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March 21, 2025
 

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Makiko Itoh

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@makiwi

Makiko Itoh
Makiko Itoh writes the Japanese Kitchen column, and is the author of the bestselling "The Just Bento Cookbook" and its sequel, "The Just Bento Cookbook 2." A Tokyo native, she runs two Japanese cooking blogs, JustHungry.com and JustBento.com.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / JAPANESE KITCHEN
Dec 19, 2020
This is the quintessential Japanese noodle dish you should eat over new year
Toshikoshi soba is a comforting dish best enjoyed slowly, perhaps with some sake, while you quietly plan ahead for a better 2021.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / JAPANESE KITCHEN
Nov 14, 2020
Create your own ‘at-home izakaya’ with daikon appetizers
With COVID-19 cases once again rising, why not sharpen your izakaya appetizer cooking skills with this warming simmered daikon and spicy stir-fry?
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / JAPANESE KITCHEN
Oct 17, 2020
As the weather cools, make this hearty nimono simmered stew
The taro has been a staple starch for centuries, and today it's grown all over Japan. Here, it rounds out a fall stew perfect for lunch or dinner.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / JAPANESE KITCHEN
Sep 19, 2020
Will sardines become Japan's new autumn 'it' fish?
Sometimes considered a culinary afterthought due to its modest size and low price, sardines are as healthy and tasty as any other oily fish.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / JAPANESE KITCHEN
Aug 15, 2020
This summer, don’t be too bitter to give gōya a try
Although it may look intimidating, bitter melon is surprisingly addictive. Here's two healthy and quick recipes highlighting this unique fruit.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / JAPANESE KITCHEN
Jul 18, 2020
Potesara: Japan’s ‘most familiar and loved salad’
A recent Twitter controversy about potato salad has brought the much-loved dish back into the national spotlight.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / JAPANESE KITCHEN
Jun 27, 2020
Five refreshing and summer-friendly Japanese recipes
This recipe collection starts with a homemade mentsuyu (noodle sauce), which becomes a flavorful base for four other dishes.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / JAPANESE KITCHEN
Jun 20, 2020
Japan’s love affair with caramel custard pudding
Creamy and luxurious, pudding has graced everything from the tables of Japan's fine-dining hotels to convenience stores. And it's back in fashion.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / JAPANESE KITCHEN
May 16, 2020
Want to help out Japan’s struggling farmers? Eat more dairy and vegetables
COVID-19 is straining Japan's food distribution network, particularly for milk and produce. Good thing this take on a vichyssoise soup uses both.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / JAPANESE KITCHEN
Apr 18, 2020
Preservation 101: How to store your produce to extend its shelf life
This pantry-friendly and vegetarian meal will keep you feeling full and satisfied. The best part is its individual components store well in the fridge or freezer, too.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / JAPANESE KITCHEN
Mar 14, 2020
Craving Japanese health foods? Give nattō and umeboshi a try
One way to stay healthy is to maintain a balanced diet. Natto and umeboshi might be polarizing ingredients, but there's no denying their health benefits, especially when combined in this easy, punchy pasta.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / JAPANESE KITCHEN
Feb 15, 2020
Get in on the gyōza wars with this tasty dumpling recipe
Gyu014dza are fun, easy-to-make and absolutely delicious
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / JAPANESE KITCHEN
Jan 18, 2020
Camembert nabe hot pot: Ooey, gooey and good for you
Who says cheese isn't good for you? This hot pot has three gut-friendly fermented foods that make it a hearty, warming family favorite.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / JAPANESE KITCHEN
Dec 14, 2019
Whether it's sweet or savory, zōni soup is a new year mainstay
For centuries, mochi rice cakes have been a part of festive occasions in Japan, especially during the new year holidays. A hearty zu014dni soup is one classic way to incorporate mochi into your new year meal.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / 2010s: Decade in review
Nov 16, 2019
How Japanese social media changed 2010s eating habits
Move over complicated bentos: Japanese recipes in the 2010s are all about making cozy, unfussy food that looks good online.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / JAPANESE KITCHEN
Oct 19, 2019
Mustard-miso-stuffed lotus root: Crunchy, with a distinctive bite
Lotus root may be fairly bland on its own, but adding a mustard-miso filling gives it a pop of flavor — and maybe some additional health benefits, too.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / JAPANESE KITCHEN
Sep 14, 2019
Tenshinhan: A made-in-Japan omelette with Chinese influences
Tenshinhan — a crabmeat-filled omelette over rice covered in a sweet-and-savory sauce — is a flavorful Chinese-influenced Japanese dish that will soon become a weeknight staple.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / JAPANESE KITCHEN
Aug 17, 2019
Food to combat summer fatigue: Ginger pork with veggie pickles
Natsubate, the fatigue and lethargy you feel during the summer months, can seriously affect your energy levels. But eating the right food, such as this easy-to-make ginger pork, can help keep you feeling energized.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / JAPANESE KITCHEN
Jul 20, 2019
The ongoing evolution of Japan's soup curry
This perfectly spicy soup curry is packed with healthy vegetables in a light, flavorful broth for an easily customizable, quick and easy meal.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / JAPANESE KITCHEN
Jun 15, 2019
Soft-set omurice: From the big screen to the kitchen table
A surprisingly difficult dish to master, omurice (rice omelette) is a beloved — and tasty — dish of the yu014dshoku (European-style Japanese cuisine) canon.
‘DEI’ purge prompts Pentagon to remove webpage on Iwo Jima flag-raiser
A signed picture by photographer Joe Rosenthal of U.S. Marines raising the American flag on Iwo Jima is shown as part of a display at the new National Museum of the Marine Corps in Quantico, Virginia, in November 2006.
Musk says aid cuts haven’t killed anyone. That's not true.
Elon Musk and President Donald Trump's assertion that U.S. aid cuts to programs including PEPFAR and USAID in Africa aren't causing harm is not true. Children and others are already dying as a result.
Japan’s twin obsessions meet as MLB visits sumo’s heartland
Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw takes part in a sumo demonstration in Tokyo on Friday.
Tariff threats spur TSMC’s Taiwan peers to seek U.S. expansion
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks with C.C. Wei, chief executive of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., at a news conference in Washington on March 3.
Pakistan’s economy is back. But so is terrorism.
A soldier stands guard at a railway station in the Sibi district of southwestern Balochistan province, Pakistan, on March 12 as part of a security operation after militants hijacked a passenger train the previous day.
In pictures: Tokyo's weeklong celebration of baseball's best
Shohei Ohtani belts a home run in the fifth inning of the second game of the Tokyo Series between the Dodgers and Cubs.
What's the fuss over Ishiba's gift vouchers?
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba waits for a session of the House of Councillors Budget Committee to begin in Tokyo on Friday.
At Tokyo Dome, a stage so big that even Shohei Ohtani felt nervous
Shohei Ohtani tips his batting helmet during the opening game of the MLB season between the Dodgers and Cubs on Tuesday at Tokyo Dome
Assassin’s Creed Shadows puts samurai style over substance
Releasing on March 20, Assassin's Creed Shadows excels in atmosphere and open-world gameplay but falls short of narrative expectations.
At Ventinove, Tuscan specialties taken to new heights
Tucked away behind the historic Tsuchida sake brewery, Ventinove's location and sleek, angular architecture make for impressive destination dining.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Longform

Passengers that were on a morning train attacked by members of the Aum Shinrikyo group wait for medical assistance outside Kasumigaseki Station on March 20,1995.
The day a religious cult brought terror to Tokyo
By Alex K.T. Martin

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