Legend has it that ninjas date back to 6th century Japan, when poor farmers had to travel as mercenaries to make a living. The most prominent schools – Iga and Koka – were located in the mountainous region near the ancient capital, Kyoto. To escape ongoing civil wars, many samurai and aristocrats passed through these mountains only to be ambushed by Iga and Koka...
We are in a time to face the challenge. Just like any other restaurants and cafes, Starbucks Coffee stores in major Japanese cities are temporarily closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but its Koriyama Station store in Fukushima created a heartwarming handwritten poster to help the locals enjoy coffee at home. The poster titled “Basic 4 Rules for A Great Cup of Coffee” is...
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...
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...
Nara is rich in history. About 1,300 years ago – before Kyoto became the capital – Nara was the center of politics and culture in Japan with a population of around 100,000 in a sprawling 25 square kilometers (about 6,200 acres). Nara’s imperial palace was called Heijo-kyo, and the remains of that palace can still be viewed today. Other sights in the city include...
Ginza, one of Tokyo’s most famous neighborhoods, was originally a name given to a silver coinage mint of the Shogunate in the Edo Era (1603–1868). “Gin” means silver and “Za” means a group of merchants. Shortly after the huge Ginza Fire of 1872 burned down the area, the Japanese government appointed an English architect to re-design the town. Ginza was Westernized and reborn as...
The perfect way to start your morning in Kyoto? A specially blended cup of java and a hotel-quality breakfast (1,440 yen, or about $13) at Inoda Coffee. The breakfast includes scrambled eggs, ham, salad, juice, a croissant and, of course, coffee. An equivalent breakfast at a local hotel would cost twice the price. The café offers several kinds of original artisanal blends including its...
Ippodo Tea opened in Kyoto in 1717. The store was originally called Omiya because the founder, Rihei Watanabe, was from the Omi area. In 1846, Prince Yamashina gave it the name Ippodo with a wish that the store maintain the highest quality tea for generations to come. Ippodo’s main shop, located in a quiet neighborhood of Kyoto, offers a wide variety of tea, from...
Second floor seating area A unique Starbucks opened in Kyoto on June 30, 2017. This is the first Starbucks in the world that has a noren curtain at the entrance and a tatami-mat seating area. It is located on Nineizaka, near one of the world heritage sites, Kiyomizudera. The opening of the café was international news. One and a half months later, the café...
A Laid-Back Maid Café in the Middle of Bustling Osaka Osaka, Japan’s second city, takes its food seriously. Case in point: even the food at its maid cafés is good! Maid cafés are well-known for being about entertainment first, with food often being a distant second. At eMaid, in the lively Namba area of downtown Osaka, this is not the case. This maid café...
