Must-Eats in Nagoya: Ogura Toast and Tebasaki Chicken Wings

Nagoya has a bit of a boring reputation (there’s even an entire website dedicated to debunking this notion, to which I am very grateful). If you do find yourself without much to do in Nagoya, why not eat two iconic treats from the city?

Higashi Chaya and Nishi Chaya Geisha Districts of Kanazawa

Most people know about Gion, the famous Geisha district in Kyoto, but are there any others out there? Well, there’s a hidden gem of a city, Kanazawa, that has not one, not two, but three surviving Geisha districts! We went to the two larger ones, the West and East Tea Districts, to check out the […]

Michelin Star Japanese Kaiseki Cuisine: Manakamerou

Japan has no shortage of Michelin Starred restaurants, but the true test comes in finding those that have these coveted stars and serve some of the finest Japanese cuisine. Enter Manakemerou in Kyoto, which serves the Japanese-style Kaiseki Cuisine!

Best of Snack Attack 2020

I usually make this a video, but 2020 zapped my time and energy, so I figured it would be good to change it into a blog post. Here are the top prizes for the snacks and drinks I indulged in for my YouTube series, Snack Attack!

Two Traditional Japanese Foods That Actually Came From Portugal

When you hear about certain things, you automatically associate them with Japan. Japan has this gift of taking on things and breathing new life into them, giving them a new identity waiting to be discovered. Their oldest modern trading partners, the Portuguese, gave them some of what now consider the most iconic parts of Japanese […]

The Deadliest Food in Japan: Mochi

You thought it was pufferfish (fugu), didn’t you? Well, as risky as that particular food may be, it doesn’t hold a candle to that sticky rice confection that takes the widest variety of forms. Usually, Japan sees a spike around New Year’s in hospitalizations from eating this treat, as well as a few deaths. What […]

Warm Biz

With every Yin, there is a Yang. When I first got here, I found out about Cool Biz, the incredibly hot trend of keeping your office cooled to a balmy 83 degrees in order to reduce energy consumption and help keep emissions under control. But did you know there is a winter equivalent? Well, there […]

Ramune

So, you think you know soda? Think again! Ramune is the summer soda of choice and is the defacto soda flavor in the country of Japan. It’s not the taste of Pepsi or Coke, oh no! Those are cola flavors, not soda! The fun drink gained popularity overseas for its novel marble seal and the […]

Akita Kanto Festival

Akita prefecture is known for its Akita dogs, Namahage, and the Kanto festival. Not to be confused with the Kanto Region (which encompasses Tokyo), these Kanto are large poles that carry a large number of lanterns. They require great balance and strength to handle, and when held expertly, provide a stunning sight for onlookers. Every […]

Gekkeikan Sake Museum

Gekkeikan is a very popular sake brand in Japan, and near Kyoto in Fushimi, you can visit a very nice little museum they’ve put together to show visitors the process of making sake, a bit of sake history, and an exhibit dedicated to the history of the Gekkeikan brand.