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September 18, 2025
 

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Makiko Itoh

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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 16, 2016
Sukiyaki, Japan's other New Year's meal
Late last December I went to a Tokyo branch of my favorite butcher shop, Ningyocho Imahan, to buy some meat to make a roast beef for my family's New Year's meal. When I arrived I was surprised to discover an hourlong wait to order. The crowd outside had lined up to buy Imahan's exceptional (and expensive)...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / JAPANESE KITCHEN
Nov 18, 2016
'Sobagaki': An ancient soba recipe
New-harvest rice, known as shinmai, is the culinary star of autumn in Japan. But there's another grain that is just as eagerly anticipated at this time of year in many parts of the country: shinsoba, new-harvest buckwheat.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / JAPANESE KITCHEN
Oct 14, 2016
'Kuri': The nutty staple of ancient Japan
Fresh chestnuts are one of the few things in Japan that are truly seasonal and not available year-round like so many other food products these days. Chestnuts (kuri in Japanese) have been consumed here since prehistoric times. Charred chestnuts that are more than 9,000 years old have been found in and...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / JAPANESE KITCHEN
Sep 16, 2016
How Chinese stir-frying snuck into Japanese homes
Stir-frying, often thought to be a part of all East and Southeast Asian cuisines, has a fairly short history in Japan. The method of rapidly cooking chopped food in oil over a hot fire was first introduced to the country by Chinese immigrants in the Meiji Period (1868-1912). This was the era when restaurants...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / JAPANESE KITCHEN
Aug 19, 2016
Beat the heat with help from a spicy Japanese staple
The heat and humidity of August doesn't help a waning appetite. Spicy food does, though, and in Japan "spicy" means curry.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / JAPANESE KITCHEN
Jul 15, 2016
'Yamaimo': Japan's slimy mountain yam
Japanese have a fondness for slippery, slimy food that people from other food cultures often find puzzling. Sticky nattō (fermented soy beans), mozuku and tororo konbu (two kinds of slimy seaweeds) may take some getting used to, but once you do they can be quite addictive. In addition, these slippery...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / JAPANESE KITCHEN
Jun 17, 2016
Once considered low class, how did tuna get so valuable?
Fresh, raw tuna reigns supreme in the culinary world these days, especially when it comes to sushi and sashimi. Bluefin tuna, known in Japan as hon-maguro or "true tuna," is so popular that global stocks are dangerously low due to overfishing. But tuna didn't always reign supreme: until the modern era...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / G7 Ise-Shima Summit Special
May 25, 2016
Ise area is known for a wide variety of delicious cuisine
According to the Nihon Shoki, the second-oldest book of Japanese history, around 2,000 years ago Princess Yamato-hime was ordered by her father, Emperor Suinin, to find a new, permanent shrine for the most important deity in the land, the great sun goddess Amaterasu Omikami. The princess, taking her...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / JAPANESE KITCHEN
May 20, 2016
A brief guide to dining after a disaster
The earthquakes that hit Kumamoto last month likely have many people in Japan thinking about disaster preparedness. The country is in one of the most seismically active regions of the world, and no stranger to other disasters either.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / JAPANESE KITCHEN
Apr 15, 2016
Hot in the shade of Japan's tiny pepper-tree leaves
In traditional Japanese cuisine, spiciness and zing are provided through yakumi garnishes — fragrant herbs, spices and vegetables added to a dish after it's plated. Not only do yakumi enhance the flavors and visual appeal of a dish, they're also believed to have health benefits such as aiding digestion...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / JAPANESE KITCHEN
Mar 25, 2016
A brief but sweet history of strawberries in Japan
It's hard to tell when the real season for fresh strawberries is in Japan, they are even available in December. The actual season, however, goes from spring until early summer, starting with the ones grown in southern Kyushu and ending with the ones grown in the north. In the Kanto region, strawberries...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / JAPANESE KITCHEN
Feb 19, 2016
'Amazake': The wintertime sake that isn't what it seems
For more than 1,000 years, a sweet, thick beverage known as amazake has been produced in Japan. Amanotamuznake, an early version of amazake, is mentioned in the "Nihon Shoki" ("Chronicles of Japan"), an early history of Japan compiled in 720. While the drink fell out of favor for a while, it has made...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / JAPANESE KITCHEN
Jan 22, 2016
How Japan's saltiest residents came to live the longest
January is a month when many of us resolve to eat healthier. Japan, with its worldwide reputation for health and longevity, is a good place to look. Much of the island nation's health is attributed to the amount of seafood consumed in the traditional diet. However, according to the Japanese Ministry...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / JAPANESE KITCHEN
Dec 18, 2015
Daikon: The great radish of Japan
According to the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, the most popular vegetable in Japan is the daikon radish, beating out onions and cabbage. Both the white roots and green tops are eaten throughout the year in many ways: raw, pickled, as sprouts, dried and simmered. Daikon are available year-round,...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / JAPANESE KITCHEN
Nov 20, 2015
Before Japan ate raw fish, there was himono
Japan is famous as a nation that loves raw seafood. But dried fish has a much longer history here and has played an important role in Japanese society for hundreds of years. There are basically two kinds of dried fish products in Japan. The first, which goes by various names, is dried (sometimes after...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / JAPANESE KITCHEN
Oct 16, 2015
An idea simmering for centuries: Japanese 'white stew'
When a Japanese person hears the word "stew," the dish they're likely to think of is a concoction of stewed vegetables and chicken (occasionally pork or seafood) in a creamy white sauce. Called "cream stew" or "white stew" this is a typical yōshoku dish: one with ingredients that have European-Western...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / JAPANESE KITCHEN
Sep 25, 2015
Sekihan: a recipe for magic beans and good luck
The quintessential festive dish in Japan is sekihan (literally, "red rice"), which is served on special days throughout the year. The dish is made with short-grain or sweet mochi (sticky or glutinous) rice and red adzuki beans — the cooking liquid from the beans is what gives the dish its reddish hue....
Japan Times
BUSINESS / 'SUMMER DAVOS' SPECIAL 2015
Sep 9, 2015
'B-class' cuisine: Food that reflects the soul of the people
From the impressive number of stars garnered by restaurants in Tokyo to heads of state visiting the establishments of famed sushi masters, the high end of the Japanese culinary scene gets plenty of attention worldwide. But eating out in Japan doesn't mean you have to break the bank all the time, and...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / JAPANESE KITCHEN
Aug 21, 2015
How yakitori went from taboo to salaryman snack
The grilled chicken skewers known as yakitori are good at any time of the year, but they go especially well with ice-cold beer. They also have an excellent chance of becoming the next big Japanese culinary hit worldwide — after sushi and ramen.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / JAPANESE KITCHEN
Jul 17, 2015
History of the vegetable most hated by Japanese children
Shopping for vegetables in Japan can be rather confusing, even if you get past the initial language barrier. For instance, why are green bell peppers called "pīman," and red or yellow ones "papurika?" And then there are the many type of chili peppers, which are known collectively as tōgarashi.
Wealthy foreign nationals picking up ultimate souvenir — a condo in Tokyo
A high-end property in the fashionable Daikanyama district in Tokyo
Japan dispatches five language education 'partners' to India
Five members of the Japan Foundation's Nihongo Partners program (front) gather at the Japanese Embassy in New Delhi on Monday.
Struggling train firm in Chiba Prefecture turns to self-deprecating humor
"Laughter is important when you're in a difficult situation," said Katsunori Takemoto, president of Choshi Electric Railway, on Aug. 5 in Choshi, Chiba Prefecture.
Japan's elderly population down at around 36.2 million
The estimated number of people age 65 or older in Japan stands at 36.19 million as of Monday, accounting for record 29.4% of the country's total population, according to the internal affairs ministry.
Japan’s front-line researchers see bright path ahead for dementia treatment
A scientist looks at scans of grains at the Memory Centre at the Department of Readaptation and Geriatrics of the University Hospital (HUG) in Geneva, Switzerland, on June 6, 2023.
Wealthy foreign nationals picking up ultimate souvenir — a condo in Tokyo
A high-end property in the fashionable Daikanyama district in Tokyo
Japanese athletes inspired by raucous home fans at World Athletics Championships
Fans cheer on the home favorites during the women's marathon at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo on Sunday.
Japan's major art events converge this fall
Shinji Ohmaki’s “Tokinokage” exhibited at Fuji Textile Week 2021 shows the use of fabric as art.
Tara Davis-Woodhall leaps to gold and finds redemption at world championships
Tara Davis-Woodhall celebrates after winning the women's long jump final at the World Athletics Championships at Tokyo's National Stadium on Sunday night.
An aesthetic escape to Hakone’s art-drenched hills
Between traditional examples of fine art and sleek, modern exhibitions that blend with nature, Hakone offers a unique escape from Tokyo's urban sprawl.

Podcast

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

Longform

Sumadori Bar on Shibuya Ward's main Center Gai street targets young customers who prefer low-alcohol drinks or abstain altogether.
Rethinking that second drink: Japan’s Gen Z gets ‘sober curious’
By Alex K.T. Martin

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