An Interview with Lucinda Cowing Lucinda Ping Cowing is director of the Kyoto Journal, a beautiful and informative magazine that has been published since the late 1980s. Cowing left her native England in 2010 for Kyoto and has been living there, off and on, ever since. The nomadic Cowing splits her time among Kyoto, Taipei, and Faro, Portugal. When in Kyoto, the shokunin culture...
Throw a Temaki Sushi Party at Home Now that you’ve mastered the art of cooking rice Japanese style, it’s time to step up your game and host a temaki (handroll) sushi house party. The following paragraphs have everything you need to know to make delicious handrolled sushi. First, you need to make sushi rice. Here’s how. How to Make Sushi Rice Ingredients ...
Your Guide to Cooking Japanese Food – The Trick to Making White Rice Just Right Have you ever been to a Japanese restaurant and found the white rice flavorless? Gohan, or cooked white rice, is the basis of Japanese cuisine, and it can be tricky getting it to cook just right. We’ll tell you how. But first a little background. In Japanese cuisine, the...
Emperor Ichijo, Japan’s 66th emperor (986-1011), loved his cat so much he gave his furry companion a court rank. With the 5th rank bestowed on the imperial kitty, the emperor’s pet was allowed to step inside the inner palace. But that’s not even the weirdest court rank in Japanese history. Emperor Daigo, the 60th to ascend the Japanese throne (896-930), was said to have...
Stocking-Stuffer Guide – Gift Ideas from Japan Our second annual stocking-stuffer guide is made for the procrastinator. Head to the nearest Uwajimaya supermarket and get these unique little gifts all under one roof. Then go enjoy some egg nog. Happy holidays! Japanese trays and bowls Uwajimaya has a host of beautiful trays and bowls that will add a little style to your dinner table....
The year of the mouse is right around the corner. While you are doing your year-end shopping this holiday season, check out the eclectic selection of 2020 calendars at Kinokuniya bookstores. You can find Japanese imports like elegant washi-paper wall-hanging calendars, calendars featuring woodblock prints of the floating world, those featuring favorite characters like Pokemon or Pusheen, and adorable calendars for just about any...
Ever wonder what your beloved pet’s name would look like in Chinese characters, or kanji? We pick one pet photo and render the pet’s name in kanji. Leo Leo will let you pet him, but he’d much rather be in the backyard stalking rodents. In fact, when he catches them, he’ll bring the carcasses by your front stoop just to show you how hard...
Japan’s Gekikara Spicy Hot Craze and the Little Ramen Chain that Fuels It Gekikara (extra spicy) ramen is trending in Japan these days. The term “gekikara” means “fiercely spicy” in Japanese. You’ll see the term on all sorts of products in Japan. There are gekikara snacks, pastries, onigiri rice balls, noodles, and bentos lined up in supermarkets and convenience stores. Ramen, udon, burger, beef...
Nestled inside the new Kinokuniya Bookstore in Portland is an inviting Japanese-style spot called Book of Tea Café. The café serves matcha, hojicha, and other tea drinks, locally roasted coffee from Extracto Coffee Roasters, sandwiches, onigiri, soft-serve ice cream, and homemade pastries, cookies, brownies, and manju. Owner Tomoe Horibuchi is a longtime practitioner of the tea ceremony who also runs the popular Behind the...
