All photos courtesy of Thanko Morning Toaster for Single People by Thanko When you live by yourself, cooking can be a hassle. You may just grab a piece of toast on the run and feel hungry well before lunchtime. Thanko’s new toaster for single people solves that. The top of the toaster comes equipped with a pan to cook a fried egg so that...
Handmade Ceramic Grill and Tray with Handle by Kanaami-Tsuji This handmade stainless-steel grill built, with the same methods used by craftspeople in the 10th century, can be used to make a delicious slice of toast! But that’s not what this grill was originally intended for. The Kanaami grill is part of a tradition of Kanaami cooking utensils used to scoop, filter, drain, grill, etc....
All photos courtesy of Thanko Makase-tei by Thanko An automated instant noodle machine So you thought preparing a pack of instant noodles couldn’t possibly be made easier? Think again! Sure, all you have to do to make instant noodles is add hot water and wait, but Makase-tei lets you skip that laborious “add hot water” step. Let’s break it down this way: You’re hungry...
Udon for a Good Night’s Sleep by Goku no Kimochi Many of you know that udon is a traditional Japanese flour noodle that tends to be thick and white. But what do those noodles have to do with a good night’s sleep? Well Goku no Kimochi’s Suiminyo Udon is actually a comforter made to look like udon noodles, and the company says the noodle-like...
GINZA KIMONO WAS BORN in the heart of Tokyo’s Ginza district. The Chitani family founded the company in 1868. Their kimonos are works of art that are sought a er by many. There is probably nothing more iconic Japanese than a kimono, but the reality today is that fewer and fewer people are wearing kimonos. In part, that’s because they are difficult to...
All photos courtesy of felissimo Penguin Suru Suru by YOU+MORE! If you think Japanese people don’t have a sense of humor, you need to check out this product. The Penguin Suru Suru makes sweeping the floor fun. As you sweep up your room, it looks like an Adélie penguin is gliding over the ice in the South Pole. Yeah, it’s silly, but it was...
In a cold city like Sapporo, there is nothing better than a steaming bowl of ramen to warm you up. Sapporo is the birthplace of miso ramen. This ramen uses traditional Japanese miso for the broth (see more details on how this came to be at our website QAZJapan.com). Juntaku is a local favorite for miso ramen. All of its ingredients are locally sourced,...
Asahiyama Zoo is a classic Hokkaido destination because of its rare style of exhibits. We highly recommend it. The zoo was opened in 1967. At some point, it even had a rollercoaster and other rides. In the early days, it attracted as many as 600,000 visitors per year during the peak of its popularity, but the numbers began to decline in the late 1990s...
If you look at a map of Japan, you’ll see a large diamond shape in the north. That is Hokkaido, known as the Northland of Japan. The island features abundant nature and lots of national parks, including the Shiretoko Peninsula, a World Heritage site. Summer is wonderful, but Hokkaido is known for its beautiful snowy winters, a playground for winter sports aficionados. Sapporo is...
How many of you lived off instant ramen during your college days? It’s cheap, tasty, and takes just a few minutes to cook—a perfect match for the broke, hungry, and harried college student. The world’s first package of instant noodles, Chicken Ramen, was invented in Osaka by Mr. Momofuku Ando in 1958. Following the first invention, he released the globally popular CUPNOODLES in the...
