Why hadn’t we thought to stick natto and rice into warm fluffy crepe layers before now?!
Read More
natto
Salty things are delicious on ice cream…but no one ever said anything about stinky things.
This natto mixer will let you mix to the max! It even has a special setting to recreate the recipes of a revered Japanese Rennaisance man.
The latest offering from Japanese snack manufacturer Calbee has got some people eagerly awaiting its release and others scratching their heads in puzzlement.
It might sound like an unusual pairing, but according to Japanese sweet connoisseurs, this is actually a delicious combination!
We’ve seen some strange pizza toppings in the past. From Kit Kats to squid ink, Japan certainly knows how to deliver when it comes to thinking outside of the box.
Now, there are two new awesome pizzas on the menu: Ramen Noodle and Natto Okonomiyaki. And that’s not all – both items are being offered as part of a collaboration using local ingredients that hark back to the 1960s. Available from Aoki’s Pizza from September 10, this is an opportunity that’s not to be missed!
Dear Taco Bell Japan,
I’m writing this open letter to first welcome you back to Japan, but also to warn you of a great danger that lies ahead.
When you first announced you would open in Shibuya I was among those who felt that warm feeling of an old friend returning. And even though there were a few hiccups with your grand opening such as the lack of beans and “supreme court tacos” on your online menu, I had faith Taco Bell would rise to greatness in Japan.
However, since then we haven’t really heard much from your restaurant, and that worries me. So, I’d like to present you with five ideas for uniquely Japanese tacos that will not only appeal to the local crowd, but be eye-catching enough to make your brand a name to remember. I even went ahead and actually made and taste-tested them for you!
Spend a while in Japan, and at some point you’ll no doubt encounter natto, sticky, stinky fermented soybeans that often get served over rice for breakfast. This polarizing food has its superfans and impassioned detractors among Japanese and foreigners alike, but if you happen to be in the former camp, you should know there is an all-you-can-eat premium natto pop-up bar in Tokyo’s Ginza this weekend.
Natto Boys (Natto Danshi) are a group whose sole purpose is to share the ancient and traditional Japanese food natto with the world. However, with its acrid smell and texture of an alien autopsy subject, those are some high hopes.
Already in about half a year, the Natto Boys have established a website featuring over 100 serving suggestions for the fermented soy beans to help promote the food at home. Now, they want to take the next step into the world’s second largest continent, Africa, and to do this they have turned to us for help via crowdfunding.
You know that feeling after you eat too much of something really delicious? When your stomach hurts and you’re filled with a curious mix of regret, pain and contentment? We reckon Yuka Kinoshita, Japanese competitive eater, knows that feeling well.
So, let’s watch a video of her making her way through 5.5 pounds (2.5kg) of rice and sticky natto beans!
Surfers could be at greater risk of developing an allergy to natto, a Japanese study has found. And the unlikely culprit is thought to be jellyfish stings.
Natto, the sticky fermented soy beans that are as as polarising as Marmite, is a traditional and common Japanese food. Allergy to natto is rare, but research from Yokohama City University Hospital suggests it could be more prevalent in people who spend a lot of time in the water and have been repeatedly stung by jellyfish.
Sometimes our modern lives lack conflict. Let’s remedy that today by having a massive fight about something that doesn’t really matter.
This week, we’re talking about the fermented soybeans known as natto, and there’s one question we need you all to answer: is this dish “nom” or is it decidedly “vom”?
Despite being slimy and smelly and stringy, fermented soybeans, or natto, are actually really good for you. We’ve spoken before about how even lots of Japanese people have to resort to special measures in order to stomach swallowing down a bowl of these stinky beans. So it’s no surprise that these US kids have such a hard time when they were presented with a bowl of natto for the first time.
Slimy, sticky, and stinky – natto is a triumvirate of all the things picky eaters are likely to find unpalatable. While these fermented beans are actually incredibly good for your health (being rich in vitamins and fibre), they’re nonetheless something that even most Japanese people don’t like eating. But now there’s a new miracle product which claims to make natto perfectly tasty and edible, even for die-hard natto haters.
Natto is an acquired taste. I mean this literally – people who have eaten the sticky, kind of stinky, fermented soybeans from childhood are more likely to enjoy it than those who first encounter it as adults. But it’s also what people euphemistically call “an acquired taste”, which is to say, a lot of people think it’s gross.
These adorable puppies don’t seem to mind the stink though, as they lick their bowl clean, wolfing down Japan’s most famously unpopular food. Yum!
MOST POPULAR
Now
Japanese family hears noises at night from room of dead grandma, finds creatures living in walls
Uniqlo announces new line of awesome Dragon Ball T-shirts and hoodies【Photos】 
We try a $10 Japanese grape from a bunch that retails for over $400 【Taste Test】
Poop Kanji-Drill toilet paper is the best way to accomplish your Japanese studying doo-ties
How to stop a chikan pervert from groping on a Japanese train
Japan’s first snowfall of the season comes to Hokkaido before September ends【Video, photos】
Mint chocolate tapioca ramen appears in Tokyo: Too much to handle or too good to believe?
American-Japanese model Kiko divides people in Japan with controversial photo shoot
The cops kick Mr. Sato off the street during his attempt to wait on sidewalk for the new iPhone
Japanese prefecture that named a Pokémon as its governor to install 16 new Pokémon manholes
Weekly
Japanese high school students build crazy wooden roller coaster at school festival【Video】- Uniqlo announces new line of awesome Dragon Ball T-shirts and hoodies【Photos】
Japanese manga publishers file lawsuit in New York against four pirate sites
Man forgets wallet with 2.8 million yen in cash on Japan’s busiest train line
Twitter sympathizes with shivering Shiba Inu during a Tokyo thunderstorm【Video】
Japan now has a giant pizza sandwich called Meat Mountain, packed with 18 different types of meat
Our Japanese language reporter visits a U.K. sushi chain, is blown away by its original “sushi”
Mysterious guest house opens in Kyoto, features 11 different bizarre rooms full of oddities- Japanese prefecture that named a Pokémon as its governor to install 16 new Pokémon manholes
- How to stop a chikan pervert from groping on a Japanese train
Monthly
We asked a Niantic insider 30 questions about Pokémon Go, learned a lot of useful information
Why do Japanese recycle bins have two openings but dump everything into the same compartment?
In Kyoto, “Hey, you’ve got a really nice watch” is NOT a compliment, Japanese businessman says- Japanese high school students build crazy wooden roller coaster at school festival【Video】
- Uniqlo announces new line of awesome Dragon Ball T-shirts and hoodies【Photos】
Mr. Sato shows us what happens when you try to cook rice with only eggs 【SoraKitchen】
Here they are: The absolute best Final Fantasy X cosplay photos anyone’s ever taken【Photos】
Tokyo’s amazing 2D Cafe looks like an illustration, but it’s an actual restaurant you can eat in!- Japan now has a giant pizza sandwich called Meat Mountain, packed with 18 different types of meat
Domino’s Pizza now sells Tsundere Pizzas in Japan, wants to both hurt and please you
Yearly
Which Pokémon are you? Official quiz reveals your Poké-personality, and how to take it in English
Uniqlo reveals first-ever T-shirt collaboration with Your Name anime director Makoto Shinkai- We asked a Niantic insider 30 questions about Pokémon Go, learned a lot of useful information
We got a haircut at “Japan’s Leading Barber” and walked away feeling like a million bucks
Japanese woman stumbles on the power of the infamous “gaijin seat” phenomenon during flight- Why do Japanese recycle bins have two openings but dump everything into the same compartment?
Uniqlo announces brand-new line of awesomely beautiful Sailor Moon T-shirts
Tokyo public schools will stop forcing students with non-black hair to dye it, official promises
“They will bounce” promises Final Fantasy director as Tifa joins fighting game cast
Japanese baseball teen refuses walk after getting hit by pitch, follows up with home run【Video】
RECOMMENDED STORIES
Japan’s first snowfall of the season comes to Hokkaido before September ends【Video, photos】
Mint chocolate tapioca ramen appears in Tokyo: Too much to handle or too good to believe?
American-Japanese model Kiko divides people in Japan with controversial photo shoot
The cops kick Mr. Sato off the street during his attempt to wait on sidewalk for the new iPhone
Japanese prefecture that named a Pokémon as its governor to install 16 new Pokémon manholes
To –san or not to –san? Should you use the Japanese honorific suffix when speaking English?
What does “Konnichiwa” really mean? Understanding Japanese greetings
Twitter sympathizes with shivering Shiba Inu during a Tokyo thunderstorm【Video】
Eating a 6,000-yen (US$55) sandwich on the Tokyo sidewalk: The best way to wait for a new iPhone
The ugly truth of goukon, Japan’s group blind dates
New Pokémon Sirfetch’d finally gives original-gen species an evolution after 23-year wait【Video】
We attend the official release ceremony for the new iPhone 11 in Japan
Awesome website allows you to make your own Dragon Ball character, battle other fighters
-
