Calling all gaijin! This is a pizza emergency!

I am thoroughly fed up (certainly no pun intended) with the pizza in this country. If it’s not the sub par cheese, it’s the bizarre toppings. If it’s not the bizarre toppings, it’s the soupy sauce. If it’s not the soupy sauce, it’s the disgusting dough. Even if all the ingredients manage to taste bearable, the pizza is undercooked and floppy in the middle.

Each Italian restaurant left me with homesick disappointment. I haven’t tried any of the major chains like Pizza La, but I can’t afford them. Who wants to pay ?3,500 for a pizza that might not pass a test of authenticity? My abdominal cravings grew to a thunderous kaminari, the likes of which Gunma Prefecture had not seen. Then, a vete... Read More

I didn't know what to expect from the JPop cafe when we were taking the elevator up to the seventh floor. Earlier in the week I had put most of all my energy into selling it to J-Bu. "This place is unbelievable, it will be the most amazing experience of our combined experiences here in Japan, trust me you wont be disappointed", I told her my hands shaking with excitement.

After being there for about an hour waiting for something exciting to happen a song called Chocolate Disco came on the giant JPop screen at the other end of the room, I suddenly realized all the hype all the excitement and all the anticipation was for absolutely nothing. The best part of the night was in fact the song. The beat was cute, the girls were cute and the video was also well, cute. But we ... Read More

When I was in my country, my husband and I had our dinner at a Japanese restaurant for the first time. The foods served were delectable except the ‘wasabi’ which was too hot and ‘miso shiru’ or miso soup. When I drunk it, I felt I would throw up because of the strange taste. Since I was used to drinking sweet fruit juice after meals, I didn’t like the bitter ‘ocha’ or green tea which is usually served after meals by Japanese. However, now that I live in Japan I don’t have any choice but to accept the taste of it.

As the months passed by, I got used to the taste of miso shiru and ocha, and most especially I learned the technique to eat the hot ‘wasabi’ without tears in my eyes. The technique is when you put the food with wasabi in your mouth, position ... Read More

I have been to several themed restaurants in Japan. Some were good and some more a comedy act, but my latest dining experience is bizarre and unique at the same time. I am in Tokyo to see my friend and go to Ginza to a sword shop, having been to the sword store called Token Shibata this afternoon I am heading to Akasaka where my friend lives. He took me out for dinner and has promised I will be so happy and surprised at where we are going for dinner.

I knew walking up to the front of this restaurant that something was not normal, and on entering suspect door in a wall, there is a ninja in front of me. ‘Is this an armed robbery,’ I am wondering, ‘or someone forgot to get changed before they left the dojo for dinner?’ We are now inside Ninja Akasaka ... Read More

Last night for dinner I attempted my hand at making a local specialty from Okinawa for our side dish ? the purple sweet potato introduced to Japan from China in the early 1600s. Some of you may have seen these potatoes in local grocery stores. In the rare form their exterior resembles a sweet potato from North America, but the inside ranges from a purple to a deep purplish-blue.

While I had previously read that this vegetable is known for being quite nutritious (contains the antioxidant polyphenol along with vitamin C) while also sweet, I was still not certain of the best method cook or season this native potato.

Therefore I did what any other person may have done ? I checked out various recipes online and began my own endeavor to make it ... Read More

Japan has some of the best cuisine in the world, and no matter where you go it’s always served fast, clean, and fresh. That’s why it breaks my heart when I see tourists going to Yoshinoya or worse, McDonald's, over and over again because they're too afraid to go into a restaurant and try something new!

You're in another country, people, live a little!

Finding a restaurant is usually not hard, many of them have plastic food displays out front. You can pick what looks good and then just drag the waitress outside and point. They're used to it, don't worry. If you're in a touristy place, they may even speak some English or have an English menu.

If you're feeling adventurous, you could go into a smaller noodle or tonkatsu shop. They are rec... Read More