nabe
Totoro blends tradition with modern design so you can make the best rice you’ve ever tasted.
Sample some of the best regional variations of nabe and sake in a Showa-retro space at this event perfect for the middle of winter.
Move over, fall foliage forecast, and make room for this year’s predictions about the opening of hotpot season.
If you don’t have a team of sumo wrestlers to cook chanko nabe for you, will a rice cooker do the job for a one-person hot pot meal?
Menchanko-tei combines noodles with traditional sumo food for a meal that’s become popular in Japan and the United States.
The dish is unique in that all parts of the seri plant are consumed–leaves, stems, and roots included.
Is the popular milky soft drink too sweet for cooking, or the perfect addition? We find out!
Want to try Japan’s most famous hot pot, but don’t want to drop big bucks for it? Yoshinoya, plus one other amazing budget-friendly restaurant, are here to help.
“Comfort food” is traditional cooking that tends to have a nostalgic or sentimental connection, often one related to family or childhood: the grilled cheese sandwiches your mother used to make; the thought of your grandmother’s bread pudding makes your mouth water; the way the whole house would be filled with the intoxicating aroma of roasted turkey or ham at Christmas? Because of such memories, these foods comfort us, especially when we’re longing for home or feeling especially vulnerable.
Not surprisingly, the sentimental Japanese have their own comfort foods. While you might think they’d be waxing over the octopus tentacles of home, very few of the dishes we’re about to talk about have much to do with seafood. Many Japanese comfort foods have a rice connection and may even center around the unique relationship between mothers or wives and their role in family food preparation. And in Japan, make no mistake about it–her kitchen rules!
Here in Japan, we love hot pots, or nabe, especially during the cold winter months. Nabe can be cooked using a wide range of ingredients, from delicate seafood like pufferfish (fugu) to succulent wagyu beef, and they’re often served with plenty of vegetables too, so the dishes are filling and relatively healthy as well.
Now, these hot pots are usually all about savoring the various ingredients, but a reporter from our sister site Pouch found some nabe pots that are so adorable that just looking at them is bound to put a smile on your face. Yes, our favorite friends from Disney have turned themselves into pots for our dining and viewing pleasure! Even if you’re not a die-hard Disney fan, these pots are guaranteed to add some extra fun to your meal.
Cats are always sticking their noses…and heads and butts and, well, their whole bodies where they just don’t belong. Working on an important business report? Cat on the keyboard! Trying to cook? Cat face in your mixing bowl! Strange noises in your closet freaking you out at night? Cat doing…something in there. We still have no idea what.
While we all love a cute kitty, it’s impossible to avoid the fact that they simply have an innate desire to get in the way or into just about everything. One Japanese Twitter user learned this the funny way when his cat just…disappeared!




















Japan now has human refrigerators inspired by Japanese vending machines
Studio Ghibli releases anime T-shirts that pay homage to one of Hayao Miyazaki’s most personal films
Starbucks Japan releases new fireworks collection that captures the beauty of a summer festival
Hatsune Miku collaborates with Hokusai’s art in new Vocaloid ukiyo-e illustration series [Pics]
Tokyo’s viral 90-yen cafe pop-up returns to Harajuku with yogurt coffee
Family Mart’s new Tokyo flagship convenience store doesn’t feel convenient, but is that a problem?
Starbucks Japan releases new Discovery Series collection celebrating local regions and traditions
Japan’s favorite quasi-local curry launches convenience store version – Does it match the real deal?
Japan’s ultracompact kei car taxis are now ready for travelers to ride, if you know where to find them
We found the world’s first Yakult 1000 soft serve, and it’s hidden away in Nara
Cup Noodle unveils first-ever cold-water instant ramen in Japan
Japanese government ID card and app to be required for certain Pokémon card purchases next month
Teen girl in Japan refuses to be victim, personally escorts train pervert to police for arrest
Is Japan’s tourism boom slowing down? Foreign visitor numbers fall for first time in five years
Evangelion beautifully reimagined as iconic classical Japanese folding screen art series [Photos]
Japan announces sudden 400-percent increase in visa fees for foreigners entering the country
Studio Ghibli has a new anime out, and there’s only one place in the world where you can see it
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
Japan triples departure tax, foreign tourists and locals now must pay more to leave country
Japan launches first overnight Shinkansen bullet train between Tokyo and Osaka this summer
Family Mart opens new “Famima” flagship store in Tokyo that’s like a tourist attraction
Sanrio Character Poll announces winners, Hello Kitty absent from top 10 in many countries
Japan’s human washing machines will go on sale to general public, demos to be held in Tokyo
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]
Put sesame oil in your coffee? Japanese maker says it’s the best way to start your day【Taste test】
Japan reportedly adding Japanese language skill requirement to most common foreigner work visa
Family Mart’s new Tokyo flagship convenience store doesn’t feel convenient, but is that a problem?
Starbucks Japan releases new Discovery Series collection celebrating local regions and traditions
Japan’s favorite quasi-local curry launches convenience store version – Does it match the real deal?
Japan’s ultracompact kei car taxis are now ready for travelers to ride, if you know where to find them
We found the world’s first Yakult 1000 soft serve, and it’s hidden away in Nara
Teen girl in Japan refuses to be victim, personally escorts train pervert to police for arrest
Evangelion beautifully reimagined as iconic classical Japanese folding screen art series [Photos]
Starbucks Japan releases exclusive new Bearista collection…with beary cute details
Cup Noodle unveils first-ever cold-water instant ramen in Japan
“Stab-kill for two deaths” and other fun Japanese baseball terms
Defacing the Japanese flag is now a crime, says government, punishable by up to two years in jail
Is Japan’s tourism boom slowing down? Foreign visitor numbers fall for first time in five years
Studio Ghibli brings anime characters to the table with new Totoro placemat that’s like a movie cell
Family Mart opens new “Famima” flagship store in Tokyo that’s like a tourist attraction