J.J. O'Donoghue - The Japan Times

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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

Mar 3, 2018

Dive headfirst into the world of nihonshu with a sake education course

Sake has come a long way from the days when it was internationally — and crudely — known as "rice wine." In recent years, sake has been the star of two documentaries, as well as a TV series on Amazon. Sommeliers and chefs around the world are making room for nihonshu — as it is called in Japanese — on their menus, and everyone from noted wine enthusiasts to DJs and soccer stars want a piece of the sake buzz.

Japan Times

COMMUNITY / Our Lives / WHY DID YOU LEAVE JAPAN?

Mar 3, 2018

Chef Yoshimi Hayakawa has been on a roll

Since 2001, Yoshimi Hayakawa, 48, from Toyota in Aichi Prefecture, has been living in Galway, a small and vibrant city on Ireland's Atlantic coast. After studying Chinese in Kunming, China, for five years, then traveling around Southeast Asia and spending three years in Hong Kong working for Yamato Transport Co., Ltd., a Japanese logistics company, Hayakawa made the move to Ireland to study English.

Japan Times

COMMUNITY / Our Lives / 20 QUESTIONS

Feb 24, 2018

Reylia Slaby: Picturing a brighter future

American photographer on the honesty of a photograph.

Japan Times

LIFE / Food & Drink / OSAKA RESTAURANTS

Feb 24, 2018

Echi Ponte Vecchio a Osaka: Florence-inspired pizzeria with a view

Chef and Italophile Daisuke Yamane has a thing for a particular bridge that spans the Arno River in Florence: the Ponte Vecchio. While the famous Italian bridge may or may not ring a bell, you'll more than likely recognize it from a photo: a centuries old whimsical multi-story bridge with houses and shops built into it. The bridge also has a starring role in the 1986 film "A Room with a View," occupying much of the aforementioned view.

Japan Times

LIFE / Food & Drink / OSAKA RESTAURANTS

Feb 24, 2018

Craft Beer Market Osaka: Cheap pints of tasty craft

The craft beer explosion in Japan has been a boon for drinkers, but the one bitter note in this success story is price. Generally speaking, there's little wiggle room from the ¥1,000 a pint mark — a hefty price to pay for a beer you might never go near again. This makes Craft Beer Market a worthy stopping point, as all of their draughts are priced at ¥780 for a pint and ¥480 for a half.

Japan Times

LIFE / Food & Drink / KYOTO RESTAURANTS

Feb 10, 2018

Kimchi no Mizuno: A favorite of Kyoto's midday crowd

At Kimchi no Mizuno, staff regularly play a game with the tables, an ever-changing dance with the room, performed to get around the fact that the restaurant is noticeably small, with space for no more than half a dozen tables.

Japan Times

LIFE / Food & Drink / KYOTO RESTAURANTS

Feb 10, 2018

Torisee Takoyakushi: Kyoto yakitori shop a brazen ode to the bird

A few years ago I was warned off torisashi (chicken sashimi) by a friend who, after eating it on a night out in Osaka, spent the following week in a very bad way. So when a dish containing thin slices of raw chicken breast arrived at our table I contemplated it with apprehension. However, I was warned that I would be missing out by not digging in. Peer pressure won out.

Japan Times

LIFE / Style & Design

Feb 3, 2018

Model children: Taking a behind-the-scenes look at the world of youth modeling

In a set design that could double as a Mad Hatter's tea party, 10-year-old Kiina Matsunaga sits wrapped in a pink blanket pouring tea for a white rabbit. The tiny blue cups match the color of her psychedelic hair. A photographer puts down her camera and huddles with the stylist before spending a few minutes adjusting Matsunaga's wig and then her blanket. Unperturbed, Matsunaga preoccupies herself by carrying on with the tea party.

Japan Times

LIFE / Food & Drink / OSAKA RESTAURANTS

Jan 27, 2018

Epais: Kitashinchi tonkatsu shop is worth the wait

Epais specializes in tonkatsu, deep-fried breaded pork cutlets. Like tempura, tonkatsu shares its origins in the West, but whereas the western dish is usually fried in a shallow pool of oil, tonkatsu gets a mini well of its own for frying.

Japan Times

LIFE / Food & Drink / OSAKA RESTAURANTS

Jan 27, 2018

Morning Glass Coffee: Hawaiian vibes meet cafe chic

At Morning Glass Coffee, they'd like you to forget you're surrounded by office buildings. To do so, they've decorated the ground floor (of an office building) with greenery, creating a somewhat successful visual separation from the urban jungle outside.

Japan Times

COMMUNITY / Our Lives / WHY DID YOU LEAVE JAPAN?

Jan 20, 2018

A successful cocktail of travel and tenacity

Shingo Gokan might well be the most traveled barman in the world. By his own count, last year he took more than 80 flights, landing in Atlanta, New York, Havana, London, Milan, Berlin, Manila, Bangkok, Tokyo, Shanghai, Singapore and Hong Kong.

Japan Times

LIFE / Food & Drink / KYOTO RESTAURANTS

Jan 13, 2018

Gion Nishikawa: Perfecting the sublime art of kaiseki

The highlights of a recent visit to Gion Nishikawa ranged from a little house filled with fugu to a basin in the restroom that had been transformed into a pine tree art installation.

Japan Times

LIFE / Food & Drink / KYOTO RESTAURANTS

Jan 13, 2018

Aitsu no Ramen Kataguruma: Tsukemen the show stopper

If you're a fan of tsukemen, the ramen dish where the noodles are served separate to the soup, you'll need to get here early.

Japan Times

CULTURE / Books

Jan 13, 2018

Michael Booth returns with 'The Meaning of Rice'

Michael Booth is back. And once again with his family in tow. The British food writer first came to Japan with his Danish wife and two sons in 2008 in a bid to learn more about Japan and its food culture in a trip that took them from Hokkaido to Okinawa in three months. Booth turned their foodie adventure into the best-selling book "Sushi and Beyond." NHK subsequently turned the book into an animation that's about as entertaining as watching rice ferment.

Japan Times

COMMUNITY / Our Lives / 20 QUESTIONS

Dec 31, 2017

20 Questions: The best answers of 2017

What brought you to Japan? I came here for the magic. Osaka is home to some of the best close-up magicians in the world.

Japan Times

LIFE / Food & Drink / OSAKA RESTAURANTS

Dec 23, 2017

Louis Blanc: A French study in culinary contrasts

Start with dessert, or desserts, and stay for dinner. And more dessert.

Japan Times

LIFE / Food & Drink / OSAKA RESTAURANTS

Dec 23, 2017

Yes! Burger: Gets an affirmative, though side-issues need work

The crew behind Garage 39, a craft beer pub, have gone west and opened up a burger outpost.

Japan Times

LIFE / Food & Drink / KYOTO RESTAURANTS

Dec 9, 2017

Hyoto Kyoto: Shabu-shabu with dashi to die for

Before you set foot in Hyoto you can divine that they want to elevate shabu-shabu from a 'great party dish' to a fine dining experience.

Japan Times

LIFE / Food & Drink / KYOTO RESTAURANTS

Dec 9, 2017

Cafe Antique: A modern take on the best of classic kissaten

Like most independent cafes and kissaten (Japanese coffee shops), Cafe Antique is a labor of love for owner and chef Tatsuya Iwasaki.

Japan Times

CULTURE / Books

Dec 9, 2017

'Now a Geisha' follows the graduation of an apprentice maiko

Shelves of books on geisha are already overflowing, but "Now A Geisha" still deserves a space.

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

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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