Start with Shiromi! One of the pleasures of dining at the sushi counter is having the chance to ask the chef what sort of shiromi is best that day. Sushi chefs want you to star t your sushi meal with shiromi so that the stronger- tasting akami (red- fleshed) fish doesn’t overpower your palate. The taste of shiromi is lighter and simpler. However, it...
“Tachinomiya,” literally standand- drink establishments, have been a culinary fixture all over Japan for two centuries. As the name implies, there are no chairs; customers drink alcohol while standing. They stay for less than an hour. Commuters grab a quick drink with a side dish or two on their way home from work. These places would be considered, in modern lexicon, the Third Place...
The Bluebird, a prototypical Japanese family car, was in production for 53 years starting in 1959. The last Bluebirds came off the assembly line in 2001. One model that stands out is the third-generation 510, released in 1967. The new engine was a water-cooled 4-cylinder with a single overhead camshaft. There were 1.3-liter and 1.6-liter versions of this engine. The 1.6-liter version, the L16...
Tucked into the Ukyo Ward of Kyoto is a movie studio called Uzumasa Eigamura. It’s used a lot for period dramas. When no one is filming, though, it turns into an amusement park and is popular with children and families. The largest set on the lot, known as Edo Sakaba, is the location for a two-night festival every year. Edo is the old name...
Kitchen knives play an important role in Japanese cuisine, helping the cook create tasty and aesthetically pleasing dishes. Cut a piece of sashimi with a dull knife, for example, and you’re apt to lose a lot of the fish’s inherent flavor. That’s why chefs and housewives have kept their kitchen knives razor sharp for centuries. During the Edo Period (1603 – 1868), the heyday...
Japanese people have always loved the unique and ever- changing colors of moss. It brings a feeling of tranquility and austerity to Japanese gardens. Some gardens in Japan, known as koke niwa, are breathtaking for the way moss covers the ground, rocks, and trees. Kuma chose Oriental Carpet as his partner to create the Koke rug. The company is home to traditional Japanese textile...
If you like fluffy pancakes, this is your dream pan. Have you heard of tamagoyaki, a traditional Japanese treat? Eggs are mixed with umami-filled dashi broth and cooked into the shape of a rolled cake. Despite the liquid ingredients, tamagoyaki needs to be airy and fluffy. The Tamagoyaki Pan was developed solely for this purpose. The pan is made of copper because tamagoyaki is...
Blue Bottle Coffee started in the early 2000s in Oakland. In its early days, the coffee beans were roasted with a tiny six-pound batch roaster. Those freshly roasted coffee beans were then hand-delivered to customers. Almost 15 years later, Blue Bottle Coffee, now considered one of the major third-wave coffee roasters, has been so successful it opened a number of cafés in California and...
Tosenkyo is a ravine in Ibusuki City, about an hour’s drive from Kagoshima City. It is known for the pure spring water that rushes through the canyon at the rate of about 100,000 tons a day. City-run outdoor restaurants use this pure water to serve a rare dish called “somen nagashi.” Somen is a noodle dish specific to Japan made from wheat kneaded with...
Every year, one evening in late July, the intersection is transformed into a Bon Odori stage. The surrounding roads are shut down, a stage is set up in the middle of the intersection, and a massive crowd donning yukata robes dance around it. This is only the second time this event has taken place and not many Japanese know about it. A one-day event...
