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April 28, 2024
 

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J.J. O'Donoghue
For J.J. O'Donoghue's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
Nov 3, 2018
A Michelin star in just six months for Ireland's first kaiseki restaurant
Chef Takashi Miyazaki's Ichigo Ichie is Ireland's first kaiseki restaurant — albeit one that blends Japanese and Irish flavors. When it landed a Michelin star within its first year, the restaurant put Cork back on Europe's culinary map and brought Miyazaki instant international acclaim.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KYOTO RESTAURANTS
Oct 27, 2018
Kei Yoshioka: More than a dash of personality
Kei Yoshioka spent three years transforming a former pawn shop into a restaurant. The result is Maker — a fitting name given how much of his time and personality have gone into metamorphosing a simple one-room operation into one of Kyoto's most distinctive restaurants.u3000
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / WHY DID YOU LEAVE JAPAN?
Oct 20, 2018
Building a career in toy design, brick by brick
When The Lego Group announced that it was shutting down its design operations in Japan, it offered a new opportunitity for designer Junya Suzuki — relocation to Billund in Denmark, the birthplace of Lego and the company's global headquarters.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
Sep 29, 2018
'The Knifenerd Guide to Japanese Knives': Paying tribute to Japan's 'faceless' knife makers
For more than a decade, Kevin Kent and his staff have been selling chefs and home cooks on the array of Japanese knives as well as how to care for them. That knowledge has been distilled into Kent's upcoming book, 'The Knifenerd Guide to Japanese Knives,' a tribute to Japan's 'faceless' blacksmiths.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues
Sep 29, 2018
At the Kyoto dorm that time forgot, Japanese students dig in
The reception area at Yoshida Dormitory, a 105-year-old student residency in Kyoto University, is reached via a short lane lined by tall gingko trees and rows of bicycles, some of which look like they have been stationary for as long it would take to complete a Ph.D. The classic wooden entrance is a portal into another world, clouded in cigarette smoke, where defiance and progressiveness mix easily with cats and chickens.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KYOTO RESTAURANTS
Sep 22, 2018
Kouki Watanabe: Sparks fly between son and father
Run by father-and-son duo Toshihiro and Kouki Watanabe, Taihou remains a cozy, unfussy, family-run restaurant rooted in Kyoto's Nijo district. But that modesty can't hide what is some of the best Sichuan food you'll find in the city.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / WHY DID YOU LEAVE JAPAN?
Sep 1, 2018
Mari Kuraishi: A childhood on the move gave this CEO the power to 'go native' in a flash
There's an old Japanese saying that dicates the nail that sticks up should be hammered down. But what if that conspicuous nail is a 6-year-old Japanese girl newly arrived in Milan?
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KYOTO RESTAURANTS
Aug 25, 2018
Masato Miyazawa: Calm, collected, almost transcendent
When Masato Miyazawa opened his first restaurant here in Kyoto, he was 32.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / Food Sustainability in Japan
Aug 25, 2018
Turning the table on global food inequality
Masa Kogure started Table For Two in 2007 to address both obesity and global hunger issues and 'flatten out the calorie imbalance.'
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / TELLING LIVES
Aug 22, 2018
Osaka student fights for Syrians' right to study in safety in Japan
When Yahya Almasri heard Japan had closed the door on other students fleeing war, he decided he had to do something.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Aug 18, 2018
Staying razor sharp: At the sharp end of Sakai's handmade knife industry
In Sakai, Osaka Prefecture, two things are certain: You're never far from the remains of dead people and you're never far from a knife. The two are connected, but not in the way you might think.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
Aug 18, 2018
58 years and 140,000 students: The art of the Tsuji Culinary Institute
Over the course of nearly 60 years, the Tsuji Culinary Institute has turned out 140,000 chefs and patissiers, in the process becoming the largest culinary school in Japan.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / OSAKA RESTAURANTS
Jul 21, 2018
Kawahara: Thrilling, exciting, game-changing kaiseki
At Kawahara, expect a multi-course kaiseki meal that presents seasonal foods in unexpected, playful ways.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / OSAKA RESTAURANTS
Jul 21, 2018
Otto Knot: Italian food, sailing knots and great waffles
When visiting Otto Knot, a cozy neighborhood cafe in the city of Takatsuki, don't miss their homemade raspberry sauce and ice cream-topped waffles.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
Jul 14, 2018
Booking services secure tables, but at what price?
Everyone wants to eat well in Japan, but it can be difficult to secure reservations at the best spots. Restaurant booking services, like TableAll, make it easier, for a price.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KYOTO RESTAURANTS
Jul 7, 2018
Karatsu: Bold kaiseki cooking from a devotee to the art
At Ayanokoji Karatsu, chef Shosaku Karatsu is bringing bold dishes and flavors to Kyoto's classic kaiseki scene.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KYOTO RESTAURANTS
Jul 7, 2018
Dai's Deli: A long wait justified by classic sandwiches
Dai's sandwich deli and cafe has gourmet sandwiches, designed to please both eye and stomach.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
Jun 30, 2018
'Japan: The Cookbook': Beautifully presented recipes for home cooks
'Japan: The Cookbook' is a classic recipe book that runs the gamut of Japanese cooking techniques, drawing on Nancy Singleton Hachisu's wealth of experience and culinary conections.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / OSAKA RESTAURANTS
Jun 23, 2018
Beignet: Earnest French fusion with a sleek streak
Beignet's French-style kushiage skewers are served bite-sized, elegantly plated and with an Asian twist.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / Food Sustainability in Japan
Jun 23, 2018
Is farming in Japan on its last legs?
With a declining agricultural workforce, there are concerns about how Japan will tackle food self-sufficiency and maintain its landscapes, cultural heritage and vitality of its countryside villages.
Town to block view of Mount Fuji in response to overtourism
The town government of Fujikawaguchiko, Yamanashi Prefecture, decided to set up a 2.5-meter-high screen to prevent tourists from taking pictures of Mount Fuji looming behind a convenience store.
In Japan, regional revitalization fails to halt population decline
Sakiyama elementary school in Tamba, Hyogo Prefecture, in March .Over the past decade, the government has directed efforts toward policies designed to give young people incentives to base themselves in rural areas.
Number of homeless in Japan hits record low
Homeless people sleep on the street in Tokyo's Shinjuku Ward in August 2021.
Ukraine is far from doomed
When comparing Ukraine’s military situation in 2024 to Europe’s in 1941, Russia’s defeat seems entirely possible.
Japan wants you to spend more with ‘luxury tourism’
Performers play a traditional drum unique to Wajima, Ishikawa Prefecture, in the prefectural capital of Kanazawa on March 16 to mark the extension of the Hokuriku Shinkansen line to Tsuruga Station in Fukui Prefecture.
Japan wants you to spend more with ‘luxury tourism’
Performers play a traditional drum unique to Wajima, Ishikawa Prefecture, in the prefectural capital of Kanazawa on March 16 to mark the extension of the Hokuriku Shinkansen line to Tsuruga Station in Fukui Prefecture.
Theaster Gates’ ambitious ‘Afro-Mingei’ brings Black Chicago to Tokyo
Theaster Gates' “A Heavenly Chord” lines up church pews before seven speakers and a Hammond B3 organ, a type of electric organ prevalent in Black American churches.
Casa del Cibo: A thriving jewel born from Tohoku’s harsh past
When chef Ryohei Ikemi moved to Hachinohe, Aomori Prefecture, and opened Casa del Cibo in 2011, it was the first proper Italian restaurant in the city.
Town to block view of Mount Fuji in response to overtourism
The town government of Fujikawaguchiko, Yamanashi Prefecture, decided to set up a 2.5-meter-high screen to prevent tourists from taking pictures of Mount Fuji looming behind a convenience store.
Kyotographie's strong 12th edition shines light into the margins
Yassine Alaoui Ismaili, who goes by Yoriyas, turned to photography, shooting motion while in motion himself, after an injury forced him to give up his career as a professional breakdancer.

Podcast

From easily navigable train stations to the helpfulness of its municipal staff, Tokyo has earned high praise for its commitment to accessibility for disabled travelers.
[Rebroadcast] Japan is doing better on accessibility than you may think

Longform

Later this month, author Shogo Imamura will open Honmaru, a bookstore that allows other businesses to rent its shelves. It's part of a wave of ideas Japanese booksellers are trying to compete with online spaces.
The story isn't over for Japan's bookstores
By Alex K.T. Martin

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Vol. 34: Tokyo, a vanguard city for sustainability
Vol. 34: Tokyo, a vanguard city for sustainability

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