Grilled Eel Meat - and Deep-Fried Bones - as a Summer Pick-me-up

One of the ways to prevent heat-stroke, avoid natsu-bate (heat fatigue), and generally survive the fierce Japanese summer heat i…

Unmanned Vegetable Stalls: Reflection of a Honest Society?

A mujin-hanbai - jō unmanned vegetable kiosk Central Tokyo may be a bustling concrete jungle but over in Western Tokyo we're…

Wagyu, Matsuzaka Beef, and Kobe Beef: What's the Difference?

The official MAFF Wagyu mark A tour guide friend requested today's post (thanks A!) noting that one of the most common quest…

Onigiri: Enviromentally Friendly Rice-balls

Different flavours of onigiri lined up in a 7-Eleven The word for rice-ball - onigiri (お握り) from the verb nigiru meaning to sque…

Finding Karl, Japanese Snacks, and Protectionism

Click to see on amazon My wife came back from the shops the other day and told me rather excitedly that she had found "Karl.…

Hydrangeas and Bathing Buddha

For the Japanese, the coming of the rainy season, detailed in the last post , means the flowering of beautiful hydrangeas. Hydran…

Sasamaki: sticky rice wrapped in bamboo leaves

Sasamaki: Glutinous rice wrapped in bamboo leaves One traditional food which can only seen and eaten this time of year is called …

Million Yen Melons in Early Summer

A Quincy Melon with QR Code to check the sugar content Japanese tend to be very conscious of the changing of the seasons and seas…

Bentō Lunchboxes, School Lunch, and the Gendered Division of Labour

The bentō (弁当) or lunchbox is a familiar word both inside and outside Japan. In Japan, it usually contains rice with a variety of…

Sakura Cherry Blossoms and Global Warming

The official sample cherry tree at Yasukuni Shrine, Tokyo On Sunday (April 2nd) came the official announcement that Someiyoshino …

Revolving Sushi: Japanese Efficiency Personified

Kaiten or Conveyor Belt Sushi: Remarkably Efficient Conveyor belt or kaiten (revolving) sushi is hardly uncommon outside Japan, …

Beef Bowls and Death from Overwork

G yūdon or " beef-bowl": popular and very cheap fast -foo d The picture on the left shows the popular Japanese fast fo…

Sushi: Special Occasions Only!

A selection of home-delivered sushi in a sushi- oke Nothing may seem more Japanese than sushi (寿司), but in everyday Japan sushi i…

Water, water everywhere...

Irrigation channel carrying drinking water The picture shows a shallow irrigation channel ( yōsuiro ) running alongside the large…