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July 06, 2025
 

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Elizabeth Andoh
With the weather warming up, there's no better time to make a bowl of chilled "surinagashi-jiru" (pureed soup).
LIFE / Food & Drink / Washoku Essentials
May 18, 2025
Flaunt your seasonal greens with Japan’s traditional pureed soup
Get the best flavor out of your peas and pods by simmering them in a dashi-based broth.
"Udo" (Japanese spikenard) is one of the many vegetables that reach their peak of flavor right as spring comes around.
LIFE / Food & Drink / Washoku Essentials
Mar 23, 2025
Now is the time to discover this Japanese mountain vegetable
At its most flavorful now, the oddly shaped Japanese spikenard adds a juicy and crisp element to salads.
Yellowtail caught during the coldest period of the year is delicious enough — but paired with a classic method of marinade and pan-searing, it's divine.
LIFE / Food & Drink / Washoku Essentials
Jan 29, 2025
For two weeks only, cold-water yellowtail can give you chills
According to Japan’s hyperseasonal calendar, January brings with it the chance for yellowtail at the peak of flavor.
Japan's traditional New Year cuisine has a long history, though modern developments have led to slight changes in the way things work.
LIFE / Food & Drink
Dec 22, 2024
A brief history of ‘osechi ryōri,' Japan's edible tradition for the new year
In addition to wordplay, color and shape often determine the reason why certain foods are part of Japan’s New Year holiday menu.
In Japan, these sweet morsels are a traditional New Year's treat, but they share a surprising overlap with American Thanksgiving flavors, too.
LIFE / Food & Drink / Washoku Essentials
Nov 10, 2024
The winter sweet that matches perfectly with autumn
If I’m in America for Thanksgiving, I’ll serve "kuri kinton" (syrup-stewed chestnuts in sweet potato paste) as a festive accompaniment to the holiday turkey.
From mid-August through late September, eggplants reach their height of flavor in Japan.
LIFE / Food & Drink / Washoku Essentials
Sep 1, 2024
Japan’s autumn eggplant: Too delicious for your daughter-in-law
In Japan, autumn eggplant has become a shorthand symbol for keeping the most pleasurable things in life to yourself.
Sardines may not be the traditional choice for Japan's special midsummer eel-eating day, but with a few special touches, the fish can be a satisfying and sustainable replacement.
LIFE / Food & Drink / Washoku Essentials
Jul 21, 2024
Going eel-less for Japan’s midsummer tradition
Japanese eel is endangered, but sardines are an ethical — and delicious — substitute for this year’s double Doyo no Ushi no Hi.
This is the dish that hooked me on the traditional Japanese ways of the "washoku" kitchen.
LIFE / Food & Drink / Washoku Essentials
May 26, 2024
Land and sea come together in traditional kitchen staple
For a dish of ingredients that display such culinary affinity, the Japanese have a go-to phrase: "aishō ga yoroshii" (good compatibility).
During cherry blossom season, lunchtime thoughts turn to outdoor picnicking, and savory sakura-flavored rice bundles are the perfect choice.
LIFE / Food & Drink / Washoku Essentials
Mar 23, 2024
Cherry blossoms are just as beautiful on a plate as a branch
With Tokyo’s cherry blossom season imminent, the tree takes center stage in sweet and savory dishes alike.
'Oden' may not be an iconic dish outside Japan, but during winter, there's nothing Japanese diners love more.
LIFE / Food & Drink / Washoku Essentials
Jan 28, 2024
In a Japanese winter, homemade ‘oden’ warms the body and soul
In poll after poll, this warming assortment of slowly simmered foods is the top-ranking comfort food for blustery winter nights.
A squeeze of fresh "sudachi" citrus is the final element in this earthy, warming dish perfect for cooler temperatures.
LIFE / Food & Drink
Nov 19, 2023
Here’s the tea on traditional dobin teapot-steamed mushrooms
Dobin mushi pairs well with meat, fish, tofu, omelets and other vegetables. You can also serve dobin mushi in lieu of soup at any meal.
Edamame are perhaps best known as a beer snack, but they can turn into a versatile topping for desserts and tofu alike.
LIFE / Food & Drink
Sep 17, 2023
Sweet or savory, edamame 'zunda' is a soybean revelation
Today, a whopping 66,000 tons of edamame are domestically grown and consumed annually.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / Washoku Essentials
Jul 16, 2023
I scream, you scream, we all scream — for amazake aisu
Today, amazake is commonly made by combining warm, cooked rice with kōji, Japan’s magical mold.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / Washoku Essentials
May 21, 2023
Any way you slice it, burdock root stir-fry hits the spot
Named after a folk hero, this dish frequently appears tucked into bento, as a side on family dinner tables and on the menu at pubs and other casual eateries.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / Washoku Essentials
Mar 26, 2023
Springtime sawara: Fresh fish, sweet sauce and a perfect sear
Don't settle for storebought teriyaki when you can perfect your own without too much trouble.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
Jan 22, 2023
Celebrate Setsubun with a dish of demon-ousting beans
Don't believe in soybeans' exorcising qualities? Maybe this recipe will convince you of their culinary merit instead.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / Washoku Essentials
Oct 30, 2022
The Ichimatsu motif: Cooking for both flavor and fortune
There's more than meets the eye for foods cooked with this distinctive checkerboard pattern.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / Washoku Essentials
Aug 28, 2022
Harnessing togi-jiru, Japanese cuisine's secret weapon
Every time you pour rinse water down the drain, you might be discarding a way to elevate every Japanese dish in your cookbook.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / Washoku Essentials
Jun 26, 2022
Tsukudani: Simmer your way to rice's best friend
Hundreds of years after it first gained popularity, tsukudani remain a mealtime favorite across Japan.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / Washoku Essentials
May 1, 2022
Brush up on your bento basics
Spring has more than sprung, making these eye-catching bento the perfect addition to your next warm-weather picnic.
Japan braces for more quakes as authorities dismiss doomsday hype
Evacuees from Akuseki Island, located in the Tokara island chain in Kagoshima Prefecuture, arrive at Kagoshima Port on Friday.
Hidden AI prompts in academic papers spark concern about research integrity
Waseda University is one of 14 institutions in eight countries found to have used hidden prompts in research papers.
A prophesied disaster (likely) won’t strike Japan this weekend
A viral manga prediction of a July 5 disaster has gripped Japan with anxiety and triggered an economic impact, but experts warn that while such dates are unreliable, the threat of a massive earthquake remains real. 
Residents of Tokara Islands begin evacuation as seismic swarm continues
Details about evacuations from Akuseki Island, located in the Tokara island chain in Kagoshima Prefecture, is seen written on a whiteboard in the city of Kagoshima on Thursday.
U.S. military apologizes over Okinawa sexual assault case
Col. Neil Owens (right), chief of staff for the 3rd Marine Division, bows in apology at the Okinawa Prefectural Government office in Naha on Thursday.
Ghibli’s Isao Takahata exhibit shows how beloved anime is made
“The man who planted Japanese animation” exhibition includes a variety of sketches, drawings and animation cels from Isao Takahata films such as color design for characters by Michiyo Yasuda from "Grave of the Fireflies."
Flag football facing challenges and opportunities ahead
Japan’s women’s flag football team at the 2025 International Bowl in Los Angeles in June. The sport is enjoying continued growth in the country.
From Hokusai’s Great Wave, shinkansen to One Piece: a cultural treasure box for Lego Japan
Michael Ebbesen, general manager of Lego Japan, says Lego bricks based on Japanese culture have a rich global appeal and are sellable around the world.
With farmed fish, RelationFish swims against the tide in fine dining
Chef Hideaki Matsuo (middle) and the staff of Oseto Suisan Fisheries prepare to check on their sustainably farmed fish.
As Southeast Asia heats up, a Japanese cooling giant sees a major opportunity
An employee of Daikin Cambodia explains the use of different tools during an air conditioner installation training session in Phnom Penh. Daikin is one of Japan’s oldest air conditioning companies, but as Japan’s population falls, the firm is keying in on overseas growth.

Podcast

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

Longform

Mount Fuji is considered one of Japan's most iconic symbols and is a major draw for tourists. It's still a mountain, though, and potential hikers need to properly prepare for any climb.
What it takes to save lives on Mount Fuji
By Alex K.T. Martin

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

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Ishii Iron Works remakes self for workers, new energy

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