gourmet (Page 3)
Japan is known for its crazily expensive fruit, but is the Ruby Roman really worth the exorbitant price tag?
A definitive ranking of the 10 best-selling bento boxes at one of Tokyo’s major travel hubs.
With the exception of the #1 spot, one Japanese prefecture is clearly dominating the breakfast game.
Calbee and the casual-gourmet French chain Ore no French will release an “Uni and Dried Roe Kyokujo Cream Sauce” potato chip flavor on March 21.
If you have an interest in modern Japanese art, you may be familiar with the name Kitaoji Rosanjin (1883 – 1959). As it happens, the versatile Japanese artist is currently the subject of a an innovative and unique exhibit being held at the Nihonbashi Mitsui Hall in the Coredo Muromachi shopping, dining and entertainment complex.
Rosanjin, who was known not only as an artist, but as a very discerning food connoisseur and a man well ahead of his time, is considered to have had a huge influence on modern Japanese art and cuisine. He has even been the inspiration behind one of the central characters in the popular gourmet comic Oishinbo, so when we heard that the exhibit combined digital technology with elements of both his art and love of food, we knew we had to go and experience it ourselves. And from what we’d already heard, this was going to be an exhibit that you not only see, but hear and taste as well!
A filmmaker based in Los Cabos, Mexico, is attracting attention online in Japan with his stunningly beautiful food video. Entitled “A Taste of Japan”, Mike Arce’s video features the food he fell in love with on a trip to the Land of the Rising Sun. In an impressively expansive gourmet tour, Arce sampled everything from Kyoto speciality tofu cuisine to delicious hot-plate favourites like okonomiyaki and sukiyaki, even squeezing in a trip to Sukiyabashi Jiro in Roppongi for some high-class sushi, too.
If you didn’t already want to go to Japan really, really badly, you will after you watch this!
Did you know that salty things have gotten really popular in Japan in recent years? The Japanese word for salt is shio, and these days you can find shio yakisoba (buckwheat noodles), shiokouji (a kind of condiment), shio nabe (hotpot), and the new fad shio tomato. And now it’s even extending into the world of sweets with shio vanilla ice cream and shio chocolate. I’ve had sea salt chocolate before, and I can tell you it’s actually much better than it sounds! The latest addition to the ranks of salty goodness is shio lemon, which you can make at home yourself with just two basic and obvious ingredients.
Japanese people seem to love telling me that British food is terrible, and the only good thing we have going for us is fish and chips. No one can believe that I actually get a bit tired of Japanese food and pine for my favourite dishes from home! Perhaps to try and change this perception, the British Embassy has been undertaking a campaign called ‘Food is GREAT!’ (for Great Britain, geddit?), and our Japanese writer decided to put some of their recipes to the test.
You’ve probably heard of a Bloody Mary, a popular cocktail with a base of vodka and tomato juice, plus a host of other weird and wonderful flavourings such as Worcestershire or Tabasco sauce, horseradish, celery, pepper, salt, lemon juice, and so on. It may not sound appetizing but it has plenty of devotees, although that may be more to do with its reputation as a ‘hair of the dog’ hangover cure rather than its taste. But if you’re feeling adventurous, why not try the even more exotic flavours of a spicy Korean kimchi version?
Kaiten-zushi, or conveyor-belt sushi, has got to be one of the most fun styles of restaurant anywhere in the world. Who doesn’t love watching delectable, bite-size portions of sushi that are all yours for the taking spin around right in front of their eyes? Many tourists make it a point to stop by a kaiten-zushi place when they visit Japan. The fact that you can fill up on delicious sushi without breaking your wallet makes the experience even better.
While these kinds of restaurants can be found outside of their original home, the quality of Japan’s kaiten-zushi is so good that, whether right or wrong, many foreigners claim that any place outside of Japan is a fake. However, what if you took the concept of the conveyor-belt serving style and applied it to a different national cuisine? Well, that’s just what one restaurant in France decided to do. Now you can enjoy quality conveyor-belt French cuisine at a restaurant in Paris!
We were so intrigued that we recently send one of our Japanese reporters to check it out.
The World Cup is now less than half a year away! Don’t you wish you could go to Brazil to cheer on your national team? For those of you living in Japan who can’t quite scrape together the funds for that ticket, we bet you didn’t know that you can visit Japan’s very own ‘Braziltown’ right outside of Tokyo! While the world’s most widely viewed sporting event won’t be coming to the area anytime soon, you can still get a taste of the atmosphere by visiting authentic Brazilian restaurants and import stores. And the best part of going? This Braziltown is located within two hours of Tokyo and only costs 1,000 yen (US$9.77) to get there. Not bad considering airfares these days…
The folks at Another Tokyo, a popular Japanese website dedicated to introducing off-the-beaten track places around Japan, sent a reporter to Braziltown to check it out. Join us for a look at his photos and to hear about his experience.
I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream! Especially for everyone’s favorite, Häagen-Dazs. Even in the middle of winter, we can find happiness by eating ice cream in a warm room. We were curious what Häagen-Dazs’ new, hard-to-pronounce flavor Forêt Noire tasted like, so we tried it ourselves. Prepare to be tantalized by the following enticing photographs.
There’s plenty of standing ramen bars in Japan, but this may be the first standing dashi bar. For those who are unfamiliar with the term, dashi is a soup stock that makes up the base of many delicious Japanese dishes such as miso soup and ramen. Typically made of shaved katsuo bushi (preserved bonito fish), dashi is the lifeblood of traditional Japanese food, adding plenty of umami to even the humblest of dishes. Let’s take a closer look at Nihonbashi Dashi Bar, a shop that specializes in serving hot dashi by the cupful. Read More
MOST POPULAR
Today
Solo travel in Japan: Hidden beer garden in Tokyo is a haven for single visitors
Studio Ghibli unveils new anime calendars and diary planners for 2027
Family Mart releases new Human Made Cup Noodle in Japan, with freebies for Nigo fans
Hobonichi unveils new 2027 planners, diaries and stationery with One Piece, Suica Penguin, Hello Kitty and a must-buy Mini Techo
Janken Kebab: Win at rock-paper-scissors and get extra fillings at this fun Japanese kebab shop
Family Mart joins forces with legendary sumo wrestler Chiyonofuji for new Convenience Wear collection
Is Tokyo’s Odaiba, once one of its trendiest neighborhoods, becoming a ghost town? [Photos]
Mister Donut releases new doughnuts that look and taste like Japanese sweet potatoes
This Japanese 7-Eleven has the most expensive drinks, and item, we’ve even seen at the chain
Japan’s final Penguin Suica train cards have already shipped, and when they’re gone, they’re gone
Weekly
- Japan’s final Penguin Suica train cards have already shipped, and when they’re gone, they’re gone
Japan approves foreign resident visa renewal fee increases of up to 967 percent, starts soon
Japan tripled its departure tax to fund tourism but is using the money on cherry blossoms and bears- Studio Ghibli unveils new anime calendars and diary planners for 2027
Farewell Final Ceremony announced for Tokyo’s life-size Gundam statue, will stream live
Nike x One Piece collection brings Devil Fruits to sneakers and streetwear in Japan- Hobonichi unveils new 2027 planners, diaries and stationery with One Piece, Suica Penguin, Hello Kitty and a must-buy Mini Techo
We recommend not buying one pack of Japan’s new convenience store corn soup-flavor fried chicken
Police in Japan looking for who’s responsible for dumping 80 loaves of bread on side of road [Video]
Nephew of Studio Ghibli director Hayao Miyazaki serves up Totoro Shaved Ice in Tokyo
Monthly
12-year-old British girl who went missing in Tokyo found safe after visiting anime sites around Yokohama
7-year-old boy left behind on Mt. Fuji by his own dad
Air-conditioned dress shirts arrive in Japan to save working professionals from sweltering heat- Japan’s final Penguin Suica train cards have already shipped, and when they’re gone, they’re gone
Sushi Bus: Japan’s first conveyor-belt bus lets you eat sushi while sightseeing around Tokyo
Pokémon Center Online designates first Pokémon items that will require Japanese ID card to buy
Japanese toilet aims to attract foreign tourists but not everybody is happy about it
Tokyo’s newest viral dessert is like a Japanese parfait inside a bread bun [Taste test]
New Japanese vending machine at Shinkansen station sells cups of ice on platform
Study finds hundreds of people in Indonesia legally named after Naruto, Inuyasha, other anime stars
Yearly
Japan announces sudden 400-percent increase in visa fees for foreigners entering the country
Japan’s human washing machines will go on sale to general public, demos to be held in Tokyo
Studio Ghibli has a new anime out, and there’s only one place in the world where you can see it
Starbucks Japan releases new drinkware and goods for Valentine’s Day
Starbucks Japan releases new sakura goods and drinkware for cherry blossom season 2026
Japan’s newest Shinkansen has no seats…or passengers [Video]
Tokyo subway installing new ticket gates that don’t accept payment through Suica or other IC cards
Japanese ninja certification exam attracts 131 candidates from Japan and abroad
Salomon releases Japan-exclusive Mt. Fuji hiking gear that doubles as an amazing souvenir
Put sesame oil in your coffee? Japanese maker says it’s the best way to start your day【Taste test】
RECOMMENDED STORIES
Family Mart joins forces with legendary sumo wrestler Chiyonofuji for new Convenience Wear collection
Is Tokyo’s Odaiba, once one of its trendiest neighborhoods, becoming a ghost town? [Photos]
Mister Donut releases new doughnuts that look and taste like Japanese sweet potatoes
This Japanese 7-Eleven has the most expensive drinks, and item, we’ve even seen at the chain
Japan’s final Penguin Suica train cards have already shipped, and when they’re gone, they’re gone
Hikaru Utada sings new song in Shinkansen commercial for Japan’s Supreme Class cabins
Farewell Final Ceremony announced for Tokyo’s life-size Gundam statue, will stream live
Tokyo’s Haneda Airport opens new Terminal 1 North Satellite next month
Anime and Hollywood movies cross over in new Universal Studios Japan merch collection
Foreign travelers arrested in Japan following smash-and-grab robbery in Tokyo shopping mall
Mos Burger skips tsukimi burgers, crafts moon-viewing focaccia sausage sandwiches instead
No, Japan’s prime minster did not make friends with a cockroach, despite what you may have heard
Pizza Hut Japan creates moon-viewing sukiyaki chrysanthemum pizza for tsukimi season
Japan approves foreign resident visa renewal fee increases of up to 967 percent, starts soon
-
