It’s not certain exactly when tofu was introduced to Japan. One theory holds that it was brought over from China by the great Buddhist priest and scholar Kukai, also known as Kobo Taishi (734-835) in the early ninth century during the early Heian Period (794- 1185). However, we must fast-forward ...
Many of Tokyo’s finest restaurants are so hidden away you hardly know they’re even there. But there’s little chance of missing Maruka. In the unlikely event that you fail to spot the large white noren curtain across the entrance, you won’t miss the long ...
Everybody likes a happy ending, especially when the story involves one of Tokyo’s most popular pubs. That’s why many cheered when Mikkeller Tokyo announced its return this spring.A year after calling it quits in Shibuya’s Udagawacho district, the Danish-based craft beer bar has reincarnated. ...
The nation that gave the world bratwurst and hot dogs is cutting back on its favorite pork sausages and larding up plates with more veggie concoctions instead.Germans last year consumed the smallest amount of pig meat since at least 2005, and the drop will ...
One of the most popular desserts to take off in Tokyo over the last two years has been shaved ice from outside Japan. Taiwanese baobing, via the chain Ice Monster, kick-started the trend, and a few others have appeared as of late. Korean chain ...
There has never before been a tasting menu quite like it. The first dinner presented by wagyu beef grillmaster Kentaro Nakahara, yakitori supremo Yoshiteru Ikegawa and sushi maestro Takaaki Sugita was unprecedented in so many aspects.All three are among the finest chefs in their ...
Nanaezushi, on Shichijo Street in Kyoto, occupies that middle ground between the gimmick and conveyor-belt joints and the high-end places where you can expect to pay ¥20,000 for an atmosphere that’s often as much fun as a funeral, however good the sushi itself might ...
Tentation d’Ange tries hard to channel a little corner of Provence, or somewhere similar where potted flowers are caught up in the tendrils of runnings beans and grass grows among the paved stones to accordion music. It is also at complete odds with the ...
On a steamy June afternoon, the apple trees in the Tsugaru region of Aomori Prefecture are laden with fruit. Now, the young apples are hard green spheres the size of golf balls, but come autumn they will be plump, sweet and ready for harvest.While ...
Sometimes, you have to stack as many signs of summer onto your product as possible. Snack producer Yamayoshi is celebrating the hotter months of the year with a special-edition potato chip tied to Japan’s southern islands. Their Okinawa salt wasabi beef offering hit store ...
This is an era of gastronomic collaboration. Chefs fly from one continent to another, swapping kitchens, recipes and sometimes even their homes. But rarely does this restless cross-fertilization of ideas and techniques involve the world of washoku, Japan’s traditional cuisine.That is why it was ...
Beware of basement dining bars with neon signs, dim lighting and moody music. All too often they deliver style with little substance and menus that titillate but fail to deliver. Thankfully, there are a few exceptions. In Nishi-Azabu, one of the best is S’accapau.From ...
With its gleaming glass frontage and punchy name in purple neon beaming into the Shibuya night, you can tell straight away Out is going to be a bit special. But it’s only when you’re inside and ensconced at the elegant little horseshoe-shaped counter that ...
