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…