Yes it’s about that time people! Time to go to your local Tokiwa department store or Lawson and browse the shelves for what a majority of the population will be eating for Shougatsu (New Years). The highly coveted Osechi meal box appears but once a season. Now to the untrained gaijin eye you may wonder why this special new years boxed meal is so expensive… The reason is it’s not a bento but Osechi or prepared traditional dishes of the New Year.

Osechi traditionally is a large array of New years dishes cooked and prepared before the actual Shougatsu or first of January. A tomodachi told me that osechi basically started out as cultural festival cuisine but over the years has evolved into a way to ensure mom doesn’t have to cook for a couple of days. Thank the gods, mom... Read More

My friend Izumi and I went to a small restaurant in nearby Akasaka to eat poisonous blowfish. Since this may very well be my last blog post before death sets in, I will take a moment to say that I love you all!

Blowfish or “fugu” has been a taste treat in Japan since the medieval period. The best time to eat the dish is in the winter, when the fugu get fat in order to survive the icy waters. The dish is famous due to the poisonous toxins found in certain parts of the meat. If not prepared correctly, the fish meat can retain enough poison to cause death if ingested. Every year a handful of people die from fugu poisoning. Since 1958, fugu chefs have been required by the Japanese Ministry of Health to be officially licensed to serve the meat (this license should be visi... Read More

In a lightning paced city such as Tokyo, impatience is a virtue. Here we are known to cram ourselves back first into jam packed trains to save two minutes. We shove convenience store bought sandwiches down our gullets while chugging canned coffee from vending machines.

Still, I’ve discovered that there are some things that are worth the wait. Last Sunday, I lined up for close to an hour at Kichijouji’s Satou Meat Shop, for their famous fried-on-the-spot menchi katsu. The shop is located almost right in the center of the Shotengai there; about a five minute walk from the North Exit of Kichijouji Station. Menchi katsu is essentially fried breaded minced meat. Menchi is a derivative of ‘mince’ and katsu ‘cutlet’. What makes Satou's such a coveted d... 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

So the Tsuyu (early summer plum rain) season is upon you all! Yikes! That hot balmy humidity that just wilts your willpower to move and forces you indoors to seek any form of air conditioning… If you have any strength left after battling the heavy humidity why not try some refreshing and traditional summer foods that are supposed to invigorate you in this harsh wetness. This is the best time for us Gaijins to be adventurous especially when it comes to Japanese cuisine because no human is exempt from the elements!

When it comes to beating the heat there is nothing more refreshing than cold noodles and the like. However for the more adventurous, the Tsuyu season cuisine extends to much more exotic types of foods. Many of these foods can be classifie... Read More

Sushi is considered a distinct food in Japan. This food has been a great business in the entire country, sold in several kinds of outlets like sushi houses, sushi trains, authentic Japanese restaurants and even in the department stores and convenient stores. It is usually made with vinegared rice with toppings on it, usually uncooked seafood. It tastes good with wasabi and sushi soy sauce. Regular housewives prepare this food too.

Sushi comes in several varities like “maki” (roles), usually roled with nori, sushi bowl, nigiri (sushi dumplings). We'll tackle more about nigiri-sushi is the most common type sold anywhere in Japan. It comes in several flavors, ebi (shrimp), tako(octopus), white squid, sea urchin, maguro (tuna), salmon, tamago... Read More

It seems as if every person in Tokyo (and their camera) were present at the Sanja Matsuri (‘Matsuri’, is Japanese for festival) in Asakusa this past Sunday. This is one of the largest and rowdiest festivals in the country, and draws in yearly crowds of up to two million.

A powerful presence at a Japanese festival is without doubt, the food. One after the other, vendor booths line the festival streets sending out wafts of sizzling, smoky and sweet essences, tempting even the most stuffed-to-the-brim walker-bys. The selection is good, but limited to typical festival types. Like cotton candy at the fair and popcorn at the movies, there seems to be an inextricable connection between taste and atmosphere that carries through to Matsuris. Such event staples include go... Read More

Life in Japan affords no shortage of opportunities to feast, both abstractly and concretely, on the strange and unusual. For now, let’s limit our discussion to the concrete - visceral even - and meditate on the topic of internal organs. Coming from North America, where the mere whisper of “innards” is likely to set off a chorus of shrill eews and percussive yucks, I find it refreshing to walk into a restaurant full of people tucking into plates of pig guts with relish. With the exception of foie gras, my ethical Achilles’ heel, I’m not overly enthusiastic about liver, but I am quite the fan of certain other bits. Kidneys? Yes, please. Stomach? Why, I don’t mind if I do. Tripe? Oooh, child! Since moving to Japan, I’ve also discovered a fondness for gyu tan, o... Read More

Our area in Japan being Toyama Prefecture, offers up some bizarre seafood, along with some of the best tasting seafood I have ever eaten. Toyama Wan is the source of this bounty and there are some truly strange creatures inhabiting its nutrient rich watrers.

Toyama Bay is the deepest bay in Japan at a depth of one-thousand meters and has several species only found within it's waters.

Seafood sourced from Toyama Bay is much sought after produce throughout Japan and is served up in the thousands of restaurants locally also. Toyama Seafood Market located at Minatoirihune-cho, Toyama City is well worth a visit to see the vast array of local seafood or buy something to cook at home. As usual there are countless stalls serving up freshly cooked seafood at ... Read More

After spending a lazy week in Tokyo staying in laid back Asakusa-bashi, my wife tells me we are going to visit her Aunty and Uncle in Shiga prefecture.

After a decent train ride we meet them and they recommend we stop for lunch on the way back to their home, I say ok. They ask me if I have had tabehoudai before and I said no, tabehoudai is all you can eat so I am looking forward to loading up on some nice food. On arrival at this restaurant called Stamina Taro, I have a preconceived idea of what will be on offer to eat. Inside the door we are at the reception counter and before I know what is going on my Uncle in-law has payed for all four of us.

We are shown to a table and take a seat, he explains we are only allowed to stay for one hour so are on the clock s... Read More

Being one of the most poisonous and celebrated fish in Japan, the Fugu or puffer fish is a delicacy that can be eaten year round in a number of prefectural restaurants. In the town of Beppu in Oita prefecture, Fugu is a specialty item that can be experienced by the adventurous for a slight discount to that of mainstream city prices. Although one would think that the deadly puffer fish would be one of the last things one would consume, the fish itself and its preparation has gained acceptance and is known worldwide.

I have been fortunate enough to have a tomodachi who regularly takes me out to sample some of the more exotic Japanese dishes. The Fugu restaurants are basically well known in each district and can be located by usually asking a local cab dri... Read More

One of the best Japanese-style restaurants that I have been to since I have been living in Japan is Sawa, in Katsuura, Chiba Prefecture. Again, one of my students owns and runs this gorgeous little Sashimi restaurant. Shingo puts a lot of effort into creating fresh, mouth watering Sashimi, Tempura and a range of local speciality dishes that will leave you wanting to go back again and again. One of my favourites is the Miso Soup and the Whole Marinated Snapper.

Believing Sashimi preparation is a form of art, Shingo often travels the world to mysterious destinations such as the Louvre and the Moulin Rouge in search of artistic inspiration. If you ever get a chance to speak to him, ask him about his recent encounter with a 10man bill at an exclusive F... Read More