers for Manga Princess Cafe opening in Tokyo
Kyushu-exclusive Black Mont Blanc goes nationwide in a “Special” way
Foreign English teachers in Japan pick their favorite Japanese-language phrases【Survey】
Is the new Shinkansen Train Desk ticket worth it?
Michelin Guide gyoza in Tokyo: Worthy of the accolade?
Starbucks releases a special sparkly tumbler in Japan to support diversity
Daiso opens massive new 25,392-square foot Tokyo flagship store with its two sub-brands included
The 2023 Sanrio character popularity ranking results revealed
We try out “Chan Ramen”, an underground type of ramen popular in the ramen community
New Studio Ghibli bedding sets are cool in all senses of the word
Our Japanese reporter visits Costco in the U.S., finds super American and very Japanese things
New Pokémon cakes let you eat your way through Pikachu and all the Eevee evolutions
There’s a park inside Japan where you can also see Japan inside the park
Japanese convenience store packs a whole bento into an onigiri rice ball
Hanton rice — a delicious regional food even most Japanese people don’t know about, but more should
Final Fantasy, Kingdom Hearts, and Dragon Quest pet product line announced by Square Enix
Studio Ghibli releases Kiki’s Delivery Service chocolate cake pouches in Japan
Japan’s bone-breaking and record-breaking roller coaster is permanently shutting down
New definition of “Japanese whiskey” goes into effect to prevent fakes from fooling overseas buyers
Foreign passenger shoves conductor on one of the last full runs for Japan’s Thunderbird train
Kyoto bans tourists from geisha alleys in Gion, with fines for those who don’t follow rules
Studio Ghibli unveils Mother’s Day gift set that captures the love in My Neighbour Totoro
Domino’s Japan now sells…pizza ears?
Toyota built a life-sized Miraidon Pokémon and are letting people test drive it this weekend
New Japanese KitKat flavour stars Sanrio characters, including Hello Kitty
Sales of Japan’s most convenient train ticket/shopping payment cards suspended indefinitely
Sold-out Studio Ghibli desktop humidifiers are back so Totoro can help you through the dry season
Japanese government to make first change to romanization spelling rules since the 1950s
Ghibli founders Toshio Suzuki and Hayao Miyazaki contribute to Japanese whisky Totoro label design
Doraemon found buried at sea as scene from 1993 anime becomes real life【Photos】
Tokyo’s most famous Starbucks is closed
One Piece characters’ nationalities revealed, but fans have mixed opinions
We asked a Uniqlo employee what four things we should buy and their suggestions didn’t disappoint
Princesses, fruits, and blacksmiths: Study reveals the 30 most unusual family names in Japan
Studio Ghibli’s new desktop Howl’s Moving Castle will take your stationery on an adventure
Is the new Shinkansen Train Desk ticket worth it?
Michelin Guide gyoza in Tokyo: Worthy of the accolade?
Starbucks releases a special sparkly tumbler in Japan to support diversity
Daiso opens massive new 25,392-square foot Tokyo flagship store with its two sub-brands included
The 2023 Sanrio character popularity ranking results revealed
Nine reasons some Japanese women *only* date foreign guys
Ghibli Park opens final area to first visitors, with stunning new attractions and shops 【Videos】
This beautiful, heartwarming winter anime is also a McDonald’s Japan commercial【Video】
Heading to a Shinto shrine soon? You might not want to read these ghost stories before you go!
Pizza Hut releases a turtle pizza that looks like a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle
Japanese woman stumbles on the power of the infamous “gaijin seat” phenomenon during flight
Hello Kitty isn’t a cat!? We called Sanrio to find out!
The results are in! One Piece World Top 100 characters chosen in global poll
‘Josou’ specialist Naoko Tachibana opens crossdressing photography retrospective in Tokyo【Photos】