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Ken Ishii
For Ken Ishii's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital / JAPAN TIMES BLOGROLL
Jun 10, 2009
Just Hungry, Just Bento
The kitchen has long been used as a portal to distant places and times, and Just Hungry and Just Bento are two blogs by Makiko Itoh that put all the wonders of Japanese cuisine within a cutting-board's reach. For Makiko, cooking has been a way to re-create comfort foods from Japan while living abroad in the U.S. and Switzerland. Just Hungry features traditional and contemporary versions of staple dishes such as sukiyaki and omuraisu (rice omelet) and are highlighted in one of several of the blog's expansive lists called 100 Japanese foods to try. For those eating on the run, Just Bento is dedicated to the ubiquitous Japanese lunch in a box and provides a wide range of recipes, instructions and detailed nutritional guidelines. Whether expanding one's culinary horizon or longing for a taste of home, Just Hungry and Just Bento are quick tickets to kitchens of the not-so-far East.
LIFE / Digital / JAPAN TIMES BLOGROLL
Apr 13, 2009
I Rub Your Brog
While many first-time visitors to Tokyo probably have a fuzzy idea of what to expect, they would do themselves a favor to first check out I Rub Your Brog, a Web blog that randomly documents "life, music and general weirdness in central Tokyo." This is where they'll find slices of technicolor life not necessarily covered in standard-issue guidebooks about Japan. When the anonymous blogger behind I Rub Your Brog isn't touring the city's parks and backstreets on his bike, he can be found jamming with the bands The Shirts and Squadcar or trading riffs with other artists in Tokyo's underground music scene. The Japan Times spoke with Mallocup, the creator's online alias, about his blog, the extroverts on parade in Yoyogi Park and the importance of always being prepared for a photo opportunity.

Longform

High-end tourism is becoming more about the kinds of experiences that Japan's lesser-known places can provide.
Can Japan lure the jet-set class off the beaten path?